Protecting a maple RG550 fretboard? - Page 2

**Ayrton** · #16 02-05-2007, 07:32 PM

If the finger board is clean now, then just wipe on a few coats of Tru Oil and then buff if you want shine, or hit it with 0000 steel wool (lightly) for a matte finish. This will protect the factory finish and keep things looking new.

IbanezGirl · #17 02-05-2007, 07:47 PM

Dee, i'm also like you and can't stand the look of a dirty maple board.
Maybe you should throw this question, Rich's way.

Dee · #18 02-05-2007, 07:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ayrton

If the finger board is clean now, then just wipe on a few coats of Tru Oil and then buff if you want shine, or hit it with 0000 steel wool (lightly) for a matte finish. This will protect the factory finish and keep things looking new.

It's new, yes, but I haven't recieved it yet! It's the RG 20th.

Anne -- yeah, I should ask Rich what he thinks. Cheers.

**Ayrton** · #19 02-05-2007, 07:51 PM

This is the page on our very own site.

http://www.jemsite.com/tech/3other.htm

**Ayrton** · #20 02-05-2007, 07:56 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dee

It's new, yes, but I haven't recieved it yet! It's the RG 20th.

Anne -- yeah, I should ask Rich what he thinks. Cheers.

Well in that case, here is what I do on a new maple neck.

I sand off any factory finish from the back and the cover both the fingerboard and back with 7-10 coats of Tru Oil. I lightly buff between coats with 0000 steel wool, and then once fully dried ( about a week in warm weather) buff once more with steel wool. The result is a matte finish that is super slick, but has the feel of raw wood. I DO NOT sand the finger board, but do cover it with oil as it acts as a protective layer.

I have never known anyone that has played a neck finished with Tru Oil that did not like it.

Dee · #21 02-05-2007, 08:01 PM

Thanks for your thoughts and for the link, I'll go check it out in a sec. Ayrton, I'm sure the oiled neck is great, but I won't be doing that to a limited edition guitar, I never had a problem with RG necks, they always felt great if kept clean, it's just the board that bothers me.

**Ayrton** · #22 02-05-2007, 08:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dee

Ayrton, I'm sure the oiled neck is great, but I won't be doing that to a limited edition guitar,

Sissy...

Dee · #23 02-05-2007, 08:06 PM

I know, I'll admit that!

Good link btw, I'll probably bust out the lighter fluid if I have to. I didn't even see that guide before and I thought I'd looked around the whole site. Cheers again.

!

S-man · #24 02-05-2007, 08:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ayrton

I DO NOT sand the finger board, but do cover it with oil as it acts as a protective layer.

I agree with that.

That and never letting it get nasty in the first place.

Dee · #25 02-05-2007, 08:31 PM

I have a ton of Fret Doctor left over from when I oiled my 3120 board (rosewood). I wonder how this would work? Any ideas?

http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm

Rich · #26 02-05-2007, 08:34 PM

Anything that seals the pores will be a barrier. Even tung oil will stop dirt penetrating.

S-man · #27 02-05-2007, 08:37 PM

Well even that will provide a protective barrier of some degree.

Additionally, it "lubricates" the surface. Less friction is less wear.

I'm basing this off of my expierience with all kinds of wood, in differant applications, not just guitars.

Alot of those nasty maple fretboards are from letting them dry out and grinding the dirt in.

I'm sure there are those that have a better technical explanation. And some that will totally disagree with me.

Good luck man. Maintenance is key......

Dee · #28 02-05-2007, 08:47 PM

Thanks for all the replies. I think I know enough now to keep it in decent shape.

fettouhi · #29 02-06-2007, 04:56 AM

If your maple fret board is finished (cleared) you should be albe to clean it a moist cloth simply.

Regards

André

Dee · #30 02-17-2007, 01:50 PM

Just to throw some more info into this thread, here's an email I just got from Ed Boyle (creator of the marvelous Fret Doctor I always recommend).

Quote:

Hi Dee:

If you go to my oil page at http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm and scroll all the way down, you will see how the FD worked on a maple cutting board. It is amazing. However, maple boards are the oddballs of the guitar world. Frequently, they are surfaced with a varnish, like polyurethane. Nothing can penetrate it.

But not all. Some are like the more conventional finishes. You have a few options:

1. Put a bit of FD on a small area and see what happens. A lot of guys use FD to clean their boards, as well as their strings.

2. Get yourself some Formby's wood cleaner the green stuff at Home Depot or Lowes. Clean it, and then try the FD.

3. If that doesn't do much, get yourself some brass wool. You don't want steel wool because the pickups are magnetic. Clean it with that and some lighter fluid, like Ronsonol. Try the FD again. DEE NOTE: For fret cleaning, I just follow Rich's advice here and remove the neck, then mask the fretboard off, leaving only the frets exposed.

4. If that doesn't work, the only option is to use a paint remover, and even this may not work with polyurethane, leaving you with sanding as the only other option.

I helped out a guy in New Zealand who wanted shiny frets. He used Brasso, a polish with a very fine white abrasive in it. He filled the pores with the fine particles, so his board was a weird shade of gray. It was badly screwed up.

He couldn't find Formy's Furniture Cleaner, so I told him to buy a couple of boxes of coffee filters. He was to then flush the board with naphtha lighter fluid and then pick it up with the filters. After about two hundred repeats, he let it dry and then finished it with Fret Doctor.
Turned out beautiful.

Hope this helps,

Ed

BeAFifer.com
http://www.beafifer.com