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HG Thor Epoxy Fretless for Bass & Guitar |
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Epoxy coatings on most types of fretboards since 1980, originally inspired by ideas
expressed in a '77 BP interview
with the late great Jaco Pastorius*. Fretboards are cleanly defretted, fretlines inlaid, then
carefully leveled/prepared before epoxy treatment. Worn and grooved fingerboards can be
redressed to look like new. Inlay artwork is available. Epoxy thickness is hard enough to protect the wood, but designed to allow the neck woods to resonate naturally. Sustain is greatly increased due to reduced friction of the string against the hard surface, as compared to the inherently softer fingerboard wood. The resulting tone is articulate and rich in partials with increased "mwah" and swell. Fingering and plucking hand technique combined with a tweak of the tone knob can access a large spectrum of tonal variety and nuance. Edges will not delaminate and are carefully dressed to blend with the neck finish.
Low action is possible due to much attention paid to overall
fingerboard linearity. This hard and resilient epoxy surface can last a lifetime,
even with roundwounds.
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Xavier Padilla: "The effect epoxy produces in the sound
...is amazing: everything is brighter and all details come out clearer. As an instrument, I feel like
the bass becomes more sensitive. Vibrato, which is essential in fretless playing, becomes more responsive,
as if the rotating movement of the finger upon the string was now
better "heard" by the neck. I would say that with the HG Thor epoxy method on the
fingerboard, a fretless electric bass still gets a woody sound, but with a new element that
brings it closer to that of a grand piano." (Mr. Padilla is a master bassist/composer, toured,
wrote and recorded with the Gipsy Kings 2000-2005 and is a pioneer in music notation
and bass design.) |
Frets and Fretlines: There are a number
of options to select from. Frets are carefully removed and inlay applied. Favorites include
maple veneer or black vulcanized sheeting. Other woods are available. Nuts: The nut must be removed in order to properly install an HG Thor Epoxy Fretless coating. In the event a nut will not be gently coaxed out of its slot without breaking, options available are: bone (my fav!), plastic, delrin, micarta, corian, Graph Tech, or anything you prefer. |
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Maple fretlines offer a clean and good looking reference
on rosewood boards: Famous name signature
fretless with a stock polyurethane coating removed, board leveled and epoxy applied: |
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Low action is possible on many basses. Here 3/64"!
Inlay restoration/new:
We are authorized installers for Audere Audio products plus carry a complete line of Fender pickups and accessories and other famous name brands such as Bartolini and Nordstrand etc.
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©1998-2020 HG Thor Guitar Lab and Harris G. Thor. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution of text, pictures or sounds on any part of this site without written consent. * |
In addition to being hard and polished,
the epoxy surface is very planar and uniform. This
allows low action and fine tuning of desired amount of "mwaa" effect. Simply dial in your
favorite sound with the tone control! |
