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-   -   Fingerboard Question (https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=413077)

JakeStone 12-28-2015 10:08 AM

Fingerboard Question
 
This is my '89 Takamine... The fingerboard seems real dry and discolored.
Can anyone advise on what I can do to restore? Or is this normal for a 25 year old board. Hope the photos help.. it's hard to get close up without blurring...Thanks.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...psffttpprq.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...psn2xcghup.jpg

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...psiq7sieju.jpg

Tom West 12-28-2015 01:12 PM

Jake: Not sure if there is anything wrong with your board. The wood looks very much like Wenge . This is the typical look of Wenge but must add that it is seldom used for boards in my experience.
Hard to tell but from photos the fret ends don't appear to be protruding. Feeling would give a better answer. This would indicate the board is not dry. It may have been dyed black and may have been cleaned removing some of the dark color. LMI sells a dye that can be used to darken boards.
Tom

Ned Milburn 12-28-2015 01:30 PM

Tom could be right that it is wenge, but it also could be Indian rosewood with a finish on it.

Many Japanese instruments have had finishes put on rosewood fingerboards. Sadly, these are usually not pore filled and do not age with dignity.

On the standard non-finished rosewood (Indian/Brazillian) or ebony fingerboards, even extremely old fingerboards can be "restored" to a healthy deep wood beauty with a light scraping with a razor blade (and good technique to avoid chatter marks), then continuing with 0000 steel wool or my preference, flexible sponge abrasives (Norton blue on grey are superb for this), and then a dousing and wiping with lemon oil with a cotton ball.

Finished fingerboards do not respond as well to this treatment and tend to begin to look "old" due to the finish in the pores being pretty much impossible to remove without abrading the wood to the depth of the deepest pore.

JakeStone 12-28-2015 03:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ned Milburn (Post 4766544)

Many Japanese instruments have had finishes put on rosewood fingerboards. Sadly, these are usually not pore filled and do not age with dignity.

Thanks for the replies!

I thought it looked like Rosewood in it's younger days.

Added another photo.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...psffttpprq.jpg

Tom West 12-28-2015 06:07 PM

Jake: Looking at your last photo and one can see a difference on the edge of the board. Almost appears to be bound but the protruding fret slots that are filled say otherwise. The edges certainly don't look like Wenge. Most likely Ned is correct with the finish on the board that has worn off. He has certainly seen more of this type of thing then I have. Let us know how you make out.
Tom

JakeStone 12-28-2015 08:03 PM

Frankly, I'm cool with it as long as it wasn't "dry" or in need of work. It just seemed to change to a "textured" feel rather than smooth board like my newer guitars.

About a year ago I cleaned it... just a lightly damp cotton rag (T-shirt) and a dry rag right after. Applied some Kyser Lem-Oil and it looked nice for about a day!

I think I'll let it be... Thanks and enjoy the prompt responses from you all.

Sperry 01-03-2016 07:12 AM

I've used mineral oil applied with Q-Tip. Always took off any excess. The next day, buffed it hard; whether I was burnishing the finish, who knows. But the owner was very pleased, and no residue was apparent.

After that I've used boiled linseed oil. Did a whole violin fingerboard with it after sanding out a belly; came out great.


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