"Fake" wood fretboard

[Sidewinder]

So kind of like cultured marble being ground up stone in a polymer binding medium. That's why when I cut it the sawdust was all powdery and smelled like plastic.

[Simon Barden]

Very much like that. But some of the fake woods are much better than the 'blackwood' style with really fine fibres and good looking grain patterns/colour variations.

[MusicStudent1]

I’ve got a kit coming in November that’s probably going to have an “Engineered Rosewood” fretboard. What do you guys think about sealing the cardboard thing with Tru-oil?

This guy has had success with it. What do you think?

https://youtu.be/pSEzOkPk3CQ

[king casey]

This guy has had success with it. What do you think?

Judging by the word count, I think he's being sponsored by Tru-Oil.

cheers, Mark.

[Simon Barden]

TruOil is a finish, not a glue. If the board is well made, then it doesn’t need to be reinforced or have a finish applied as you can get it looking and feeling fine by sanding. If the fibres are loose, then IMO, you want to firmly glue them in place, which means CA or thin epoxy. That’s the engineering solution.

Just ask yourself ‘Would I glue a neck in with TruOil and trust it to hold?’ OK, CA isn’t the right choice fir gluing neck in either, but it would certainly be strong enough to hold firm.

But really, I’d just avoid any kits with engineered boards. There’s no need for them now and you should be able to order the kit with a real wood board.

[ThatCluelessGerman]

The thing is, you often can't avoid it until you receive the kit. The neck I ordered is supposed to come with a palisander fretboard - I think we all agree that it's not real palisander that I received. I think sometimes even the sellers don't really know what the factory packs in the box, as they probably won't have the time to inspect each and every kit so closely. But on the other hand, I think the neck I received looks and feels pretty fine now with CA and tru oil. I don't think I will be able to tell any difference when playing.

[Simon Barden]

If it's not what it says, then send it back.

[ThatCluelessGerman]

I think that could turn out difficult when ordering from China ;-)
Besides that, I think there are quite a few players who wouldn't even know the difference. So.. If it feels good, I'll keep it, no matter what kind of wood.

[king casey]

TruOil is a finish, not a glue.

You are the one insisting that it should be glue.

Despite being guilty of using products for purposes that they weren't designed for..
Tru-Oil is indeed a finish and in this case it certainly works.

cheers, Mark.

[JimC]

There's a degree of nuance here. Tru oil is not an engineering material and is not intended to provide the strength that an engineering polymer like epoxy or cyanoacrylate will. The drying oils oxidise as they cure, producing a solid, but they don't, as I understand it polymerise to produce molecular chains in the way the other two will. Nevertheless the very presence of a solid filling the gaps between fibres is surely going to improve the stability of the surface, albeit somewhat marginally.

So if the fibres are loose and the surface not properly consolidated then you need a proper engineering product. But if the surface is basically sound, but could benefit from a little extra assistance, then the finish will provide that. In particular I think it would reduce the rate of wear of the board in the medium/long term - something I don't suppose we know much about yet.