Worn maple fingerboards

thomasross20

What do you reckon - love or loathe this? 

My fave fretboard is probably ebony but it's a close tie with maple. I've never owned a guitar with a maple fingerboard, though. Is it a put-off?

richardhomer

On a real 50s Fender they look great. On most Relics they look contrived and if it happened on a blinged-up Suhr or Anderson, you'd probably want to kill yourself.

Never happens on a 70s Fender (due to the thinkness of the finish) unless your fingertips are made of tungsten carbide....

DannyP

richardhomer said:

On a real 50s Fender they look great. On most Relics they look contrived and if it happened on a blinged-up Suhr or Anderson, you'd probably want the kill yourself.

Never happens on a 70s Fender (due to the thinkness of the finish) unless your fingertips are made of tungsten carbide....

Ahem, 1974 Tele Custom.

And, no I just have regular non-tungsten carbide digits!

thomasross20

This is what I'm thinking.... I am seriously lusting for a Suhr Pro series with maple fingerboard but when it starts to wear...... Argh!

richardhomer

DannyP;358582" said:

And, no I just have regular non-tungsten carbide digits!

You must have long finger-nails then!

frankus

I've got a custom Suhr - there's knocks on the headstock - I don't want to kill myself.

I got a guitar with a plain nitro finish and a black scratchplate, I did that on purpose and granted I do feel silly from time to time looking at the amazing finishes I could have had done...

I've replaced the V60lps and the VTB wiring and the SSSC setup (despite it costing £150 as an option).
I've installed a tremel-no and had to leave the backplate off..
I put in the Rothwell HLK

all that I did myself - because I can do that stuff.

I'd replace the jumbo stainless steel frets with vintage stainless steel frets

... and I've got a Mark Jenny Relic Telecaster and I've chipped the paint on that - I didn't want to kill myself for that either.

the reason I can do those things and don't despise guitars for having a finish I don't get, is because they're "things". I like them, but in the grand scheme of things they aren't important.

By the way, one of the things I got really right first time, deciding what to put in the Suhr custom is Pau Ferro fretboard wood .. all the twang of maple but the aesthetics of Rosewood.

thomasross20

Wow, you're pretty good at the tech stuff, then!

I did see some worn maple necks in the shop today and they actually looked cool, and don't feel different to the maple at all!!

In the end I never got a Suhr - ridiculous to spend so much money when I just got a PRS!

Iamnobody

If you clean your guitar regularly and wash the shit off your hands it shouldn't be a problem...

ESchap

richardhomer;358597" said:

[quote="DannyP;358582"]And, no I just have regular non-tungsten carbide digits!

You must have long finger-nails then!
[/quote]

If your hands sweat a lot when playing the organic acids in the sweat will soften cellulose lacquer making it much more prone to wearing away. Won't happen with polyurethane type finishes though.

sweepy

Unfinished maple goes a lovely shade of green , tbh I love it

ThePrettyDamned

thomasross20;358595" said:

This is what I'm thinking.... I am seriously lusting for a Suhr Pro series with maple fingerboard but when it starts to wear...... Argh!

It'll look like it's been played, which is the point of owning a suhr.

I wouldn't worry at all.

jd0272

ThePrettyDamned;358883" said:

[quote="thomasross20;358595"]:)

This is what I'm thinking.... I am seriously lusting for a Suhr Pro series with maple fingerboard but when it starts to wear...... Argh!

It'll look like it's been played, which is the point of owning a suhr.

I wouldn't worry at all. [/quote]



Played, you say? Hmmm, interesting concept (scratches whiskered chin).

frankus

thomasross20 said:

Wow, you're pretty good at the tech stuff, then!

I did see some worn maple necks in the shop today and they actually looked cool, and don't feel different to the maple at all!!

In the end I never got a Suhr - ridiculous to spend so much money when I just got a PRS!

I'll do my own tech when it comes to wiring, pickup repair I've tried and frankly that wire is stupidly thin - so I leave that to the experts.

The problem with the Suhr silent coil system is that it won't play with the HLK which is great for putting a bridge humbucker sound in a strat... I'd like to revisit the wiring one day with a super switch to only enable the sssc on 1 3 and 5 settings if a knob is pulled up... but I've only so much time.

I'd love a PRS, my mate coaxes some good stratty sounds from it. When I got the Suhr I was hoping to get one thing to cover 335 sounds, Strat sounds, Tele sounds and the like. I've kinda got it most of the way there ...

I think the trick is to have one guitar you just want to pick up and play.

JDE

I'm relatively relaxed about relics in general. I don't honestly understand the lacquer-worn-off look that manufacturers seem to use on maple necks. In my experience, satin finished maple necks go green and tinted lacquer necks go black. I've played the shit out of a few maple necked guitars and I've never worn the lacquer off to bare wood. My old MIM Std Strat just looked like I'd rubbed grass into it, tbh.

hotpickups

I've never worn down a fingerboard but I have worn away the back of the neck with years of playing. I quite like it with the lack of lacquer and exposed wood

jeztone2

My Tele is just starting to get proper fingerboard wear, but then Ive owned it 10 years & its played every day. I loathe relic's tbh, but each to their own

stonevibe

You should see my RG550, the maple board is well used and a tad grey.

mike257

My Musicman Stingray has an unsealed maple board. Feels great but gets well mucky!

DannyP

ESchap said:

richardhomer;358597" said:

[quote="DannyP;358582"]And, no I just have regular non-tungsten carbide digits!

You must have long finger-nails then!
[/quote]

If your hands sweat a lot when playing the organic acids in the sweat will soften cellulose lacquer making it much more prone to wearing away. Won't happen with polyurethane type finishes though.

Well the 1974 Tele in my pic has a polyurethane finish and you can see the wear for yourself. I guess bending the string contributes. I think most finishes would succumb to having metal scraped across the surface regularly for a few decades.

So yes, polyurethane necks get worn.

The finish on the body of this guitar is actually checked, too.

...and it's quite a light weight guitar.

Yet many internet experts who don't own a 70s Fender will tell you that all this is impossible and that I must be lying. Ah well.