mu_sound Posted June 30, 2005 Report Share Posted June 30, 2005 Hey there, from my reading on the board and various other resources it appears that rosewood fingerboards are left without a finish on them. I was wondering if I need to fill the grain or just leave it open after the final sanding. I can see that you wouldnt want to put a thick coat of lacquer on, but is there really nothing at all on the rosewood? not even tung oil or shellac? Sorry for the noob question, but I just want to make sure before I put the frets in. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted June 30, 2005 Report Share Posted June 30, 2005 Hey there, from my reading on the board and various other resources it appears that rosewood fingerboards are left without a finish on them. I was wondering if I need to fill the grain or just leave it open after the final sanding. I can see that you wouldnt want to put a thick coat of lacquer on, but is there really nothing at all on the rosewood? not even tung oil or shellac? Sorry for the noob question, but I just want to make sure before I put the frets in. ← You can leave it raw - no need to fill the grain. You can apply some fretboard finishing oil (stewmac or elsewhere, make sure the board is totally clean first) but it's not absolutely necessary. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Primal Posted July 1, 2005 Report Share Posted July 1, 2005 Is there any reason why one shouldn't finish a fretboard with linseed or tung oil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frank falbo Posted July 1, 2005 Report Share Posted July 1, 2005 Well, rosewood is already oily. So if you start putting tung or linseed on there, it can sometimes be too much. Then on a hot or sweaty gig it can get gummy. I'm not saying it's guaranteed to turn out badly, I just feel something light like a good lemon oil is all you need. But if you're trying to coax a darker, more played in look to the rosewood, then you can sparingly "finish" it with oil. Usually I'll only do it if I've had to really clean an old board down, like with flax soap or multiple naptha passes. Like if I've de-greased it so much that the oil needs replacing. But even then, playing it will draw oils up and put finger oils in, so again a light conditioning is usually all that's needed. On inlay repairs, or partial refrets (which I hardly do) sometimes I'll use linseed oil to get a build, and a little bit of gloss to match the old section of the board better. Otherwise it's obvious what's old and what's been scraped or sanded clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
unclej Posted July 1, 2005 Report Share Posted July 1, 2005 every time i get a guitar in for repair or set up that has a rosewood fretboard i give it this treatment: after a good cleaning i apply a generous dose of mineral oil, let it soak for just a couple of minutes the wipe off the excess and hand buff it a bit. just so you don't think i'm completely nuts for this, mineral oil is actually an fda approved salad bowl finish and i've used it to finish turned items many times. with enough coats it will build up just like linseed or tung oil but a light coat on a fret board just conditions it and makes it look great...and it's cheeep! available at local grocery stores. tax, title and liscense not included. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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