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James Palenscar of Steel Guitars of North County in Oceanside Ca. stepped up to the plate with his ability to use a laser machine to engrave paint underlayment on a custom made clear plastic fretboard. Old-vintage Steels with plastic fretboards, were silkscreened in layers of patterns and color onto the bottom of clear plastic fretboards. There are sign companies that can print multi-color onto plastic surfaces, or print onto paper as a graphic design underlayment. The laser is much easier today for two colors. As shown here Jim did a great job and was most enjoyable to work with in getting the graphic pattern replicated to original tolerances: |
The original fretboard on this mint-green Supro lap steel was silk screened directly onto the MOTS finish, and then worn by the abrasion of left hand fingerpicks while holding the strings quiet during silent periods of performances; The most common cause of fretboard wear on steel guitars. My Customer desired it be repaired. The best and most economical solution was to make a new replica of a plastic fretboard sported on Valco / Supro marketing step-up models / versions of this steel. |
~ Replicating a 1948 Supro Plexiglas Fretboard ~ |
The original fretboard on this mint-green Supro lap steel was silk screened directly onto the MOTS finish, and then worn by the abrasion of left hand fingerpicks while holding the strings quiet during silent periods of performances; The most common cause of fretboard wear on steel guitars. My Customer desired it be repaired. The best and most economical solution was to make a new replica of a plastic fretboard sported on Valco / Supro marketing step-up models / versions of this steel. |
James Palenscar of Steel Guitars of North County in Oceanside Ca. stepped up to the plate with his ability to use a laser machine to engrave paint underlayment on a custom made clear plastic fretboard. Old-vintage Steels with plastic fretboards, were silkscreened in layers of patterns and color onto the bottom of clear plastic fretboards. There are sign companies that can print multi-color onto plastic surfaces, or print onto paper as a graphic design underlayment. The laser is much easier today for two colors. As shown here Jim did a great job and was most enjoyable to work with in getting the graphic pattern replicated to original tolerances: |
Here on the back of the fretboard we can see where the laser engraved through the black underlayment of paint, leaving the graphic pattern as clear windows in the black-painted plastic. The next coat of white underlayment colored the clear graphic windows white when viewed from the front: |
Jim's packing was "bullet proof". The boards were wrapped in clear packing tape: |
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Some pixel "fuzz" here is from the digital picture I took and not in the fretboard graphics: |
Wrapped in newspaper the fretboard was protected from scratches during shipping: |
A superb example of precision replication: |
