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Just wondering if any of you have used a maple fretboard. We're so used to a dark fretboard except on electrics, not sure I'd like it. Maybe you can show me how nice it can be. I got some birdseye maple fretboards from the zootman and wanted to give it a try. Seems like it might need to be finished, to keep it from getting dirty, what do you think?

Thanks,
Joe

There is a builder in Quebec who ony uses native woods in his builds .. pretty mcuh every guitar of his I have ever seen has had a maple board .. you can find him on the Montreal Guitar show website ... not sure of his name though ....

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

I am really interested in maple fretboards too but I agree we are soooo used to seeing dark ones, it just does not look right with the light soundboard. For Electrics it is a different story as they are so much less tradition in design and aesthetics, and still have traditionally used maple fretboards.

You can do it!

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Lots of folks play maple fretboards - especially on electric guitars - but I have always disliked them. Maple can turn gray and dirty and nasty looking if it is not finished, and if finished doesn't feel as nice as ebony or rosewood imho.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

At Merlefest about 10 or 11 years ago, I remember seeing an acoustic guitar with a maple fingerboard. I think it was (but don't remember for sure) a Bourgeois, with large-ish shell inlays. It was one of the give-away guitars. I thought it looked great.

I did a google image search just now but couldn't find a pic.

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"...you have to get over your strict adherence to your largely imagined notion of absolute perfection..."

Joe,

It's an acoustic but not one fretted by fingers I used Sycamore (maple here in the UK) fingerboards on Martha's double necked acoustic lap slide and finished it with Z-poxy and pre-catalysed lacquer:

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Dave White
De Faoite Stringed Instruments
". . . the one thing a machine just can't do is give you character and personalities and sometimes that comes with flaws, but it always comes with humanity" Monty Don talking about hand weaving, "Mastercrafts", Weaving, BBC March 2010

Nice guitar Dave.

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Say what you do, Do what you say.

Marc Saumier

Here is his web site: http://www.saumierguitars.com/

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

Very nice guitar Filippo. Joe I say go ahead and use it. Maple is beautiful wood.

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Beautiful and unusual tone woods at a reasonable price.
http://www.rctonewoods.com/RCT_Store
The Zootman
1109 Military Rd.
Kenmore, NY 14217
(716) 874-1498

Thanks for the posts guys!

Very nice shots Fillippo, is that one of yours? Fretboard looks great to me, what is the top on that one? Good looking guitar.

And Marc Saumier has a great website and some very cool building ideas, nice link!

And yes Dave the fretboards on that lap slide are staying very clean. Like those fret substitutes!

Well I will be exploring this further, I just did one on a cigar box 4 string and it looks nice. I'll get a picture tomorrow.

Thanks,
Joe

Here's my first use of the birdeye maple fretboard.







I'm pleased, now I'll give it a go on real build.

Joe