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Location: Burbank | I am trying to clean-up a 1537 fretboard. I have tried 000 steelwool but it is not doing much. Do I have to sand it or just leave it? Can someone post a picture for me? I am not on the ning site. |
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Freat BOARD, or frets? If it's just the grime and dead skin on the wood, very carefully and LIGHTLY, scrape it following the grain, with an exacto blade. Then oil it. |
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Location: Flahdaw | dead skin??? |
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Location: Hot Springs, S.D. | Originally posted by dark bar:
dead skin??? Yep. |
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Location: Burbank | I am talking about the wood, the frets are another thing. What I have is striped ware on some frets and no ware on others. The funny thing is that at the end of the fretboard on the body where it doesn get played is light brown, in the middle it is dark brown, at the top it is dark and light stripe. Can someone help post a picture? |
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Location: Texas | I have never found dead skin on my fretboard. Obviously I am not playing enough.
I have always had luck getting after the "striped" areas of the fretboard with 000 steel wool and then following up with oil...Mobil 1
(jk...Colortone) |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Mario,
My 1537 also is darker on the side of the fretboard closest to the nut where it is used the most. It was that way when I got it, even though it had been thoroughly worked over by a luthier and was perfect in almost all other respects. I think walnut just gets discolored from use.
As far as posting a picture, you need to have them on some other hosting site, like the ning site. Then follow the directions that are pinned to the For Sale section here. |
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Location: Burbank | OK here are pictures.
" target="_blank" title="http://ovationfanclub.ning.com/photo/img00138-20111212-0625?xg_source=activity">">http://ovationfanclub.ning.com/photo/img00138-20111212-0625?xg_sour...
http://ovationfanclub.ning.com/photo/img00139-20111212-0625?context... |
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Location: Flahdaw | That's pretty normal fret ware from hard use and will be difficult to disguise. |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | I had an 83 Collectors that had similar wear, but not that bad. I took it in to a local luthier and was surprised that he said he would not have to replace the frets, but could dress them and take some off the fretboard if necessary. I think it was $85 later and it came back almost looking like new.
Take yours in to someone reputable and see what he or she thinks. |
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Location: Burbank | OK, thanks guys. |
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Location: Sydney, Australia | My local expert filled in the divots with a clear glue to make the fretboard level. It started out like yours and ended up like this http://ovationfanclub.ning.com/photo/full-neck-finished?context=use... |
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Location: Flahdaw | Originally posted by dark bar:
That's pretty normal fret ware from hard use and will be difficult to disguise. What I meant to say was, "That's pretty normal fret BOARD wear from hard use...."
I had a Takamine for 30 years that saw a LOT of playing time and didn't have anywhere near that amount of fret board wear. I actually don't understand how people play that causes that deep of grooves??? |
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Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | Another maybe option is to send it to the factory and let them do their magic on it. They've done a lot of that kind of work, and probably know exactly how and what works best. Then they can also make any further adjustments while it's there. Being a 1537, it's definitely worth the investment of having it done right. |
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Location: Route 66, just east of the Cadillac Ranch | Originally posted by dark bar:
I actually don't understand how people play that causes that deep of grooves??? I've had the same thought before, but I think there are two things at work here; the acidity in our skin and contact by the string. Looking at the frets, it's obvious the guitar has been played a lot. Perhaps the neck wasn't properly cleaned and oiled throughout it's life as Alison suggests, or who ever played it tried to choke the life out of it. |
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Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | I kinda' wonder also if someone may have used an oil for the fretboard (or over-oiled) that would cause the wood to soften and thus make it wear much faster. Sometimes we can think we are doing something good for an instrument, and actually be damaging it. I try to remember to wash my hands before playing. I also use some silicone glove lotion ahead of time, that when dry, creates a seal/coating on my hands that keeps the moisure in and chemicals off my skin. I noticed that Adrian Legg uses some sort of talcum powder on his hands, apparently to reduce moisture. |
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Location: Jet City | It's the acids in your fingers that cause this to happen, it has nothing to do with strings.
It varies from one person to the next. I've never had much issue, and I have a couple guitars that have been played VERY hard for the past 30 years with the heaviest of times being younger and not so careful with cleaning and upkeep.
Now my friend J has a newer 2778LX and he has some serious deterioration already happening on his fretboard. He'll occasionally play my 12 string, and I'll wipe it down immediately after. He also ruins strings at a quicker pace. My 12 ends up corrosion within days of him playing it if I don't clean it after he's done. Too much LSD in his youth maybe?
Your fingers are the fretboard killer, not long nails or strings. |
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Location: Flahdaw | I have low-acid fingertips...(take note, ladies) |
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Location: Boise, Idaho | Originally posted by dark bar:
I have low-acid fingertips...(take note, ladies) To counteract your acerbic personality? |
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Location: Flahdaw | The acid has to come out somewhere. (That's why the seats in your Porsche look the way they do) |
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Location: Tennessee | The right seat in my Porsche looks the way it does because of the exuberant way I drive it. It has nothing to do with acid.
I've seen Templeman kill strings ... does he kill fretboards too? |
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Posts: 557
Location: Burbank | TAFKAR, any idea what kind of clear glue was used to fill the divots? That neck looks really good, especially for one that looked like mine. |
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Location: Derry NH | Originally posted by dark bar:
dead skin??? Well if ya got live skin there, CSI will be at your door |
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Fretboard help
