Fender Maple Fingerboard question....

[32-20-Blues]

I know that Fender Maple necks have a finish applied on the fingerboard. What I'm wondering about is this: Presumably they fret the raw wood, then finish over everything (frets and all) before dressing the frets.

The reason I ask is that although the tops of my frets are polished, there is a thin band of finish on the sides of them, if you know what I mean, that flakes off after a while. No impact on playability, but just something I was curious about.

Muttley and Light will know if it would be feasible for Fender to mask the frets before finishing - this would get rid of this problem. Anyway, I was just curious.

 

[muttley600]

Fender have done it many ways in the past and from what I gather they still do it in different ways today depending on where they are made and assembled. Mostley they finish over the frets and then dress them. Most times you see a fingerboard where the frets are over the lacquer it is a re fret. If you have polish riding up the sides of the frets yes that board was lacquered after the frets went in and the fret dressing would remove the lacquer to the top and most of the sides. The problem with lacquering before the frets go in is getting a clean fret slot without chipping the polish. Each slot has to be cleaned by hand. Same goes for cutting slots on a lacquered board you need to take extra care not to chip the finish. It is possible and Fender have done it in the past. I don't think they do it that way on many production lines anywhere anymore and I can understand why.

 

[muttley600]

Oh and no its not really practical to mask off frets. Even if you could you would always get lacquer build up at the point where you have a join. Just like the meniscus on a glass of water. Thats why most maker finish the neck and body separately and join them after.

 

[Zaphod B]

That explains the feel of my new Telecaster, which has a maple neck/fretboard. I could swear that I was feeling a little drag as I would move up and down the neck that I don't normally get - all my other guitars have rosewood or ebony fingerboards. There is bound to be some finish on the edges of the frets.

 

[32-20-Blues]

Ah, thanks for the clarification. The guitar is a USA strat, and it just struck me as unusual.

Zaphod; i had that probem with my guitar when it was new - a very slight feeling of drag compared to the rosewood board on my Tele. After a couple months play, it beds down, and you don't notice it. I can actually see the polish flaking off the sides of the frets after playing the guitar for a while, so the problem fixes itself.

 

[Light]

Oh and no its not really practical to mask off frets. Even if you could you would always get lacquer build up at the point where you have a join. Just like the meniscus on a glass of water. Thats why most maker finish the neck and body separately and join them after.

We always mask off the frets when finishing maple fingerboards. Works fine, though it is far from a prefect solution. You have to level the lacquer near the frets (a real pain in the ass) and then we give it a good polish on the buffing wheel when we're done dressing the frets.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[muttley600]

We always mask off the frets when finishing maple fingerboards. Works fine, though it is far from a prefect solution. You have to level the lacquer near the frets (a real pain in the ass) and then we give it a good polish on the buffing wheel when we're done dressing the frets.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

As a matter of curiosity why? If you gotta level and dress them after why bother? Have to admit I don't do a lot of lacquered boards but I alway level and finish after polishing. What do you mask with?

 

[TelePaul]

As a matter of curiosity why? If you gotta level and dress them after why bother? Have to admit I don't do a lot of lacquered boards but I alway level and finish after polishing. What do you mask with?

Don't ask questions, just make me a Lowden!!!

 

[Light]

As a matter of curiosity why? If you gotta level and dress them after why bother? Have to admit I don't do a lot of lacquered boards but I alway level and finish after polishing. What do you mask with?

