"Fake" wood fretboard

[ThatCluelessGerman]

So I got this neck for a little toy project (oil can guitar) for 23 bucks, but the fretboard does look suspiciously artificial. It's supposed to be palisander but I don't think so. I tried to sand it lightly but the "rippled look" remains, so these are not machine marks, it looks like wood fibers pressed or "printed" in layers. What do you guys think?



Not sure if I should do anything with it? I heard it has a tendency to have fibers break out, so some people seal it.
I thought I might just tru oil it together with the rest of the neck, can't hurt, right?

Thanks! :-)

[McCreed]

It looks like "engineered rosewood" to me.

I have no first-hand experience with it as I have avoided it like the plague, but there are numerous threads here on how to deal with it.
The most common fix is sealing it CA. I'm not sure Tru Oil, poly or lacquer will be adequate though.
I'm sure others will chime in with the appropriate do's & don'ts.

[king casey]

I have 3 engineered necks
Sanding sealer was probably the best approach.
I did remove all the frets first though which I guess made it a bit easier to deal with.

The one on my 'Mustang Duosonic' was radiused to 7.25" and seemed to smooth out those grooves.
Also stained it with F&W mahogany which made it look more like genuine rosewood.


In future I'll just avoid using them altogether.

cheers Mark.

[Simon Barden]

It's certainly not rosewood. Definitely manufactured. But not all manufactured woods are the same. Some of them are pretty good. However, that example seems similar to the not so good type the PNG factories use. You should be able to sand it flat, you just have to be fairly aggressive, start with maybe 80 grit and work your way up the grits (and be prepared to polish the frets afterwards).

The main issue is loose fibres and large bits pulling out when masking tape is pulled off them. So I'd first see if that's happening on a test section with masking tape. If it's all solid and nothing comes off, then simply sand. If you find fibres pulling off, then it needs securing. Personally I'd use thin CA as it will wick into the 'wood' and will hold the fibres in place and not just sit on the surface like sanding sealer which will just fill the gaps. CA is the better long-term solution IMO. The downside of thin CA is that it gets everywhere, so mask well and apply in small amounts. I put it on in the middle of the each fret section and smoothed it out with a cloth (wear disposable gloves to avoid getting stuck to the neck). I'd spread it all over the inlays as well as you'll be sanding it off again (but it will polish up nice and clear if necessary).

[blinddrew]

I just tru-oiled the fretboard on my first build. Sadly only after taking chunks out with masking tape.

[OliSam]

I might be one of the few that have not had a problem with my one.
I rubbed fretboard wax into it and it came out just fine.
I play that guitar almost every day and honestly cant tell the difference.


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[ThatCluelessGerman]

So I started to seal the fretboard with super glue and ... It started to look quite real?!

I had it covered with masking tape over night while the first coats of true oil dried, and no chunks came out when pulling the tape off. Probably one or two small fibers, but certainly less than from my "real" rosewood boards. So could this be some kind of real wood, or is it just very well manufactured?









Anyway, I'm pretty confident it's gonna be a nice neck (besides the fact it's not my favorite thin form factor).

[JimC]

Well manufactured by the sound. So good news.

[Sidewinder]

The first kit I made had this and I actually think its made of recycled plastic. I had to trim off some overhanging fretboard and it was most assuredly not a wood product of any form.

[Simon Barden]

The engineered boards are normally a softwood, typically spruce, in a plastic resin. it's definitely an engineered board. If it't not shedding fibres, then don't use too much CA glue. I'd be tempted to scrape it flat, using a sharp Stanley knife blade, rather than sand it, at least until you've got it almost flat. It's more controllable than sanding.