My first build: DTL-1

[gpjt]

Thanks all!

The stains may not be glue -- they could be some kind of grease, perhaps? -- but unfortunately they will be visible -- maybe this photo shows them better:



Anyway, good call about the possibility of white vinegar bleaching the wood, Simon! I've swabbed some white vinegar into the bridge rout, and some rubbing alcohol (70% isopropyl alcohol, no idea what the remainder is but hopefully water) into the neck rout. Will leave that overnight to make sure there's no damage, and if all is well then let's hope one or the other will lift the stains.

[McCreed]

That's a bit of a head-scratcher to me. In the pic with the wet body, it does indeed look like two circular "stains", but the ultra close-up I can't see the circular pattern and they look more like grain anomalies.

If it is possibly an oil or grease (either is possible given there is machinery involved in their manufacture) maybe try scrubbing the spots with naptha and a stiff plastic bristled brush (something more aggressive than a toothbrush).

Alternatively, if you have an orbital sander, it may be worth trying to sand them out. If you do this, make sure you sand the whole top evenly so you don't end up sanding a divot in the problem area.

I'm really just throwing darts blindfolded...

[Simon Barden]

I'm also thinking possible grain pattern here. I'd try and rough that area up a bit with maybe 120 grit paper, and see if it takes up the white spirit any better. White spirit itself will help remove any grease (if it is grease).

[gpjt]

You know, you're probably right there -- it's probably some oddity in the grain. I was thinking that because it was rougher than the surrounding area, didn't take up white spirit, and was darker, that it must be something on top of the wood, but neither white vinegar nor rubbing alcohol had any effect. I'll see what happens after a bit of sanding. If it doesn't disappear, I'll call it spalting

[gpjt]

I've been doing a bit of sanding on the neck; it's getting a nice feel to it. Is there any trick to sanding the fretboard between the frets for maple? Or just patience and a small thing to use as a sanding block? It's quite hard to sand with the grain on the narrower frets at the dusty end.

I reckon I'll have to live with the mismatched filler that's been used to disguise the tangs:



It looks to me like the maker nibbled off the tang at the ends of the frets, as if they were going in to a bound fretboard, and then put filler in to the resulting gaps. So sanding down won't reveal the metal tang, it will just uncover more filler. Especially for the fourth fret, which is at least a mil short on the treble side:



It's probably a bad sign for my bank balance and for the uneasy truce that exists between my other half and my tool collection that when I spotted that, my first thought was that it would be fun to try refretting the guitar at some point in the not-too-distant future...

[McCreed]

Is there any trick to sanding the fretboard between the frets for maple? Or just patience and a small thing to use as a sanding block? It's quite hard to sand with the grain on the narrower frets at the dusty end.

I typically don't sand a (fretted) maple fretboard unless there is a problem (obvious rough spot, fret marker not seated properly, etc). If you feel you do need to, try hitting it with either a fine synthetic sanding pad or steel wool. (FTR, I never recommend or use steel wool, but that's just me and plenty of people do).
With s/w or sanding pad (extra fine-fine) you can go across the grain without leaving obvious whirls, and it won't gouge the frets like sandpaper will.

It looks to me like the maker nibbled off the tang at the ends of the frets, as if they were going in to a bound fretboard, and then put filler in to the resulting gaps.

That's how it done. The tang is cut back even on non-bound fretboards. Usually only about 1 mm though. Just enough to securely hold some filler in there.

Especially for the fourth fret, which is at least a mil short on the treble side:

That definitely is not the way it should be, but it may be ok. You'll have to see where the E6 string falls when you do you're alignment. Then decide if it's going to be a problem when playing. Worst case is replacing the one fret, but I wouldn't say you have to go that far yet.

[Simon Barden]

The problem with just replacing one fret is getting a fretwire that matches the existing frets. Obviously you can measure the width and the height, which all helps to narrow the selection down, but the fret material itself can vary considerably, with differing hardness and things like copper content that can affect the colour. You'd also probably need to remove the fret first to measure the tang width, as these can vary a bit. You don't want to get a fret with a thinner tang or it will just fall out.

[McCreed]

All good and valid points Simon. Hopefully he's not there yet.

I guess I forget not everyone has various sized bits & lengths of fret wire just kicking about in the shed...

[Simon Barden]

I think I have a couple of small bits and that's it. Though I've now ordered a fretwire bender and some acoustic bridge clamps from China via Alibaba. With all the virus stuff going on, have to see how long it takes. I did order a couple of days before it all kicked off. If it ever arrives, then I'll have to have another go at fretting/re-fretting some necks.

[McCreed]

...I've now ordered a fretwire bender and some acoustic bridge clamps from China via Alibaba.

I mentioned this another thread recently. I got my bender from Aliexpress (similar mob). It's excellent quality and looks identical to the one Stew-Mac sells for 3 times the price.

Hopefully yours arrives in a reasonable time.