To be frank, I don't do many finished fingerboards either, so the only answer I can give (without asking, which I'll try to remember to do) is because we do. When I did my first one, I asked, and was told to mask off the frets, so I did. Sometimes, I just take the word of guys who know more than me (hard to believe, I know!) In this case, our shop manager has done more than I hope to do in my life (cause they suck so much, I'd rather never do another one, period), so I just did what he told me to do.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[muttley600]

To be frank, I don't do many finished fingerboards either, so the only answer I can give (without asking, which I'll try to remember to do) is because we do. When I did my first one, I asked, and was told to mask off the frets, so I did. Sometimes, I just take the word of guys who know more than me (hard to believe, I know!) In this case, our shop manager has done more than I hope to do in my life (cause they suck so much, I'd rather never do another one, period), so I just did what he told me to do.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

There is usually a good reason for experienced guys to do something one way rather than another even though there is rarely only one way to do something. I'm with you in that lacquered boards are not my favorite job. Anything that can make it easier is good with me, there must be a reason they do it that way. What do you mask the frets with? I'd like to give it a try next time to see if it makes for a better or easier job.

 

[Zaphod B]

Zaphod; i had that probem with my guitar when it was new - a very slight feeling of drag compared to the rosewood board on my Tele. After a couple months play, it beds down, and you don't notice it. I can actually see the polish flaking off the sides of the frets after playing the guitar for a while, so the problem fixes itself.

Thanks, 32-20-Blues; that's good to know.

 

[SHEPPARDB.]

Even though it is not on the top of the frets,it does cause some drag.
I used a small piece of a nylon pot scrubber to get all that shit off of my
frets and it made a huge difference in the way the guitar felt and played.

 

[Light]

There is usually a good reason for experienced guys to do something one way rather than another even though there is rarely only one way to do something. I'm with you in that lacquered boards are not my favorite job. Anything that can make it easier is good with me, there must be a reason they do it that way. What do you mask the frets with? I'd like to give it a try next time to see if it makes for a better or easier job.

Oh, I know he does it that way for a reason - he is the most careful, deliberate, and considered craftsman I've ever met (and it shows in his work, believe me). I honestly think he's the best repair person in the business - I'd put his work up next to anyone (which is great, because it makes everyone in the shop strive to work at his level!)

Unfortunately, I forgot to ask him what that reason is today.

As for what we use, just masking tape, but we trim it off a few thousandths above the fret board, and honestly it usually has pealed off the sides of the frets by the time your done finishing it, so you still get some finish on lower down on the fret.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[BrentDomann]

Don't ask questions, just make me a Lowden!!!

TelePaul,

You know, this is kind of weird, but I was given a Lowden by my grandmother. I thought, "Holy crap, I wonder what model this is," etc. It is a G9, which I couldn't find anywhere on Lowden's website. I eventually called them to ask, and they told me that during the early eighties (when my guitar was made) manufacturing was shifted to a Yairi workshop in Japan. It was not the Alvarez-Yairi, but his brother, that ran a smaller guitar shop. Apparently they were all handmade even there. It is indeed a stunning instrument, and though they didn't want to speculate too much, the guy on the phone said it was probably worth about $750. It sounds great, and I've had offers to buy it on the spot (I'm not selling). I bet if you look around hard enough you can pick one of these up a lot easier than a $4k Irish one.

Cheers!

P.S. - Sorry to hijack the thread if I did.

 

[muttley600]

TelePaul,

You know, this is kind of weird, but I was given a Lowden by my grandmother. I thought, "Holy crap, I wonder what model this is," etc. It is a G9, which I couldn't find anywhere on Lowden's website. I eventually called them to ask, and they told me that during the early eighties (when my guitar was made) manufacturing was shifted to a Yairi workshop in Japan. It was not the Alvarez-Yairi, but his brother, that ran a smaller guitar shop. Apparently they were all handmade even there. It is indeed a stunning instrument, and though they didn't want to speculate too much, the guy on the phone said it was probably worth about $750. It sounds great, and I've had offers to buy it on the spot (I'm not selling). I bet if you look around hard enough you can pick one of these up a lot easier than a $4k Irish one.

Cheers!

P.S. - Sorry to hijack the thread if I did.

Those were all made when George sold his soul Thank the Lord he made enough money to buy it back again.

