Grooved fingerboard - how hard it is to fix?

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Pete Wood

Hi all,
probably a common question. Got a nice thick board on my German 3/4 neck. Had a velvet anima snap and are in the process of ordering a new set. Came to my attention that the board is grooved noticably, say 1mm deep. I don't think it's unplayable at all, but it will need some attention at some stage. We have no money at the moment really. I can just afford to replace the strings.

How hard is it to shave the board down? What the method? How much do you shave it down by?

I've build a number of electric basses now. Two fretless and 3 with frets. I figure I might be able to do it. I've got some straight edges and scrapers. What do you all think?

Do not attempt this your self. Cambering and dressing a DB FB is not a job for a beginner. Electric basses are different, completely. Play it as-is until you can get it to a DB luthier who knows how to dress a FB without taking out too much or over scooping it. This is not something to learn on the internet. If you ruin the board, the cost of replacing it will be a shock.