Finishing Lacewood

[Matt]

I was thinking of using a dark lacewood as a Fingerboard, but my Father has used it before and said that it was hard to get a good finish on it?

does anyone have any ideas or tips, I have done a search but I havn't found quite what Im looking for.

Thanks

Matt

[Drak]

IMO, Lacewood is far too soft to use for a fingerboard.

Did you come to this decision based on looks alone or did you consider the tonal / player aspects of the wood also, because Lacewood would be about on the bottom of my list for fingerboard wood unless you were going to use some sort of epoxy or poly to harden the crap out of it first, which seems to be far too much work to be bothered with for me.

[Mattia]

Quite. Only way I'd even remotely consider Lacewood as a fingerboard would be ordering an acrylic impregnated one from Larry Davis. If that makes it hard enough.

Heck, Maple's about as soft as I'd be willing to go, and no softer. If I like maple boards, that is.

[Matt]

Ah OK, I wasn't sure how it would sound. I THOUGHT it was like maple in terms of density and tone, but looking around I see that is in fact more like Alder so I agree with you guys.... Im not gonna use it as a Fretboard.

HOWEVER I am thinking of using it as a Laminate in a neck.

So back to the question of finishing.... Any ideas

thanks alot

Matt

[Drak]

If you're using it as a laminate in a neck, then you'd treat it like any other wood, you will treat all the laminates as one piece since that is what it will be by the time you finish it.