Fretboard feels like... plastic?

Davey · #1 03-13-2008, 04:00 PM

Just playing my PRS SE Custom (and yeah yeah, it's Korean) which is has a fantastic neck, really nice looks and plays fantastic. The tuners are crap, but I'm going to buy some lockers soon and some new pickups because the ones that are in aren't to my liking... IF I can get over this minor (but major) annoyance.

Basically the fretboard feels very shiny, which as we all know it is not something you should be associating with rosewood. Ebony, yep. Rosewood, nope. Like the thread title says, it sort of feels like plastic and the tone I'm getting is very much like what you'd expect from a hard ebony 'board.

So, what can I do about it? I'm unsure on whether or not this is a film of some sort that could be removed with a little steel wool and some lemon oil (before anyone gets on my case, I use lemon oil, bore oil might be good but I've got a whole bottle I want to polish off here before I try that stuff.)

I've read that most PRS SE's have this. The actual build quality of the guitar has quite amazing for a Korean guitar and the fretwork is as good as that on my USA strat (seriously!) so it's not a quality control issue. If anything I'd say it was the wood used.

Any tips or ideas?

ibanezking · #2 03-13-2008, 04:17 PM

not so much a solution 249 - but i have noticed that all Far eastern(barring Jap) have that very plastic-y feel to them

I used to do some bulk setup work for a large distributor of cheap guitars........ and no matter what make or price..... they all felt the same!

Even the korean stuff that was supposedly "custom shop" and costing £400 - £600 felt and looked the same - awful........

The board wood appears to be unfinished but yet like you say has that "shiny" feel to it - Bizarre!

Max

losgatosrg350dx · #3 03-13-2008, 04:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ibanezking

not so much a solution 249 - but i have noticed that all Far eastern(barring Jap) have that very plastic-y feel to them

I used to do some bulk setup work for a large distributor of cheap guitars........ and no matter what make or price..... they all felt the same!

Even the korean stuff that was supposedly "custom shop" and costing £400 - £600 felt and looked the same - awful........

The board wood appears to be unfinished but yet like you say has that "shiny" feel to it - Bizarre!

Max

one thing that will work better is citrus solvent, mixed with lemon oil half and half

and use it with 0000 steel whool but place the steel whool on a peice of rounded wood as a backing

ive tottaly come across that on other guitars.....like when i removed the fretboard on my karmer that im repairing, the steal sweated some kind of poly finish out of the wood, so its all plasticy feeling, im going to scalop it, but yeah anyways

jb4674 · #4 03-13-2008, 04:37 PM

Try using a soap and water mixture to dab and rub on to the fretboard and drying it as you go along before doing the steel wool thing. More times than not, it could simply be some type of conditioner that was added to the board.

Jimmy

losgatosrg350dx · #5 03-13-2008, 04:42 PM

true sometimes they do use a epoxy based conditioner to seal it for waranty reasons

Davey · #6 03-13-2008, 04:51 PM

Thanks guys

That is what I was thinking Jimmy. It seems like a real shame because the actual guitar itself is good bar it needing some upgrades (new tuners, new pickups.) I'm pretty stunned by it actually, especially for a Korean guitar, but the feel of the fretboard just kills the idea of me wanting to do those upgrades.

Still, I would definitely recommend picking one up if you see a good deal because it only really niggles at me when I pick this up after I've been playing one of my other guitars.

Davey · #7 03-13-2008, 04:53 PM

BTW Max, suprised you've still got that Tokai Jnr LP, I played one the other day and it was awesome!

jb4674 · #8 03-13-2008, 04:54 PM

Personally, I'd be adventurous enough to put a pair of those Santana pups on it

Jimmy

Davey · #9 03-13-2008, 05:03 PM

To be honest, I've come across a brand called 'Tonerider' and they're really really good pickups! They cost about £45 for a set of humbuckers which would probably make you think "Nah... cheapos" but they're perfect for this kind of scenario. I mean let's face it, it's not exactly a Custom 24, so I don't want to sink too much cash into it and for £45 it can improve the tone drastically. If it doesn't sound right then try another set and keep the others for another axe

Darin · #10 03-13-2008, 05:21 PM

I'm surprised you don't like the tuners on your SE. I love my Tremonty SE. Very smooth and accurate.

Davey · #11 03-13-2008, 05:43 PM

Well, I should state that it's the trem version and the slightest budge of the whammy knocks it right out of tune. Apart from that they feel nice and smooth like you say.

I take it yours is fixed bridge?

David McCarroll · #12 03-13-2008, 07:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ibanez249

Well, I should state that it's the trem version and the slightest budge of the whammy knocks it right out of tune. Apart from that they feel nice and smooth like you say.

I take it yours is fixed bridge?

That sounds like more than tuners - check the nut slots for binding, and have a look in the spring cavity - you might find that one of the springs is catching on the side of the cavity, or that the earth wire is interfering with a spring - either situation can cause serious non-returning to tune issues. Also check that the bridge plate and the block aren't catching anywhere on the body routes - the trem has to be genuinely "floating" in the cavity.

I've got three PRS trem equipped axes, and don't have any issues whatsoever with the trem -the Korean ones are built to a budget, sure, but I really don't think PRS would equip the guitar with an unuseable trem!

Davey · #13 03-13-2008, 07:24 PM

Thanks for the tips.

It isn't *that* bad, but what I mean is if you use it... it's going out of tune. I saw a video recently of some guy reviewing one and he said the same thing.

Let me have a hunt for it and I'll post it here

Here you go: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9hmDn...eature=related

David McCarroll · #14 03-13-2008, 07:50 PM

I've never tried whammy abuse on a PRS SE - all the ones that show up in Sydney tend to be hardtails (I have been soooooo tempted!) - but you really should be able to get the trem to work fine - might be that the nut, while it looks like a Graphtech nut is actually black plastic (but again, that really doesn't sit with what I know of PRS).

I am jonesing savagely for a PRS ONE - one knob, one P90, one cutaway - the perfect snot-nosed punk guitar! Have never seen any here downunder - I get the impression PRS can barely keep up with the demand in the US alone - absolutely gorgeous guitar!

Davey · #15 03-13-2008, 08:09 PM

I'll have a good look into it, thanks.

If you get the chance to pick one up I'd definitely recommend it. The only thing that happens then (and I'm as guilty as hell for doing this with RGs) is that if you've got an SE sat there.. and a REAL PRS sat there.. the SE will get forgotten about in no time