# Is this normal? Finish in the frets



## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

The finish of the fretboard on my Am deluxe seems to climb a bit on the last 8-9 frets. It doesn't interfere with the sound or my playing but I would like to know if someone else has seen this before and if there's something that should be done. Also, although it might look like it is flaking it is not, and there's no air inside. Thanks in advance!


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Nope, not normal (the neck should be laquered before it is fretted). Doesn't look like very good fretwork in general (look at those sharp ends).

Looks like maybe someone tried overspraying the board clear and then polished it off the fret tops or masked badly.... or the frets were glued in and nobody cleaned up the squeezeout. Know the history of what was done to it (refret etc - though it seems too new for that)? Was there a previous owner?


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Yes, there is a previous owner but the guy seems serious. The fretboard looks fine except for the last few frets, maybe it is a production defect... I think I'm going to take a look at a new am deluxe at L&M to compare.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

I have an '11 American Standard that has the lacquer creeping up the frets as well. I always assumed that they just lacquered after the frets were in. I don't have what appear to be bubbles under the lacquer on the fret board itself though. That definitely seems unusual. If I had to guess, it looks like a lifting fret (after the lacquer dried hard) is pulling the lacquer layer up with it rather than it cracking. But dude...what's up with the green (looking) goo on the sides of the frets where the lacquer edge meets the exposed metal? Mine definitely doesn't have that.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

That green stuff seems to me like a product of a chemical reaction between the lacquer and the metallic fret but it could be dirt or some kind of dye in the lacquer. It's not much, the camera increased the green.


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## copperhead (May 24, 2006)

Frets are installed first in the neck then trimmed & leveled then lacquered  .


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

I went to L&M. Most of the American models have no lacquer in the fretboard and if they have it is practically impossible to see. The few American models I could find with lacquer confirm @copperhead post and look similar to mine; I grabbed one and played for a minute and the strings removed some lacquer from the top of the frets. Paradoxically a cheaper Squier model with the same kind of finish looks impecable and way better than the American models. I also bought strings...


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

And the green thing was dirt







what kind I don't know


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

Granny Gremlin said:


> (the neck should be laquered before it is fretted)



No.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

The green on frets is corrosion from sweat - like when copper ages.

I had a bunch on my prs until I got a new nut and setup and it was cleaned up.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Yes, I used a piece of cotton soaked in Gibson fretboard conditioner and within 15 minutes most of the corrosion was gone. I've never had this problem with my previous guitars, I think the first owner didn't play with it (or clean it) very often.

The excess of lacquer seem to have shrunk after the clean up, some pieces just detached from the metal without affecting the part in the wood and others apparently were dissolved. Now it looks more like the guitars at L&M. 

Thanks everybody for the help, let this thread be the inspiration for other guitarist who don't like their fretboard messed up!


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## zdogma (Mar 21, 2006)

The lacquer after fret install is standard on Fenders with maple boards. I have a 52 reissue Tele and an Eric Johnson Strat, both were very similar. My Suhr strat has none on the frets, and looks like the frets were installed after finishing, but the finish is a really thin matte poly, not lacquer.


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## jb welder (Sep 14, 2010)

Looks like you got lots of replies here, just for the record, in case anyone is unaware, there is a guitar repair section (this is the amp section) :

Guitar Building/Mods/Repair


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

All I can say about what came off on your rag is...ewwww! It is looking much nicer now.


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## amagras (Apr 22, 2015)

Jim DaddyO said:


> All I can say about what came off on your rag is...ewwww! It is looking much nicer now.


Yes! It's a 10 years old guitar, the previous owner says it didn't see much playing and I assume it was stored in a place with too much humidity, anyway I'm happy to see it clean, it feels more "mine" now. 



jb welder said:


> Looks like you got lots of replies here, just for the record, in case anyone is unaware, there is a guitar repair section (this is the amp section) :
> 
> Guitar Building/Mods/Repair


Thank you for calling attention to this.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

gtrguy said:


> No.





zdogma said:


> The lacquer after fret install is standard on Fenders with maple boards. I have a 52 reissue Tele and an Eric Johnson Strat, both were very similar. My Suhr strat has none on the frets, and looks like the frets were installed after finishing, but the finish is a really thin matte poly, not lacquer.


Well I stand corrected, that's rather counter-intuitive. I guess I shouldn't have run me mouth - I don't actually like maple board instruments, and this (laquering in the frets) just seems like one more reason to add to the pile. Makes refrets more work without serving any useful purpose. 

I wonder if they do do it different for poly vs nitro. That might explain why I never noticed before - the only maple board instruments I ever play or look at closely are the ones that belong to friends and mostly they can't afford the good stuff.


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

If the fingerboard was finished before the frets were pressed or hand hammered into the slots the finish would run the risk of being cracked by the force. The fret slots would also likely get full of finish. Not to mention that you want the fret to be contacting the wood for the most direct connection between the string and the instrument, not sitting on a layer of finish isolating the fret from the instrument. No difference in technique between poly or nitro.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

You can cut the slots afterward, and if you cut them wide enuf (just, not too wide) and use a press vs a hammer, the finish would be fine.


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

Granny Gremlin said:


> You can cut the slots afterward, and if you cut them wide enuf (just, not too wide) and use a press vs a hammer, the finish would be fine.


Cutting the slots after finishing would run the risk of the finish chipping and flaking, and you want the slot only as wide as the fret tang- that's about .02" to .03" though there are exceptions. The visible fret is much wider than the slot/tang.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Understood about tang width - that actually makes it safer for the finish vs a wider slot. I think the worry about chipping the finish is overblown; there are ways to reduce that risk to nil. Anyway, I don't particularly care.


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

Granny Gremlin said:


> Anyway, I don't particularly care.


Okay then... I was simply sharing the way it's traditionally done by manufacturers and some of the reasons why. I wasn't trying to be a dick and I hope it didn't come off that way.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

No, not at all.


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