Maple Fretboards

rvj · #1 08-19-2001, 11:54 AM

I've got a question regarding the cleaning of maple fretboards. I've already read the steps in the tech section and was wondering if anybody had any problems using lighter fluid or alchohol? Does it fog the clear plastic over the pyramid inlays? Any comments would greatly be appreciated. ---rvj

spiro · #2 08-19-2001, 10:09 PM

It doesnt fog the clear plastic but does not remove all the grey areas of the fretboard.... *(depends on how worn and how long it has been in that condition for)

I find that cleaning with Naptha ( lighter fluid) really dries out the wood so you need to be careful on how much you use and if required to oil the fretboard once you have finished...

rvj · #3 08-20-2001, 11:52 AM

I sort of expected some drying of the wood, and planned on oiling after cleaning. As with many solvents, that are used for cleaning, degreasing, paint removal, etc. Many of them will fog the plastic. I just want to be 110% sure before proceeding. Are you talking 100% naptha, or some diluted form? Thanks for the reply. --ron

**jemsite** · #4 08-20-2001, 12:20 PM

Diluting lighter fluid or alcohol will prove difficult and these will not fog the plastic even at full strength.

The problem is that the maple boards tend not to stain when the clearcoat is present on the new fretboard. This is because the matte finish clearcoat of the fretboard protects the light colored maple wood from dirt. Lighter fluid will clean any superficial discoloration perfectly.

As the guitar is used, dirt then begins to form as the thin clearcoat is rubbed off and in a sense the dirt replaces the clearcoat. The degree of this depends on the thickness of the clear that was applied, as it varies widely from Ibanez.

Eventually if the neck becomes filthy with no clearcoat on the fretboard, you'll need steel wool or scrubbing pads to clense the wood. Removing all the clear would be the best option at that point... glen

ibanez otaku · #5 08-21-2001, 10:01 AM

It's handy this topic has come up, as I'm set to clean an '88 777 fretboard using the Glen Method outlined on the site. *The dirty and clean pictures are what did it for me!

What I couldn't figure out before proceeding was, why won't the steel wool scratch up the fret markers? *I'm really into doing this properly as my 777 neck is pretty disgusting. *It's not my main guitar any more so it'll stay clean for a while too.

**jemsite** · #6 08-21-2001, 10:28 AM

the 0000-grade steel wool is fine enough to almost polish the plastic fretmarkers and does not scratch them. You could always buff/polish them when you're done if you wanted to, although when finished i think you'll say it's unnecessary. good luck... glen

rvj · #7 08-21-2001, 12:31 PM

Thanks for the replies, you've been very helpful. The neck I'll be cleaning is on my newly acquired 1987 DY. I just love those pyramids!!! The before and after pictures of Glen's are totally amazing, that board looks brand spankin' new. I've been playing since 1976 and this is actually my first maple fretboard. --ron

ibanez otaku · #8 08-23-2001, 06:33 PM

Okay, having been reassured by Glen that I wouldn't scratch up my pyramids, I took the Edge off and cleaned the fretboard of my 777DY last night, following the Jemsite instructions to the letter. I took a few pictures along the way, all in the same lighting conditions so you can see how it works. Sorry about them being a bit blurry, but I only had a lo-res camera available.

Here's the dirty board.

Here's the board after only the lighter fluid cleaning part.

Here's the board after the steel wool rubbing.

For the sake of it, I also took pics of the whole board before and after the cleaning, with the guitar in the same stand and under the same light.

So, it came out pretty good, though it's still a tad more grey than bright yellow. Worthwhile though. The Jemsite tech pages help me out yet again! If there was room, I'd live here.

Graeme

**jemsite** · #9 08-23-2001, 08:27 PM

nice work... looks great

...glen

Rich · #10 08-23-2001, 08:51 PM

I've always wondered, has anybody ever tried bleach on maple? Sounds like a pretty sick idea, might grab a piece of scrap just to see what it does though.

Nice work on your board!!