Spaying A Fretted Fingerboard

[johnsilver]

I have a completed maple neck that has been fretted, finish sanded and cleaned and is ready to spray. I'm using nitro. Do you bother to mask off the tops of the frets (say using 1/8" pinstriping tape) or just spray and file or scrape the finish off the frets later? I'm spraying the fretboard because it is maple. It is a Fender style neck. Thanks.

[AlGeeEater]

You can do either if you wan't FWIW. Both are about the same amount of work.

[Stew]

Tape and scrape. I usually have to level, dress and crown my frets anyway, so I might as well wait until after the neck gets sprayed.

[Southpa]

I usually shoot first and ask questions later. I covered my last maple neck with poly and then used one of these to sand the poly off the frets w/out damaging the clear finish on the fretboard wood.

Edited September 18, 2005 by Southpa

[johnsilver]

Thanks guys. Southpa, you reminded me that I bought some of those months ago. I forgot about them until I saw your post. That's what I'm going to do. Knew I bought them for some reason.

[verhoevenc]

What about if you've got a rosewood fretboard?? I'm under the impression it's NOT a good idea to spray finish over the wood on that, HOWEVER, if you mask it off.... spray.... when you take off the tape won't there be a noticable level difference from the finish on the sprayed neck to where there's all of a sudden no finish on the fretboard? Or do you just not spray the TOP of the fretboard, so that the finish comes up all the way to the edge, adn therefore you don't notice the level difference cause it's at a corner...?

Chris

[Southpa]

A few options. You could make the fretboard edges part of the finish but some clear just might make it into the gaps where frets rise. Or you could mask to where the fretboard edge meets the neck wood and then carefully feather sand that finish edge down after spraying. OR you could mask past the glue joint then curl the tape back up until it just meets the gluejoint. Then when you spray the clear will be dispersed by the rolled edge. It will actually thin out where the tape contacts the wood, sort of a natural feathering effect. But the curled edge of the tape has to be dead straight to get the right effect.

Edited September 18, 2005 by Southpa

[jnewman]

For what it's worth, on their American and American Deluxe Stratocasters... Fender doesn't mask off the frets. The guitars come with lacquer on the frets, and I haven't seen that it causes any problems.

[verhoevenc]

For what it's worth, on their American and American Deluxe Stratocasters... Fender doesn't mask off the frets. The guitars come with lacquer on the frets, and I haven't seen that it causes any problems.

←

Hmmm.... bewy interesting....

That takes my thought process to a whole new level, cause I have a Ric 4003 bass that has a finished fretboard that kinda gives it a cool effect....

Chris

[Gemleggat]

For what it's worth, on their American and American Deluxe Stratocasters... Fender doesn't mask off the frets. The guitars come with lacquer on the frets, and I haven't seen that it causes any problems.

←

Exactly, nice time your in a guitar shop have a look at an american fender with a maple board and the frets look gold, thats the laquer. Just use some 600 grit up to 0000 wool to remove the laquer.

[verhoevenc]

or play it a bunch

Chris