Maple neck and colour

[Frans]

Hi there,

I'm confused of what colour a maple neck actually is.

Having a strat with maple neck (right colour, I think) shows me however that the fingerboard is light-yellow, and also new maple necks I've seen are almost white.

But, when ordered a set of retouche pencils and wash, maple comes out almost brown.

My strat has a slight scratch on the (yellow) fingerboard and some colour is missing there.  

What colour do I have to buy for reparing this (most colours are much too dark), and what colour does my fingerboard has really?

.

 

 

[Bizman62]

Hi and welcome aboard!

Maple is a blonde wood as such. Even if it's figured the figuration is pale. The basic colour is a tiny bit yellowish so it's not cold paleness. Birch is close to it, so much that it's sometimes called poor man's maple. Maple also takes dyes well although for a cool blue guitar you'd better choose a piece as white as possible so the natural yellow in the wood won't turn it green.

Your fingerboard is naturally pale but the finish/lacquer enhances the red and yellow pigments. The lacquer on old strats also darkened in daylight and as "everyone wants" a vintage instrument they may add some amber dye to the clearcoat. And of course the wood itself gets somewhat of a tan in the sun.

For fixing a scratch that shines white on the yellow fingerboard I'd mix a tiny drop of amber dye with clear lacquer, apply thin layers until the colour matches and finish with clear. Try to find a piece of maple or birch for testing the colour before applying it. Or at least test the colour-clearcoat mix on a piece of white paper if you can't find a piece of wood.

If you wonder what the original colour was when the guitar came from the factory, look under the tuners! That will tell you how the finish and wood have aged.

[Frans]

Thank you, Bizman62 for this clear explanation. 

Do you also know why my maple  retouche pencils and fillers show me a total different colour (red/brown)?

Is birch also available as a colour/filler?

Greetings,

Frans

 

[henrim]

Have you got any link to those pencils?

Are they actual pencils or are they more like touch-up markers?

Anyway, I think it’s kinda hit and miss to find a readymade matching maple color, as the color can vary a lot depending on how the object was finished and how it was exposed to light.

[Bizman62]

4 hours ago, Frans said:

Do you also know why my maple  retouche pencils and fillers show me a total different colour (red/brown)?

Fillers are homogenous stuff, they don't have the translucency of wood cells. Also, they're thoroughly coloured and as such they only can show one shade of the vast palette of colours seen in real wood.

If there's just a scratch on the finish of your fingerboard I wouldn't use any filler, instead I'd use tinted lacquer even if there's some wood missing. That would show as a scar as the cut fibres would suck the finish but you'd get the surface level. The only place I'd use filler is a deep small scar, like if hit with a screwdriver some 5 mm deep. A small spot filled with light coloured filler and finished with tinted lacquer might blend in. Any bigger wounds would be better filled by cutting a bit larger piece off and trying to fill the gap with another piece with a matching grain pattern.

Regarding birch filler/colour, I wouldn't use any wood coloured filler with clearcoat. I've seen my share of natural coloured furniture that look OK when new but after a few years the wood darkens because of daylight but the filler stays pale. It may look decent when stained but not as natural.

If you could post a photo of the damage it would be easier to tell which option is best.

[Frans]

I'm shure willing to sent some photo's, but i just don't understand that, after searching several websites 'bout scratch removing, I can't find the colour 'maple' as a blond, white or yellow colour. They all show me a reddish/brown colour.

In fact, that's my question. caus' I just don't get it.

Never the less, thanx!

[Bizman62]

Exactly what type is the scratch removing stuff? Wax crayons, felt pens, liquid colour or paste?

[Frans]

6x colours wax and 6 colours felt pencils. (www.bol.com - netherlands).

 

[Bizman62]

That explains. They're usually waaay too dark, especially pens. The ink will get sucked into cut ends of the pores of a bare wood scratch and you'll end up flooding the damaged area. In such a case even clear lacquer will darken the wood some and highlight the scar. And the wax crayons... How would a candle look like wood? If a coloured crayon is sufficient to fix a scratch in the wood, then any filler would do. Fixes on the lacquer are even easier. If no bare wood is exposed, even a light sanding can do the trick. For deeper wounds some clearcoat is needed.

Getting a blonde wood coloured pen or crayon is similar to finding a glass or water coloured pen. Or skin coloured, for that matter. Remember your childhood drawings? The sky was blue, the sun was yellow and grass was green. And water was also blue. And when drawing people the "skin" crayon was always missing.

Clear nail varnish is often a good choice for small repairs. It dries fast, builds up nicely and if needed you can mix some of your felt pen ink to a layer or two. The right amount might be something like sticking a needle into the felt and use it for stirring a drop of the clear. That little. And many if not most nail varnishes are nitrocellulose which is the stuff many quality guitars are finished with!

 

[Frans]

Thank you for your professional comments, Bizman62!

I learned a lot of it.