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Hi all,

I'm in the process of rubbing out the finish on my latest guitar and the curly koa fretboard binding is as eye-popping as I'd hoped it would be. However, as there's no finish on the fretboard surface itself (obviously), the top edge of the koa binding looks pretty bland.

My question is: what's the best means of popping the grain of the koa on the fretboard surface and adding a measure of protection against sweat and finger jam? As I included a 0.5mm maple veneer between the ebony fretboard and the outer layer of koa, I'm worried that it too will soon become discoloured from use.

What would you all suggest?

Cheers
Pete

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Cheers
Pete

A little bit of boiled linseed oil can be nice. Make sure it says boiled though. You can wipe a bit on with paper towel and wipe off the excess a few minutes later.
Cheers

Has the maple been sealed at all? Mabey shellac.

No Mark, the maple hasn't been sealed, As you can see in the first photo, it's sandwiched between a black maple veneer and the ebony fretboard. I thought it would be nice if the top edge of the koa binding could sparkle like the fretboard edge does under finish in the lower photo. I know how sweaty fingers can discolour maple if it's not sealed in some way so I'm hoping to kill two birds with one stone.




Cheers
Pete

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Cheers
Pete

Most maple fretboards are sealed and finished because the can look bad in no time at all if not.Her is a pic of a strat that someone took the finish off on the upper part of the board.You can see how dark it has gotten compared to the lower part.

I've always been curious about this. It translates into what I can use as my inlay palette on an unfinished board. Since ebony and rosewood are so popular, that's a common occurance. I've seen koa bindings on rosewood and ebony but never seen close enough photos to tell for certain if they finished and with what.

I use a fretboard oil from Stew Mac that's supposed to dry hard and provide some sort of protective finish. I have no idea if it would prevent maple from turning grey from grubby fingers. I should do a test at some point.

I used to file koa under "needs a finish". The only fretboards I'd seen of koa had finishes. Then I saw a Taylor with a koa inlay on the upper frets of a rosewood board. Maybe they're counting on the upper frets of an acoustic not getting much wear. I generally try to stick with "hard" woods. Arbitrarily above 800-900 Janka hardness. Though I've seen softer woods used.

The issue with maple is how quickly most of it turns an ugly grey when exposed to finger grease. I wouldn't mind it getting a darker, warm color and maybe some does. But I've seen some that just looked dirty and grey. More grey than the photo above. And it probably depends on the person's fingers.

I totally avoid it unfinished. I use stabilized maple if I need to use it for an inlay, but it's mostly available in small blanks. Pen blanks and knife blanks. You can get whole tops from Gallery Hardwoods though. I know a lot of bass builders do. I love the dyed stabilized material because it lets me extend my inlay palette and still use natural materials. Ok, they've been treated with unnatural things, but it's no different than the finish on the rest of the guitar and the stain on the top. It's just vacuum impregnated deep into the material.

...Ath

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http://home.comcast.net/~ath3na3/Portfolio/Port.html

Pete, we always take a very small brush and brush on a coat or two of sealer on top of the fretboard binding. Carefully.
We're using McFadden lacquer on our necks, with their sealer as part of that system. So, a coat or two on the binding (top) and we're protecting that wood from grime, but not giving it too dramatic a change in appearance from the fretboard itself. (The sealer dries to a matte finish, quite similar to the look of the fretboard.)

Steve

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From Nacogdoches...the oldest town in Texas.

http://www.stephenkinnaird.com

I'll look for a sealer that penetrates the wood and dries in it rather than on it - the boiled linseed or sealer ideas offered are worth considering. Perhaps mine was a question that should have been asked before I included the maple veneer, but I'm sure I can find a solution (pun intended).

The guitar is a gift for a musician friend in Melbourne so I'll have the opportunity to see over time how well I've been able to protect the maple veneer.

Thanks for your responses everyone.

Cheers
Pete

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Cheers
Pete

Maybe thin CA?

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/