Finishing before or after fretting

[Tim Lang]

Hi guys! I'm new to this forum today. Yay!

I just started guitar building, and I've been working on my neck. I'm at a point where I'm ready to add the frets, but I'm not sure if it's better to put the finish on the neck before you put the frets on. Seems like you'd get a better finish that way, but I couldn't find an answer either way.

Another question about finishing is what sort of finish should I put on the rosewood fretboard? can I just use the same poly I plan to put on the rest of the body? or should I leave it a little more bare?

Thanks!

[Charlie Schultz]

Hi Timbecile and welcome. Please note that we require the use of real (first and last) names on this forum. Please PM me or one of the moderators with your particulars and we will correct your registration. Thanks.

[Tim Douglass]

Tim, Normally a rosewood fretboard would not have any finish on it.

[Keith VanDen Heuvel]

Tim,

Rosewood fingerboards are typically left bare. It is not uncommon to put some lemon oil, or other oil on the board from time to time to keep it from gettig too dried out, but rosewood boards are generally unfinished. As far as the rest of the instrument, what kind of poly are you planning on using? Furniture grade poly is not typically used on instruments. You may want to research the finishing process a bit more before you dive in. It might save you from some problems down the road.

[Tim Lang]

my plan is to stain the rest of the wood (mahogany) and cover it with acrylic lacquer from an auto store. I've done a few bodies already using that method (except for the staining part. Haven't stained a guitar body before), but this is my first time tackling a neck.

What about a maple neck? I'm working on a cigar box guitar with a maple neck as practice for the fretting and inlaying. My plan for that was to just use tung oil on the whole neck before putting the frets on.

[Rodger Knox]

There's more than one way that works. As for fretting before or after finish, that sort of depends on the finish and how you're applying it.
Rosewood and ebony fingerboards are typically left unfinished, I like to use a little walnut oil.
Auto lacquer does not work well on acoustics, but it can be used on solidbodys. Nitro Lacquer is/was typical, I wouldn't recommend it unless you have spray equipment. I don't, so I have "adopted" several techniques for hand applied finishes. Behlen's Rockhard Varnish is currently my first choice, with TruOil close behind. Quite a few people prefer the feel of TruOil on the neck.
We really need to know how you are applying the finish. There's basicly two ways, spraying or by hand, and the finish type and techniques are completely different. If you're spraying, I can't help because I've never done it, but lots of other people here have.

[Tim Lang]

For the maple fretboard, I plan on hand finishing it with some tung oil. I've never done it before, so I wanted to experiment with it.

For the mahogany neck with the rosewood fretboard, I was planning on using one of the auto store spray paint finishes. It's for a solidbody, and also what I've used for the other solidbodies I've painted. This is the first time I was planning on staining the wood instead of painting it though, so I'm sure there are unknowns (at least for me)

[Rodger Knox]

Tung oil is a generic term that covers a lot of different formulas, most are considered too fragile for a fingerboard.
That's not saying it won't work, it will just get grubby quicker (which may not be a bad thing, depending on your taste).
I usually use TruOil on maple, which is also considered too fragile. My guitars don't get played much, so it works for me.
Auto spray lacquer will work over some stains, others it won't. Test it out on scrap, that's the only way to be sure.
When I was a young man, a wise old engineer told me "One preliminary investigation is worth 1000 expert opinions".
Other than the "feel", there's no reason to do the neck differently than the body.

[Louie Atienza]

On maple necks, Michael DeTemple actually puts a coat of finish on the neck, before cutting the slots and fretting, and applies the finish coats after fretting...

[Kevin Riggs]

Tim - all of the above posts have good information and we agree that it does depend on your intended materials. As for us, we fret then finish for a few reasons:

Fretting typically introduces a bit of back-bow to our bolt on necks.
If we need to clean up any "boogers" from setting (hammering) frets we can simply sand a bit here and there as needed.
We can dress the fret ends and clean things up before masking off for spraying our finish.

We use AirLac by ErLac - a Greek company. Great stuff.
One can get an entry-level HVLP gun for roughly $150 and the difference in finish quality and required man hours when using one of these in a dodged-up spray booth is notable. Any old exhaust fan vented to the outside of the shed and a few studs in the corner covered with furnace filters works well. Don't let the local Air Quality folks know, but we live in the sticks and only build a few pieces a year so. (Here come the Greenies to apply their 50 lashes...)

As for fingerboard finishing:

Once we have the frets set and the ends roughed in, we simply chuck a bit of jeweller's rouge on the buffing wheel and shine up the fingerboard (previously finish-sanded with 220) as if we were cutting back lacquer. One can get as picky as one wants with the buffing arbour and different grades of polish.

Hope there is something in the above that helps, mate.

~Riggsy

[Tim Lang]

This is all great information guys! It helps a lot.

Don't think I'll be getting much spray-gun action. I live in the suburbs right now, and a spray booth is probably out of the question for my landlord.

Since I already cut the slots for both necks, I'll probably be fretting them first and then finishing. (which was my original plan).

I like the sound of the Behlen's Rock Hard stuff, but it looks like some people won't ship it to California. Hopefully I'll be able to find a local dealer. How would it affect the tone of a solidbody?