Fretboard Refinishing Help!

SuchFriendsAreDangerous · 03.23.2006, 02:14 AM

Please, my guitar looks like it came out of a dumpster! The oils from skin keep contaminating my fret board, it is impossible to stay clean. How can I go abouts refinishing it with something stronger. I was thinking typical wood shit, tape over the frets, light light sanding, finish like normal. correct? tips? help!

i'm not talking about any body refinishing, just the fretboard itself, the neck doesn't get dirty anywhere near as fast.

marleypumpkin · 03.23.2006, 02:22 AM

Hello brethren, Give thanks to the most high, Emperor Haile Selassie I. Conquering tribe of the Lion of Judah. Revealation 5 seal the judgement.

Just letting you know that I to am rasta. JAH! Rastafari

SuchFriendsAreDangerous · 03.23.2006, 04:49 PM

Selassie I, blessings. But the I has not help for my axe. Praise HIM with no apologies! anyone out there in sonic land have some advice before i just fuck up my fretboard on my own?

SuchFriendsAreDangerous · 03.23.2006, 08:54 PM

fuck, on the old board someone would have posted something by now....

nature scene · 03.23.2006, 09:36 PM

I would probably take it to someone who knows what they're doing. I wouldn't risk screwing up the fretboard.

marleypumpkin · 03.23.2006, 10:34 PM

I'm not much of a guitar repair expert. I'm sorry I couldn't be more of assistance.

guitarpro · 03.24.2006, 02:37 AM

Yr having fret problems? Then just bang them back in with a hammer. I'm kidding of course I agree take it to yr local guitar shop for some help.

SuchFriendsAreDangerous · 03.25.2006, 07:42 PM

the guitar isn't worth taking to a shop. its a definite DIY kinda job

soapbars · 03.25.2006, 09:18 PM

is your guitar just dirty?

or maybe more? if so; what exactly is wrong?

Lone Flanger · 03.25.2006, 09:44 PM

As far as I've ever heard, and if I understand you correctly, there isn't much you can really do about it except for wipe your guitar down every time after you play. It'll mop up some of those oils from your hand before they have a chance to goo up your fretboard.

You can use lemon oil to clean a lot of the shit off your fretboard and there are some other good cleaners out there that'll do the same thing and may even seal it a little bit. Ask at a decent shop and they'll probably tell you what to do.

If you're going to try and finish it anyways and you use any sort of steel wool, TAPE UP YOUR PICKUPS or else the little shavings from the steel wool will get in there and stick to your pickups. Obviously, if you're using sandpaper, don't worry about it.

Sheriff Rhys Chatham · 03.25.2006, 09:51 PM

clean it then play with gloves....
my neck gets pretty messy because I sweat alot. I just clean it whenever though.

SpectralJulianIsNotDead · 03.25.2006, 10:05 PM

I just let my guitars get dirty. I keep meaning to wipe them down with lemon stuff, but I just don't. I keep meaning to reset the intonation too. I really need to do that.

SuchFriendsAreDangerous · 03.27.2006, 05:53 PM

yeah Lone Flanger, I had noticed that the popular opinion is to just let yr maple fretboard get dirty and clean it up every so often. but fuck, I've only had this guitar for a year and it looks thirty years old with dirt and oils ( and I dont even play with it as much as any of my other guitars) I was hoping to use a better finish so resist the oil build up or at least slow it down, other wise i'd be wiping down this guitar so much the strings would just rust off.

03.23.2006, 02:14 AM	#1
SuchFriendsAreDangerous invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: fucking Los Angeles Posts: 14,801	Please, my guitar looks like it came out of a dumpster! The oils from skin keep contaminating my fret board, it is impossible to stay clean. How can I go abouts refinishing it with something stronger. I was thinking typical wood shit, tape over the frets, light light sanding, finish like normal. correct? tips? help! i'm not talking about any body refinishing, just the fretboard itself, the neck doesn't get dirty anywhere near as fast. __________________ Today Rap music is the Lakers
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03.23.2006, 02:22 AM	#2
marleypumpkin invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 3,193	Hello brethren, Give thanks to the most high, Emperor Haile Selassie I. Conquering tribe of the Lion of Judah. Revealation 5 seal the judgement. Just letting you know that I to am rasta. JAH! Rastafari __________________ "It takes 2 fingers to make the peace sign. Just like it takes 2 people to make love. When you go like this , you're jerking off." -George Carlin
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03.23.2006, 04:49 PM	#3
SuchFriendsAreDangerous invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: fucking Los Angeles Posts: 14,801	Selassie I, blessings. But the I has not help for my axe. Praise HIM with no apologies! anyone out there in sonic land have some advice before i just fuck up my fretboard on my own? __________________ Today Rap music is the Lakers
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

