Maple necks/fretboards

[saturn]

OK. I'm sorry this is a question about my Strat. But it could aply to any guitar with a maple neck. The Fender Forums don't let you post on weekends!! How lame is that?

 

I won't go into too much detail, but I sanded the laquer finish off my MIM Strat fretboard. Should I oil it, ot leave it bare?

 

Thanks

[Riffster]

My understanding is that one of the reasons for oiling rosewood-capped necks is precisely that the cap is thin and could crack, also reosewood may be more prone to dry out. If your maple neck in your guitar is a single piece and probably is I would leave it alone...

[Raptor]

If you oil your now bare maple neck, you will darken it. As you play the bare maple, the oils and dirt from your fingers will darken it. Why did you remove it from the fretboard in the firstplace? You might be able to seal it against the dirt using tung oil, but it will probably darken it some. Also any oil treatment you do, will have to be repeated regularly to keep the fretboard in the same condition.

[saturn]

If you oil your now bare maple neck' date=' you will darken it. As you play the bare maple, the oils and dirt from your fingers will darken it. Why did you remove it from the fretboard in the firstplace? You might be able to seal it against the dirt using tung oil, but it will probably darken it some. Also any oil treatment you do, will have to be repeated regularly to keep the fretboard in the same condition.[/quote']

 

This is an old, kind of beat-up guitar that I had sitting around mostly unplayed since I bought my Gibson. Just before I got my LP, I let a guitar tech talk me into having the frets filed down. I never really liked it much after that. First, it seems to have deadened the tone and he also ended up scraping some of the laquer off on a bunch of the frets. There were a bunch of bare spots. I figured I would never get much selling it, so I will make it my "project" guitar.

 

Thanks

[Raptor]

Sturn, that is cool. I would look at a sealer for the wood, more than an oil. I used tung oil, but there are probably a few others you could use. Try to find a local shop that does woodworking, like furniture making and ask them if they have any recommendations. I don't trust many of the clerks you find at Home Depot and such places, so try to find someplace that actually has experience and is not just telling you what some sale rep told them. When you look at an old Strat with a maple neck, you can tell how much it is played by the missing lacquer. It is one of the patinas that is unique to maple neck guitars. It is always nice to have a guitar to tinker with and experiment with, and you can do a lot with Strats. I think that there is a lot more variation in pickups available for Strats also. Good luck with it.

[saturn]

Thanks again.

 

I went ahead and put it back together and it seems to be fine. I did spray some Finger Ease on it. I also put on new string saddles.

[smurf77]

Nooooooooooo....you don't oil maple!

[Gibson CS]

Alot of guys used to sandpaper off the finish on a maple neck.

It does make the neck look dirty, and it allows moisture into the wood.

 

Ive played an unfinished neck. I loved the feel, but I dont like grubby guitars.

[saturn]

Thanks again for the advice. I'm not that worried about ruining the guitar since it didn't have much value other than sentimental. I did get a look at the date when I unbolted the neck and saw it was stamped Jan 21, 1993. I also took the pickguard off to check out the inside and saw a small sticker which read Feb 02. I thought that was strange. Anyway, I put 10's on it and maybe it's my imaginiation but I actually like the way it plays again, although it will never replace my Gibson as my Number 1.