C-Boy Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Hello all, I just ordered my first Gibby Les Paul from Musician's Friend and it finally arrived yesterday. I bought the 2012 LP Studio in Pelham Blue because it looked so damned gorgeous, and since its discontinued I had to begrudgingly buy from MF who are the only folks that still had this color model in stock. I love the sound of this guitar, and the split coils are fun, BUT I do have a serious issue with the fretboard edges. Does the clearcoat of lacquer that is sprayed over the fretboard edge usually have a rippley/wavey appearance and texture that runs parallel to the grain of the Granadillo? I'm attaching a photo of what I'm talking about to this post, although in person it is much easier to see how extreme it is. It just looks and feels...bad. This is on both sides of the entire fretboard edge btw. Ironically, the neck right up to the join is as smooth as glass. Why the hell would Gibson neglect to sand and buff out the fretboard edge to the same quality? If this isn't the norm, I guess I'll be sending it back in the hopes I don't receive another with the same issue. Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 This is somewhat typical (varies by degree), even on bound fretboards. The face of the fretboard is the only part "masked" before painting, so the entire sides get painted (stained, whatever). The color coat on the edge of the fretboard is then hand scraped off with a razor blade prior to application of the clearcoat. I believe what you're seeing is "blade chatter" from that scraping process. Even with a bound fretboard this process is the same. This is a "human element" in the finishing process, and the end results will vary accordingly. If you're otherwise satisfied with the guitar it would be ridiculous to return it for only this "issue". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C-Boy Posted June 1, 2013 Author Share Posted June 1, 2013 L5larry, thanks for explaining it to me. You're right. I do love this guitar, and it would be silly to send it back for this reason alone. Thanks for your reply. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 L5larry, thanks for explaining it to me. You're right. I do love this guitar, and it would be silly to send it back for this reason alone. Thanks for your reply. if the feeling/texture truly bothers you, mask off your pickups really well (magnets) and buff it out w/#0000 Ultra-Fine grade steel wool. works like a charm ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted June 1, 2013 Share Posted June 1, 2013 . Bronze wool is better - non-magnetic. . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted June 2, 2013 Share Posted June 2, 2013 . Bronze wool is better - non-magnetic. . wow.....never heard of bronze-wool but i'm gonna be on constant lookout now for some....that would be soooo much better !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kaicho8888 Posted June 7, 2013 Share Posted June 7, 2013 if the feeling/texture truly bothers you, mask off your pickups really well (magnets) and buff it out w/#0000 Ultra-Fine grade steel wool. works like a charm ! It will be difficult to get a flat smooth using this method. You could end up buffing the peaks and as well as the valleys. Try 1200 grit sandpaper with a small narrow flat sanding block. I've aggressively used 600; lightly sand until most of the ripples are gone. Then move on to the finer grit and final hand buffing. Keep a close eye on the thickness of the clear. I've used fine nail files that women use on their nails on hard to get places near the neck/body joint. It's sandpaper on a stick and very cheap. It's not that difficult; just be patient and check flatness of the clear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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