03.23.2006, 08:54 PM	#4
SuchFriendsAreDangerous invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: fucking Los Angeles Posts: 14,801	fuck, on the old board someone would have posted something by now.... __________________ Today Rap music is the Lakers
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03.23.2006, 09:36 PM	#5
nature scene 100% Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: da souf Posts: 671	I would probably take it to someone who knows what they're doing. I wouldn't risk screwing up the fretboard.
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03.23.2006, 10:34 PM	#6
marleypumpkin invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Knoxville, TN Posts: 3,193	I'm not much of a guitar repair expert. I'm sorry I couldn't be more of assistance. __________________ "It takes 2 fingers to make the peace sign. Just like it takes 2 people to make love. When you go like this , you're jerking off." -George Carlin
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

03.24.2006, 02:37 AM	#7
guitarpro 100% Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 789	Yr having fret problems? Then just bang them back in with a hammer. I'm kidding of course I agree take it to yr local guitar shop for some help. __________________ A hundred dollars used to be more than enough and now a hundred times a day and still it's not enough
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03.25.2006, 07:42 PM	#8
SuchFriendsAreDangerous invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: fucking Los Angeles Posts: 14,801	the guitar isn't worth taking to a shop. its a definite DIY kinda job __________________ Today Rap music is the Lakers
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03.25.2006, 09:18 PM	#9
soapbars the destroyed room Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: Teesside, England Posts: 559	is your guitar just dirty? or maybe more? if so; what exactly is wrong?
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

03.25.2006, 09:44 PM	#10
Lone Flanger little trouble girl Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: 22066 Posts: 79	As far as I've ever heard, and if I understand you correctly, there isn't much you can really do about it except for wipe your guitar down every time after you play. It'll mop up some of those oils from your hand before they have a chance to goo up your fretboard. You can use lemon oil to clean a lot of the shit off your fretboard and there are some other good cleaners out there that'll do the same thing and may even seal it a little bit. Ask at a decent shop and they'll probably tell you what to do. If you're going to try and finish it anyways and you use any sort of steel wool, TAPE UP YOUR PICKUPS or else the little shavings from the steel wool will get in there and stick to your pickups. Obviously, if you're using sandpaper, don't worry about it. __________________ registered: 10/27/2001 00:00 posts: 2428 and all that jazz.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

03.25.2006, 09:51 PM	#11
Sheriff Rhys Chatham invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: New England. Posts: 4,027	clean it then play with gloves.... my neck gets pretty messy because I sweat alot. I just clean it whenever though. __________________ My Music(grunge rock) A part of this blue shit since June 24th, 2004
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03.25.2006, 10:05 PM	#12
SpectralJulianIsNotDead invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Posts: 7,409	I just let my guitars get dirty. I keep meaning to wipe them down with lemon stuff, but I just don't. I keep meaning to reset the intonation too. I really need to do that.
	\|QUOTE AND REPLY\|

03.27.2006, 05:53 PM	#13
SuchFriendsAreDangerous invito al cielo Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: fucking Los Angeles Posts: 14,801	yeah Lone Flanger, I had noticed that the popular opinion is to just let yr maple fretboard get dirty and clean it up every so often. but fuck, I've only had this guitar for a year and it looks thirty years old with dirt and oils ( and I dont even play with it as much as any of my other guitars) I was hoping to use a better finish so resist the oil build up or at least slow it down, other wise i'd be wiping down this guitar so much the strings would just rust off. __________________ Today Rap music is the Lakers
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