Thanks Muttley, you have given us a lot of good info and insight about necks. Meanwhile I have cleaned my fingerboard an good an i can, I managed to get most of the dark areas out and have fairly consistent looking wood now. I'm still a bit leery about putting any type of finish on the fingerboard though, might still be some oils or silicone or something which might cause a finish material to "fish-eye" or not bond properly. So now I am back to my original question, should I go ahead and lightly oil the fingerboard or just play it and let the oils from my hand do the job? I really don't mind if the fingerboard has dark areas, I'm more concerned about what will make it last and remain playable for a few more years, I like the feel of the neck (it fits my hand nicely) so I want to do what is best. Thanks for all the comments guys, you got me thinking again, and that might be dangerous!
Unfinished Maple Fingerboard
- Thread starter Dani Pace
- Start date
TheRockDoc
New member
I have a Tele that I purposely wanted to have a 'raw' blues feel... kinda like a 'pre-washed jeans' effect. I just wanted to get that Georgia Sat/Black Crowes vibe.
Maple neck- it only has some varnish at the headstocks and the heel. It sucks just like it did before I had the neck stripped
- b~u~t I'm in a pretty controlled environment. If it were touring, that might make a big difference
TRD
Maple neck- it only has some varnish at the headstocks and the heel. It sucks just like it did before I had the neck stripped
- b~u~t I'm in a pretty controlled environment. If it were touring, that might make a big differenceTRD
muttley600
Banned
You can put some oil on the fingerboard, but it's not going to give it a lot of protection. The nature of a purely oil finish is such that its still going to allow a lot of the dirt and sweat in there. There are broadly speaking two types of oil for finishing. Drying oils and non drying oils. A drying oil is going to give those frets a sticky feel. A non drying oil would be better such as lemon oil or extra vigin olive oil which is going to always remain soft. Not a bad thing but it will only stop moisture from getting into the wood and will also need regular replenishing.
A lot of the branded oil finishes such as Danish oil or Tung oil in some instances have polymers added to give them a bit of build as they are applied I wouldn't recommend them for a fingerboard purely on a "feel" basis although they can a give an easy to apply and reasonably durable finish. I have used them on some instruments on request but I'm never happy with the results on a neck and would not use them on a fingerboard.
You would not have a problem with any oil over the existing finish. The oil will only take where the finish has worn through. There is a high chance that applying a finish to the wood you have cleaned is going to make what dirt is still there jump out at you so beware.
As far as using other finishes you have identified your main problem. Silicates from furniture polish or whatever else that have found its way onto the neck can give you major problems with adhesion of any new finish. Oil residue less so but can be a problem. The standard way to remove silicates would involve stripping the whole fingerboard and using a caustic wash or similar even that would not be ideal. Silicates are a real pain in the ass, so a plea to you all here, Do not use household polishes or reviver's on your instruments. I wont even use them in the house on my furniture.
The only other option you have if you really must finish the bare maple where it has worn through is to look for a harder finish that will adhere well to most surfaces. Your best choice here is a shellac finish, shellac will stick to most things and it's often used as a "key coat" when you need to switch from two incompatible finishes. It's not good on large areas but good in an emergency or small touch in's. French polish to the layman. It's not very hard but you can use a soft rag to rub it on like oil and it dries real quick. Do it fairly regular as it will wear through on a fingerboard.
The old mantra for oil finishes is....
Once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year and once a year for the rest of it's life. On a guitar which gets a lot of handling you can up that. If you go for shellac get a good build over a few hours of wiping on a thin coat every hour for a day. Let it sit over night and keep an eye on it and top it up as and when.
Once again if it were me I would just leave it as it is and call it "gigged" or "distressed". People pay good money for that look these days.
