ok so i have a strat with a maple neck/fretboard. im scalloping the neck now, but what im wondering is: will it be ok if i leave the scalloped part unfinished? of course, it will sanded down to silky smooth, but will that leave the fretboard vulnerable to damage/wear?

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Gear:

Heavily Modified Olympic White 2007 MIM Strat (my baby!!)
Fender Showmaster 2003
Bugera V55 HD
Peavey XXX Cab
Vox Satchurator
Ibanez TS-9
Dunlop Crybaby
DeltaLab Digital Delay

I think that the finish on a maple neck is necesary

lol very true. but will it damage it? i regularly wipe down and clean my neck anyway, so being dirty isnt too much of an issue. and yeah my hands are always dirty, though right now my keyboard and hands are both coated in a nice layer of sawdust, better blow this off or itll do some damage

_________________
Gear:

Heavily Modified Olympic White 2007 MIM Strat (my baby!!)
Fender Showmaster 2003
Bugera V55 HD
Peavey XXX Cab
Vox Satchurator
Ibanez TS-9
Dunlop Crybaby
DeltaLab Digital Delay

What type of guitar is it? I guess regardless of the type of guitar, and price - you decided to scallop the neck. If it is an 'orignal' guitar, its value will probably drop due to modification.

Back to the question: If you scallop a maple fretobard it will be okay for the first few days. Then slowly the wood will get dirty, and get brown just from exposure to air. Kind of like an apple that has been bit into; unprotected parts get brown.

It will not put any extreme stress and damage the neck. It will merely discolor it and leave it open for more scuffs/damage. I say leave it, it will give it character. It will look like Malmsteen's "Duck" strat which was beat to hell but has great character.

good luck!

P.S, I would like to know what method you are using to scallop it... I will do this myself one day.

ok just as long as it doesnt damage the wood, ill leave it. ive always very much disliked that "glossy" feeling finished fretboards often have, and after playing a bit on my newly scalloped neck, i like this much better. as for the questions, its a stratocaster (my baby, so id never sell it and value doesnt matter to me) with a duncan hotrail in the neck and a coil tapped duncan JB jr in the bridge. it sounds incredible! what i did was mark out the depth i wanted for the scallop with a light pencil mark, and then (VERY tediously) file down the fretboard with increasingly finer files (say that 10 times fast ) until i reached just over the desired mark. i then sanded down to the mark using sandpaper increasing in grit so it became smooth. it really did come out very well, and i recommend this to any guitar player who doesnt mind "devaluing" their guitar (i put that in quotes not out of disrespect, but to elaborate that this guitar will never see a sales tag ever again lol)

_________________
Gear:

Heavily Modified Olympic White 2007 MIM Strat (my baby!!)
Fender Showmaster 2003
Bugera V55 HD
Peavey XXX Cab
Vox Satchurator
Ibanez TS-9
Dunlop Crybaby
DeltaLab Digital Delay