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Hey guys,

I'm at the sealing/filling stage of my first build, and I'm hoping for some suggestions on a potential problem I might have. I taped off my fingerboard with blue tape, and my nut, and I've put a couple coats of zpoxy epoxy on the neck. It looks great, and I'm super excited! I have a really nice smooth surface ready to be finished.

However, as I looked it over, I began to wonder...how do I address the line I'm going to have where the neck meets the fretboard, when I remove the tape. There will be two coats of epoxy, and many coats of waterbased laquer(I'm using KTM9). I know there will be a line. Do I just carefully sand with some fine paper? My fretboard is bound with ebony wood.

I also wondered if I should have taped only the top surface of the fretboard?

Advice, once again will be really, really, appreciated.

Sean

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change isn't synonymous with improvement
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Sean,
I only tape the playing surface and finish the sides of the FB. I do slightly round the sharp edge between the playing surface and the side of the FB because if it's a really sharp edge, the lacquer wants to let go at that edge sometimes.

Good luck!

Chuck

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"To live a creative life, we must lose our fear of being wrong"
- Joseph Chilton Pearce

I tape the top edge of the fretboard only, then after finish, i thin the edge with sandpaper, remove the tape and scrap the edge.

I've never used water based lacquer but when you use the solvent based stuff, you can't use the blue tape, you need to use the green.

DAMHIKT

Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

I did some early guitars like that (taping the edge of the fretboard). It's possible to carefully feather the finish edge with a razor blade and get a good transition. It's also easy to screw it up.

You're probably better off removing the tape, feathering the epoxy and re-taping just the playing surface.

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