YouTube series [not mine]: Replacing a 1960s Veneer Fingerboard

[vandahm]

This isn't my own project, and they aren't my videos, but I thought the group would like to see how this guy in Germany replaced a veneer fingerboard on a 1960s Jaguar. I don't know if it's the right thing to do on a legit vintage Fender-- my intuition is that it is, since the fingerboard was so badly worn and since he needed to replace a broken truss rod underneath -- but this looks like a technique we can use on our own builds without a lot of equipment beyond what we already need to make a slab fingerboard from scratch.

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5

[MrSparkle]

I don't know if it's the right thing to do on a legit vintage Fender-- my intuition is that it is, since the fingerboard was so badly worn and since he needed to replace a broken truss rod underneath

And you're right. A guitar that can't be played isn't a guitar. It's firewood at worst, and a sculpture at best. Same story as rewinding old pickups. It's not the same original pickup any more *before* you do the work, because it already wasn't picking anything up.

Once it had an unfixable bend that guitar wasn't an original guitar any more. By fixing it, it's still not original - but at least it's a guitar!

My take (and a reasonably popular one), anyway. Always try to do the least amount of work, but also always do enough.

[Bradley-Jazz]

I definitely agree - it's obviously been well loved and played, and worked on over the years, why decide now to let it fossilise? Better to do the work carefully and respectfully.

By the way, I find these videos fascinating, and incredibly soothing to watch! Thanks for sharing.

[OffYourFace]

whoa that was intense! So old-timey craftsmen style.

THis should probably go in the vintage resto section

[HNB]

I enjoyed the series as well. He definitely has some excellent woodworking skills. Funny that the reinforcement strip was alder and not walnut originally. I am all for fixing a unplayable guitar. It was built to play and make music. It just needed some repairs to be ready to last hopefully several more decades or more.