Effect of new fingerboard on old archtop

[electroman]

My current archtop is a 1959 Gretsch single pickup Anniversary (model 6124) and I'm loving the sound and general response; neck set is great, and I had it refretted with medium frets. The original PAF Filter'tron sounds great by the way. However.....like many old guitboxes that were made way back then, including Gibby 175s, the response in the upper register above the 12th fret, especially with the top strings, is not the greatest. It's not that I'm seeking a solid body evenness up there, but it's the one aspect of this guitar that I wish was just a little better. Also, I could talk about the intonation up there in the high strings above the 12th fret, but that would likely open up a whole lot of discussion about what goes into a good setup, etc. I've tried different bridges and settled on a Schaller tune-o-matic with brass saddles.

So....my question for builders and players who did this is, would replacing the fingerboard with a new one (ebony or high grade Brazilian rosewood) have any positive effect on the instrument's response in the upper register?

[enalnitram]

I would get this instrument in the hands of a luthier that comes with good references and recommendations, and have them make that determination. Tell them what your end goal is and let them recommend the fix.

It's nearly impossible to generalize what this kind of repair will do for your instrument without seeing it in person.

During the 90's I had a 1956 Guild CE-100, which was very tired and worn out. I found a guy who refretted it, and didn't go so far as replacing the fingerboard, but leveled the board retaining the radius, etc. A couple of worn spots in the first position were still slightly visible (and we were aware it would appear that way), but it played like new and the cost to me was quite low (compared to what a new fingerboard installation could have been). Intonation was spot on. Response and overall stringy punch was vastly improved.

I would get an in-person assessment on this.

[electroman]

I would get this instrument in the hands of a luthier that comes with good references and recommendations, and have them make that determination. Tell them what your end goal is and let them recommend the fix.

That makes sense. Perhaps a better fret dress would do the trick.

[sgosnell]

I would absolutely try a good setup before having the fretboard replaced. IME the issue you describe is most often caused by the frets and/or too much relief in the neck. It's possible that there is some rise in the end of the fretboard, but that can usually be fixed by dressing the frets unless it's pronounced. A fret level and dress, along with a complete setup, would be where I would start, and only consider a fretboard replacement if that didn't help. It's also a fact that not every tech is completely competent at archtop work, so keep that in the back of your mind if the setup doesn't pan out. I've seen some truly awful setups come out of some shops.

[electroman]

"IME the issue you describe is most often caused by the frets and/or too much relief in the neck.

I'll check the frets for evenness of height and also play with less relief. On one of my Teles, adjusting the neck so that there is almost no relief and then setting the action a tad higher seems to have reduced the stridence of the high E string. It's all very subtle, almost like cooking a steak to one's exact personal taste.

[sgosnell]

It's a very fine line between too much and too little relief. My personal preference is for none, but I suspect I'm in the minority on that. IME, having too much relief means that the strings tend to buzz on the far upper frets unless the action is very high, and sometimes even then. If there is any tail rise in the fretboard it gets even worse. It often takes me a few days of playing and tweaking to get everything just where I want it on a new guitar, and I still sometimes need to make small adjustments to my guitars as the humidity fluctuates. Wood is not the most stable material in the universe.

[bananafist]

I used to have a 1959 anniversary with the PAF filtertron, and that had an ebony fingerboard. If your existing board is ebony (I believe rosewood was introduced in 1960 along with the Hi-Lo tron pickup) it should be possible to get a good luthier to adjust/plane/refret as stated earlier in this thread. My Anni had a 44mm (almost 1 3/4") nut as a point of interest.
I wish I'd kept it now!