thunderstruck507 Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Dunno if anyone else has experienced this but I'm on my third loose inlay now. First 2 were on the LP and today I was jamming the SG and noticed the third inlay marker was lifting from the fretboard. Easy enough to fix with a couple drops of glue and a capo, but I was just curious if anyone else has experienced anything like this with them or other epiphones? Might be mostly due to the fact I wipe down the fretboard with lemon oil when I change strings to keep it dark, smooth, and silky...but it's worth it to me because it feels so much better when its lightly oiled. Overall its a pretty minor issue to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
InsideMan Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Sorry for your hassles. Fortunately, I have not encountered this problem. But it should not be due to your use of oil on the fingerboard. Inlays are normally secured with epoxy or cyanoacrylate, and these should not be subject to deterioration by lemon oil. I suspect that your fingerboard wasn't adequately prepped before the inlays were glued in, something that is counter to the whole concept of buying an Elitist. Cheers. PS-That being said, you really don't need to apply oil EVERY time you change the strings. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron G Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 I have read about the dangers of over-oiling fingerboards in countless articles. The inlay "failure" may, in fact, be your fault. I suggest you do some additional research. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marcelo1281734115 Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Thunder, have you subjected your guitars to sudden temperature changes? My guess is that these two materials (wood and plastic) grow/shrink at different rates if exposed to temperature changes causing stress to the glue. Edit - Removed lemon oil comment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Randy1281734003 Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Nope , no problems as of yet, I'm just fixin to change strings and oil my fingerboard. I've had my Elitist LP about a year and a half and never oiled the board before, and I wont oil it with every string change. once or twice a year will probably do. I am thinking about swapping out the pups, have'nt decided yet (SD Pearly gates? I dunno). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sexygibson Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 My Elitist Les Paul came brand new with an inlay that was lifting. It was just a little corner of it and easily solved. I think if this is the only recurring problem with the Elitist than they are doing alright. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Thunderstruck...that is DEFINITELY too often, if you oil the board at every string change. Depending on climate, 1 or 2 times a YEAR, is sufficient! Maybe every 3-4 months...IF, you're in an extremely dry climate, or if you scrub clean your board, often...etc. Your own finger oils should keep the board "dark" enough...if you play it often enough. Sounds like (sorry, to say) the inlays lifting is due to over oiling the board. Watch out for frets lifting, too! What you're experiencing, is NOT limited to "Elitist" guitars...but could happen to ANY guitar, in that case. Definitely, a case of too much of a good thing, with the Lemon oil. ;>b CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Svet Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 I was going to mention something along the lines of Marcelos thoughts above. A climate change or a dry setting could have this effect. I have had no issues thus far with my Elitists and I own six of them now and seven at one point. My oldest is a Sheraton that I've had for almost three years. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
custer Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 I agree with you, CB once or twice a year is enough to oil the fingerboard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lostindesert Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 I agree with you' date=' CB once or twice a year is enough to oil the fingerboard.[/quote'] +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snookelputz Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Ever seen a concrete sidewalk heave up after winter? I would think pretty much same thing happening here. One drop superglue slid down a pin to the edge of the inlay after popping it back down will fix it till next time. Unless the wood has absorbed so much lemon oil superglue won't stick anymore. I would think the wood soft enough to score easily, also, with a thumbnail if that were the case. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cookieman15061 Posted February 15, 2009 Share Posted February 15, 2009 Look man oil that fret board up every chance ya gets!! Oil it up real good then take a hammer and give those inlays a good wack. 2 or 3 should do the trick to make sure them suckers are good and secure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thunderstruck507 Posted February 16, 2009 Author Share Posted February 16, 2009 Actually now that it was mentioned, the weather here has been nuts. Like say in the 60s one day then the 30s the next. Seeing as how my rent house is insulated for crap the temps inside my room fluctuate between mid60s and high 70s when I'm home and colder when I'm not. Also doesn't help that we had an ice storm a couple weeks ago so no power...I was gone for a day to a friends before I thought about it and came home and put them in cases...the house was in the mid-high 30s for a week. I left them in the cases for several days after the power was back so at least they didn't go through as quick an extreme switch. Oh and as far as how often I'm oiling, I don't get to play as often as I used to and try to wash my hands before I do, I also alternate between heavy playing of the 2 so I'm only changing strings every 3-4 months. And I go really light on the oil anyway, just put a couple drops on a rag and rub it in and then wipe it down with a dry cloth after. Like I said, not a big hassle was just curious if anyone else had it happen. Never had any trouble with frets before. As far as how the inlays fit, they are perfect in the neck unlike my old G400. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charlie brown Posted February 16, 2009 Share Posted February 16, 2009 Well, weather can have an effect, for sure! It sure does, here! Winter is "dry" and Summer's very humid, and both effect the guitars, if not carefully monitored. I keep the house as constant as possible, all year 'round, and so far... except for some minor TR adjustments, all's well! And some of my guitars are over 40 years old. I'm quite sure you'll get it sorted out, alright. CB Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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