How to Get Scratches out of Rosewood Board

tralfamadan

I've scoured the internet and found many different opinions on the subject so I'm asking here.

What's the best method of getting scratches out of a Rosewood fretboard?

My beloved Fender Telecaster has some ugly scratches on the board and some small grooves either side of every fret near both ends of the fret wire.
They have no impact on intonation or playability whatsoever, but they're there and I see them everytime I play the damn thing. I could live with them if it was me that did it, but they are unfortunately the work of a shoddy tech that got lazy with a fret file... (22 times).

I've heard 0000 Steel Wire Wool is good. Some people suggest ultra fine wet/dry paper. The scratches are in the centre (near the dot marker) of the 3rd, 4th & 5th fret. The grooves are at the end of the fret wire but still on the rosewood; both sides of each end (4 per fret, if you will). I think that the best I can hope for them is to soften them up a bit. 

Any advice much appreciated. 

Winny_Pooh

Depending on how deep they are I'd start with 500 grit and move to 1200/1600 then finish up with lemon oil. Hard to say without pics. You may not get rid of them totally but I'd be far less noticeable. 

ICBM

You may be better using a cabinet scraper and going with the grain (ie along the length of the neck). Scratches and grooves from poor fretwork are quite difficult to get out exactly because they run across the grain, unfortunately.

Maynehead

I’ve managed to get light scratches out using increasingly finer grades of sandpaper, starting from about 600 grit, and finishing with micro mesh pads from my wife’s nail buffer.

The fretboard was probably finished with a radius block and sandpaper in the first place so you don’t need to be shy about using it.

tralfamadan

ICBM said:

Scratches and grooves from poor fretwork are quite difficult to get out exactly because they run across the grain, unfortunately.

Yeah I feared that might be the case. Frustratingly, I hadn't actually noticed the grooves until sometime afterwards as the workshop I picked it up from was fairly dark inside - as are all the practice rooms/studios I seem to play in - so by the time I did it was too late to call them up on it.
The tech left the metal filings from the frets stuck to the pole pieces when I picked it up. That should've been a clear sign that it was something of a rush job.

I don't like to let aesthetic dents and marks bother me too much as they give a guitar some character - but paying for someone else to make those dents for you sucks.

Anyway thanks for the tips, all. I'm gonna give it a go with sandpaper tomorrow. I'll take some before and after photos so you can gaze in horror at my workmanship..!

tralfamadan

**Double Post**

stephen.wood125

Good luck! I hope you can rescue it, I'd also second the use of a cabinet scraper laid against the fret and worked gentle outwards with the grain, may be able to sneak up on it and hide the worst. it's also really controllable.