Fretboard Conundrum

I made the mistake of removing the plastic fretboard from a Fluke. I think I had planned to make one out of wood, but I wound up making stick-on graphic for it, instead. Now I have to re-attach it.

The problem is that the back of the board is not perfectly flat. The edges are very slightly raised, so the main body does not contact the neck. Magic Fluke got around this by using some kind of thick adhesive. I thought I would use hot glue, since that would fill that small void and hold it securely.

Any comments?

I suspect that getting the timing right on that much hot glue would be next to impossible without the proper industrial sized equipment. I would suggest using an adhesive caulk, such as "3M™ Marine Adhesive Sealant 5200 is a one-component, high-strength, moisture-curing, gap-filling polyurethane for permanent bonding of wood, gelcoat and fiberglass. It cures to form a firm, rubbery, waterproof seal on joints and boat hardware, above and below the waterline". Which might actually be overkill in this application, as regular silicone caulk would probably work just as well given how little shear there would be on the fretboard. Be sure to cover everything with lots of painter's tape to protect against the squeeze out.

besley said:

given how little shear there would be on the fretboard.

Click to expand...

I am now imagining the Hulk bending the strings. Bet he plays some mean blues. Or greens?

I recommend contacting the company for suggestions on how best to proceed.

I think Bill's right on the money with his suggestion. If you glue it, it might not seat perfectly which could create multiple problems if it's uneven. And if you use a heavy duty adhesive, it might make it impossible to correct any issues later.

Well, it's done! I made a cardboard template that fits between the bridge and the lower end of the fretboard. I checked other Fleas and Flukes, and the spacing is the same. With that in place, all I had to do was make sure the board was centered left and right on the neck. I worked fast applying the hot glue and then placed the fretboard onto the neck and held it down. I wouldn't do this with a KoAloha or Kamaka, but I was going for looks more than sound. Still, there was no damage done to the uke.

I have gone to Magic Fluke twice before to have plastic fretboards replaced with wood. Each trip involved three hours of driving, a couple of hours of waiting, and almost $100. I would never cover a wooden fretboard with a graphic. They look too nice in their natural state. I have one more Fluke with a plastic fretboard, and I might make a graphic for that, but I won't remove the fretboard.