The Steel Guitar Forum

Danny,,
Hey man, thanks for the info,,,I need something bigger than 6"x6",,,but I'm sure it's available,,just gotta find where.

Curt,
Hey Bro',,thanks a million,,,you know me,,keyless forever!!! I have some real real good ideas for some,,hope to have several ready for the Dallas show next year,,,all one of a kind. Hope to do the single 8s for around 4 hundred bucks,,,,

Sonny, if you will go to Google and type in Vulcanized Fiber Board, there will be a lot of leads on where to find "Forbon". It can be bought in 4'X 8' sheets.

Also you can go to Google and type in Forbon pickup material. You can then click on "Guitar Pickups & Custom guitars---Lollar Guitars & Pickups". You will see an article by Jason Lollar of Lollar guitars which is very informative about pickup material. ie. pros. & cons.
Best of luck.

Sonny,
Get anything you want (vulcanized fibre board included) thru MacMaster Carr. They sell it by the square foot in several different thicknesses. Make sure you order the black, though. Some thicknesses are available in tan or gray.

Hey THANKS for that info guys,,,at least I have a name for the material I'm looking for now!! I don't plan on making very many with that type of fretboard,,,,I will use natural wood on most,,,,

I don't think you would like "Forbon" for fretboard material.
It is good for tops and bottoms of pickups because heat doesn't seem to bother it when soldering lead wires.

I got the material from a trophy/awards shop here and it is not as hard as I would like. I'm going to find some of the stuff they make pick-up tops/bottoms out of,,it is harder.

I don't believe vulcanized fibre (Forbon) is what you are thinking of ... although it is, by far, the most widely used material for pickup flatwork.

It sure isn't as hard as acrylic ... rather "soft" actually.

It's basically pure cellulose with a Rockwell R hardness of about 80.

It's used by pickup makers for it's "electrical inertness" and (as Danny mentioned), it's ability to stand up to soldering temperatures ... and maintain its shape/form during potting.

Started on my second one today,,,this time I'm making my own keyless tuner,,,will post pics when complete,,

Cool Sonny, looking forward to seeing it

Does it sound as good as it looks and can I order one with a locking tremolo?

Locking Tremelo?????

I'm trying to post a pic of the new keyless tuner I've just completed,,,,????

The masking tape on the bottom is just to temporarily hold the axle shaft in place,,,,

Hey Sonny,
Nice job bud !!....Lookin good !!....Once a keyless player, ALWAYS a keyless player ... Lamar really makes a no nonsense tuner with plenty of tuning range ....Very nice indeed !!...Jim