You mean besides playing the snot out of it for 30 years?

Yes, the maple fret boards have a finish on them that looks like that when worn naturally. You can duplicate this worn look by scraping, sanding, and/or skillfully using a Dremel tool, and using a little stain on the maple in the artificial wear spots. Be careful with your wear technique though, it is very easy to over-do. But not the same with rosewood fret boards, there is no finish on them to wear through. A rosewood fret board will simply get divots from wear, unnoticeable compared to a worn maple fret board finish.

My first attempt at a "relic" look on a maple fret board. I didn't get quite the same look of the small spots that I wanted, but OK for a first try. It doesn't look too artificial anyway. The poly finish is tough, and hard to remove without damaging the frets along the way, takes some patience and finesse (both of which are in short supply with me).

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---> "The amp should be SWITCHED OFF AND UNPLUGGED before you do this!" <---

Por favor, disculpe mi español, no se llega a la práctica con mucha frecuencia.

Just play your guitar, bro. Eventually it'll wear into your pattern.

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My '82 '57 AVRI only took 15 years or so of playing the snot out of it to start showing wear like that...but it was my number one during most of that time.

FWIW

T2

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What time is it? It's Fender Time.

Not on rosewood. You can use a dremmal tool to ware through the fret board. I use fine grit sand paper to take some of the finish off the back of the neck.

Neck wear:

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2005 MIA Strat HH Hardtail
Modified 2000 MIM Strat HSS

Well, if one wants to destroy the finish on their fingerboard (and neck) while making it look like honest play did it, I would think the easiest thing to do would be to remove all the strings; wrap say, 120 grit sandpaper around one's playing hand's fingertips (and thumb) and start 'faux fretting and bending' with excessive pressure in between the frets. Once the finish (and wood for that matter) has been eaten away to the desired affect, apply some oily, grimy water or even used cooking grease to the now, bare wood; work it in and let it dry. This should pretty much do it.

As always, this is merely IMO where YMMV.

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You dig?

actually sanding can really smooth things to a nice feel without "relic" road worn- effect or look. i never liked the high gloss shiny necks, satin works....personal taste I guess?
rounded edges offer a comfortable neck too.

for relic's I would imagine a lot of the black-ish stains are ashes from cigarettes mixed with sweat/oil and booze.

I agree...that worn look is earned

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1986 Fender Sidekick Reverb 35
1990 Fender Red Knob - "The Twin"
1992 Fender Newporter - Acoustic
2000 Fender American Series Strat - Natural ash
2010 Fender Mustang 1
2011 Fender Blacktop Jazzmaster -Sunburst
2012 Fender Champion

You can't fake mojo..............

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The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.

Yet all too many still try.

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You dig?

As far as I'm concerned the only "relicing" job that's acceptable is the one that takes 20 or 30 years to achieve.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

IMO Artificial fret board wear and relicing in general looks, well fake and pretty stupid. Nothing like the real thing. As cherokee747 said so well, "You can't fake Mojo. You also run the risk if destroying a perfectly good neck as well as voiding a warranty. Fender doesn't even do it that well. Just look at Road Worn guitars.

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Life...... It's sexually transmitted and always fatal

I thought this was going to be about ties, too!