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Rough fretboard on a 2014 Traditional


Gibsy

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Posted

Hello,

These are the conditions of my LP traditional fretboard.

When I bought it it had a very dry fretboard, with a sort of velvet layer on.

So I treated it with some Dunlop 65. The velvet layer of dryness went away but a rough surface was disclosed, with a lot of trasversal lines even on the inlays..bad plekking job I suppose

 

image_zpsta923xks.jpeg

 

image_zps0cm7trkc.jpeg

 

image_zpsmljsla94.jpeg

 

There is something that I could do? Or is it better to take it to my luthier?

Posted

Hello and welcome to the Forums!

 

First, Plek has nothing to do with the fretboards. It adjusts frets and the nut.

 

It is very hard to make a judgement by photos. If You feel it's rough indeed, take it to a luthier to polish it up.

 

Good luck... Bence

Posted

Take some steel wool and/or emory cloth and smooth it down.

 

 

 

 

 

make sure that steel wool says 0000 (that's 4x 0 ) on the package..

 

take the strings off, put a drop or two in each fret board area and rub with the steel wool.. wipe with a dry lint free cloth

 

 

 

 

Posted

I agree this a less than awesome finish but pretty typical of the year. The 2015 models actually had this right with their finely sanded rosewood finger boards. My 15 classic is like glass. The 13 goldtop more like a barn door.

Posted

Hello,

These are the conditions of my LP traditional fretboard.

When I bought it it had a very dry fretboard, with a sort of velvet layer on.

So I treated it with some Dunlop 65. The velvet layer of dryness went away but a rough surface was disclosed, with a lot of trasversal lines even on the inlays..bad plekking job I suppose

 

image_zpsta923xks.jpeg

 

image_zps0cm7trkc.jpeg

 

image_zpsmljsla94.jpeg

 

There is something that I could do? Or is it better to take it to my luthier?

Hello Gibsy, and welcome to this board.

 

First, I think there went something wrong during manufacturing. May have been something like a tool gone blunt or a machine poorly adjusted.

 

Hello and welcome to the Forums!

 

First, Plek has nothing to do with the fretboards. It adjusts frets and the nut.

 

It is very hard to make a judgement by photos. If You feel it's rough indeed, take it to a luthier to polish it up.

 

Good luck... Bence

I agree completely with Bence.

 

 

I agree this a less than awesome finish but pretty typical of the year. The 2015 models actually had this right with their finely sanded rosewood finger boards. My 15 classic is like glass. The 13 goldtop more like a barn door.

I can't complain about the surface texture of my Gibson fretboards made in 2011, 2012 and 2013. I got to know lots more 2013 Gibsons and never encountered a board looking like this or covered with a sort of velvet layer as described by Gibsy.

Posted

Wow that looks wrong.

On my 14 Trad the fretboard was dry as hell out of the box too. The fretboard was sort of grey-ish brown.

Used only once Gibson fretboard conditioner, and all good.

Now that it get's played regularly I don't need to use products, and the spots where I mostly fret get darker and darker.

But the board is not different than on my 13 LPJ, not rough at all.

Posted

Thanx for your replies! Great community! I think i will take her to the doctor for a soft scrab...

I have a 2014 studio pro too, but fretboard is ok, so I guess It was a bad monday for someone at Gibson...

Posted

I prefer fretboards as dry as possible. Many years ago I once used linseed stand oil. As it cures, it will be there forever on the two rosewood boards I put it on. Circa fifteen years ago I stopped doing anything except rubbing them once every two or three years with a very soft, dry cloth. Most of my guitars never got in touch with anything but my skin and soft, dry clothes. [biggrin]

 

The only exception in the recent past has been a Fender Nashville Power Telecaster guitar of mine I gave a bandmate as a long-term loan. I rubbed the fretboard with Ballistol universal oil some months ago, and it looked like new after that. I have to say that the rosewood boards of my MIM Fenders have an extraordinarily smooth texture and very fine grain, close to ebony or even Richlite.

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