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Post subject: Rosewood finger board pits & channels
Posted: Sat Mar 09, 2019 3:12 am
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I bought a brand new American Standard Strat in 2011 from Sweetwater. It has spent 99.999999999% of the intervening time in its case. I have never really played it and have never really cared for it. I kinda assumed that it would be safe and unmolested if I just left it in its case. But now in 2019, I have taken a big interest in it and have used a magnifying glass to examine every square centimeter of it and have noticed micro cracks, pits, and gashes that cannot be seen using the naked eye. I have never applied anything at all to the fret board in the last eight year.

So, should I do anything to "fill" these micro imperfections like with wood dough or bondo? Or should I simply start a regime of oiling the rosewood board in order to re-hydrate the wood?

Any input/suggestions would be enormously helpful! Thanks!

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Post subject: Re: Rosewood finger board pits & channels
Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2019 11:46 am
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If you plan on keeping it pristine in its case, semi-annual or annual fingerboard oil will help w/ drying/cracking rosewood finger boards. It can and will probably get worse over time if not cleaned/oiled.
Rosewood is a very porous wood. These barely visible cracks do not interfere w/ playing usually.
I would "not" recommend using a wood filler/sealer or a bondo of any kind on the fingerboard.


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Post subject: Re: Rosewood finger board pits & channels
Posted: Mon Mar 18, 2019 6:00 pm
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sfceric64 wrote:
If you plan on keeping it pristine in its case, semi-annual or annual fingerboard oil will help w/ drying/cracking rosewood finger boards. It can and will probably get worse over time if not cleaned/oiled.
Rosewood is a very porous wood. These barely visible cracks do not interfere w/ playing usually.
I would "not" recommend using a wood filler/sealer or a bondo of any kind on the fingerboard.


I agree with all of the above 100%. Do not fill the neck under any circumstances as you will ruin it.

Rosewood (and all the like) necks aren't Maple necks. They have grain variation in the surface texture, it is just the way they are.

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Post subject: Re: Rosewood finger board pits & channels
Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2019 1:18 am
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Do not fill the cracks, rosewood oil only


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Post subject: Re: Rosewood finger board pits & channels
Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2019 4:57 am
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It's rosewood, it's pourous and has lots of top grain.. It is what it is. It's fine.. don't alter it.

Get some fret board conditioner, (Guitar Honey, or Nomad's F1 Oil are two I use)

Put a drop on a cotton cloth and work it in to the wood between each fret. Take a clean dry cloth and wipe the fretboard down.

That should be good for at least 6 months if not longer. When the rosewood looks to have lightened up in shade a bit, time to think about treating it again during the next string change. Most of us do this no more than twice to once a year.

That's all you should need to ever do.


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Post subject: Re: Rosewood finger board pits & channels
Posted: Wed Mar 20, 2019 8:09 am
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na5m;
I have a 2012 American Standard and it has the same kind of grain pits and channels, it play,s very well and it is the nature of the beast (rosewood boards) Just oil it with some fret board conditioner and play it
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Post subject: Re: Rosewood finger board pits & channels
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2019 1:42 am
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Thanks to all! So this rosewood-type dimpling/grooving is normal. Cool. I'll just introduce it now & then to a light coat of F-ONE Oil. So happy now! :) :) :)

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Post subject: Re: Rosewood finger board pits & channels
Posted: Thu Mar 21, 2019 5:25 am
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na5m wrote:
Thanks to all! So this rosewood-type dimpling/grooving is normal. Cool. I'll just introduce it now & then to a light coat of F-ONE Oil. So happy now!

Don't even call it a "coat"
More damage is done to necks by over-oiling than by under-oiling.
I over-oiled my Les Paul and the block inlays started popping out.

As described above, put a small amount of oil on a cloth, wipe it on, and wipe it off. If you see any color change at all, that's more than enough. You don't need to let it "soak in" for more than a few seconds.
The wood does not dry like water in a cup... the oils evaporate very slowly, and you only need to replace what has evaporated.
For most players, the sometimes recommended "every string change" is too frequent. Once a year is generally enough. If you live in a very dry climate (indoor humidity consistently below 25%) then you might want to think about twice a year.

The "cracks" and pits in your neck are natural and normal.
The problem that arises from the neck drying out is fret sprout... that's where the frets seem to "pop out" from the sides of the neck, but what actually happened is the neck shrunk.
If you have not oiled your neck in 7 years and are not experiencing fret sprout, then once a year is more than enough for oiling.

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Post subject: Re: Rosewood finger board pits & channels
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2019 5:18 am
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So....you bought the guitar, pretty much, just to own a guitar? I'm confused. Yes; I know it's none of my business, but seems strange to me.
I ask, because you state that you had no interest in playing it AND maintaining it; and until recently (8 years), didn't even care to look at it.

Any who....yah, treat the Rosewood.

I'd atleast hang it on the wall so I could look at it---guitars are beautiful to me even if I didn't play.


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Post subject: Re: Rosewood finger board pits & channels
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2019 9:01 am
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And put the magnifying glass away.
It's not a piece of fine art, it's a tool intended to be used by common people in smoky bars and dusty back yards.

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Post subject: Re: Rosewood finger board pits & channels
Posted: Fri Mar 22, 2019 10:48 am
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CB91710 wrote:
And put the magnifying glass away.
It's not a piece of fine art, it's a tool intended to be used by common people in smoky bars and dusty back yards.

......And cannabis-saturated outdoor arenas.

:wink:
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