CA Guitar Repair Blog: Yamaha TRB-6P Six-String Bass

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

Yamaha TRB-6P Six-String Bass | Part 7

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Albert's TRB-6P: Leveling the Fretboard

My initial examination of this Yamaha TRB-6P Six-String Bass revealed quite a lot, most of which I've already shared with you. What I did not mention was a slightly back-bowed neck and frozen truss rod adjustment nut. I'm glad to report that after many days of applying MultiLube and gentle coaxing, the stubborn nut has finally loosened; allowing the truss rod to relax and neck to straighten.

Before installing frets on this ebony fretboard, I'll have to make sure it's dead flat. I'll also need to sand out as much of the chipping and tearout as possible without damaging the abalone dot markers. After that, there'll be the task of carefully re-cutting the fret slots to the right depth and width. But I'm getting ahead of myself here, aren't I? Okay then, let's see what I managed to get done today.

After carefully wrapping the body in clear stretch film and taping off the top, the fretboard was marked with a carpenter's pencil. Doing this would help me identify any high or low spots while sanding. I started out with 60 grit sanding beams and blocks. Yes, 60 grit is a little aggressive, but the majority of those chips were plenty deep.

This marking/sanding/marking cycle was repeated a couple times until I was up to 400 grit. A final check with my trusty 12" try square confirmed that the fretboard was nice and flat. At this point, I called it done. You can still see those nasty chips, no doubt. However, I believe they're now shallow enough for frets to be seated securely. I'm also happy that the wear marks caused by the A, E and B strings have virtually disappeared. And that, folks, is what I managed to get done today.