 

[TelePaul]

TelePaul,

You know, this is kind of weird, but I was given a Lowden by my grandmother. I thought, "Holy crap, I wonder what model this is," etc. It is a G9, which I couldn't find anywhere on Lowden's website. I eventually called them to ask, and they told me that during the early eighties (when my guitar was made) manufacturing was shifted to a Yairi workshop in Japan. It was not the Alvarez-Yairi, but his brother, that ran a smaller guitar shop. Apparently they were all handmade even there. It is indeed a stunning instrument, and though they didn't want to speculate too much, the guy on the phone said it was probably worth about $750. It sounds great, and I've had offers to buy it on the spot (I'm not selling). I bet if you look around hard enough you can pick one of these up a lot easier than a $4k Irish one.

Cheers!


P.S. - Sorry to hijack the thread if I did.

Wow cool story!! Gotta keep my eyes peeled!

 

[Light]

As a matter of curiosity why? If you gotta level and dress them after why bother? Have to admit I don't do a lot of lacquered boards but I alway level and finish after polishing. What do you mask with?

OK, I remembered to ask today. Turns out, we don't ALWAYS mask the frets, just most of the time (I guess I don't see every guitar in the shop - not too surprising as we have about 140 in the shop right now!)

WHEN our shop manager masks off the frets, it is because he would rather do the fret work before finishing, because that way you don't have to mask off the finger board (he DOES protect the fingerboard, but truthfully masking tape doesn't do a very good job, and we all much prefer the NYC transit passes one of our old employees sends us - they work better, and last longer). He also only does this if the finish on the fingerboard is going to be pretty thin (which, except for those seventies monstrosities, it usually is). All you have to do when you are done is a few quick runs with some 320 or higher sandpaper, and the frets feel good.

(On a side note, Muttley, if you haven't tried transit passes for masking frets, go on a vacation to NYC and get some sometime. You'll love them! We just hold them in place with the hand which isn't holding the file. They're kind of like a very thin credit card material, and the file wears them very slowly, so they work just great.)


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[muttley600]

(On a side note, Muttley, if you haven't tried transit passes for masking frets, go on a vacation to NYC and get some sometime. You'll love them! We just hold them in place with the hand which isn't holding the file. They're kind of like a very thin credit card material, and the file wears them very slowly, so they work just great.)


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

A long way to go for a fret masking tool I tend to use a few thin cabinet scrapers I have cut to size. They have enough flex in them to get up to the top frets and they last forever. I still like to mask the board at the start to stop any muck and rubbish getting on there. I guess we all have our ways of doing things that we are comfortable with. I use masking tape by the mile....couldn't do with out it.

I'm wondering if veneer tape would work for frets. It sticks to anything and comes off just by damping it. I might give it a go.

 

[Light]

I'm wondering if veneer tape would work for frets. It sticks to anything and comes off just by damping it. I might give it a go.

I've never tried it, but I'll tell you what kind of tape I'm kind of in love with these days - Pin Striping tape. I don't know how many finishes you do with colors, but I do a ton of them, and masking things off with Pin Striping tape is the way to go, let me tell you.

Oh, and we go through masking tape at a pretty unreasonable rate too. We also go through a lot of this low-tack paper tape that 3M was making, but they discontinued it and the new stuff isn't nearly as good. I HATE it when they do that!


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

 

[muttley600]

I've never tried it, but I'll tell you what kind of tape I'm kind of in love with these days - Pin Striping tape. I don't know how many finishes you do with colors, but I do a ton of them, and masking things off with Pin Striping tape is the way to go, let me tell you.

Oh, and we go through masking tape at a pretty unreasonable rate too. We also go through a lot of this low-tack paper tape that 3M was making, but they discontinued it and the new stuff isn't nearly as good. I HATE it when they do that!


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

Is pin strip tape the stuff auto guys use to do fancy paint jobs? If so I've never tried it but I keep meaning to. I use veneer tape still for most jobs like that. It can be a pain to remove. Your suggestion would be better for finish masking. I must get some.