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  • Painted fretboards?

    Something I've been wondering about for a while now after I remember seeing a zebra finish Charvel with a matching fretboard a while back somewhere on the net... How does a painted fretboard differ in feel and/or tone to an unfinished one? How does long term playing affect the finish? Is there any particular reason why 99.9% of guitars manufactured do not get a finished fretboard?

    Anyone here got an axe with a painted board? If so, post yer pics!
    It's all about the blues-rock chatter.

    Originally posted by RD
    ...so now I have this massive empty house with my Harley, Guns, Guitar and nothing else...

  • #2
    Painted boards are lame IMO.

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    • #3
      I don't know if I have ever seen one with a painted board.
      "I would have banned you for taking part in hijacking and derailing a thread when you could have started your own thread about your own topic." - Unknown

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      • #4
        Here's the one I saw on this forum:



        Original thread
        It's all about the blues-rock chatter.

        Originally posted by RD
        ...so now I have this massive empty house with my Harley, Guns, Guitar and nothing else...

        Comment


        • #5
          Originally posted by Devotee View Post
          Is there any particular reason why 99.9% of guitars manufactured do not get a finished fretboard?
          Because it adds labor and finishing costs. Many of the maple fretboards from Fender have a clear lacquer finish on the entire neck. But once you paint or clear the fretboard, you have to remove the lacquer from the frets or go the other route and install and do all of the fret dressing after finishing.

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          • #6
            That's Pat's (shreddermon) zebra...check w/ him if you want to know how the neck plays/feels.

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            • #7
              Originally posted by Musician78 View Post
              I don't know if I have ever seen one with a painted board.
              If you want some butt ugly examples, check out Dean Guitars website...

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              • #8
                Originally posted by Musician78 View Post
                I don't know if I have ever seen one with a painted board.
                Here are some Deans:
                http://www.deanguitars.com/custom.htm

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                • #9
                  Originally posted by MetalHeadMat View Post
                  Nice firewood !!

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                  • #10
                    Those Deans, as atrocious as the boards look, are pretty fucking fast. That enamel or whatever it is the use is just as fast as a graphite board, nearly no friction on bends and what not.
                    HTTP 404 - Signature Not Found

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                    • #11
                      A painted/colored fretboard would be no different really compared to a standard maple board with poly clear on it, like most Fenders, in terms of playing feel and tone.

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                      • #12
                        Yep, that one's mine. And, yes, it plays and feels pretty much no different than an older Fender Strat with a clearcoated maple fretboard. As to wear and tear, that will take years - perhaps DECADES - to have any effect.

                        And, yes, the reason you don't see more of these is because it adds a lot of time, precision labor and expense to the build. Not an easy build by any means. That means lots of dollars.

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                        • #13
                          Thanks for all the great replies guys. Any idea what the specs are on those hideous Deans?

                          I figured that labour and cost is the biggest argument against painting a fretboard, but i was wondering whether if there was anything more than that (tone, etc.). Either way, it might be pretty cool to see more guitars done like this.

                          Just remembered a couple of pics i saw on Audiozone of this weird CS Kelly looking thing too:


                          It's all about the blues-rock chatter.

                          Originally posted by RD
                          ...so now I have this massive empty house with my Harley, Guns, Guitar and nothing else...

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Devotee View Post
                            Thanks for all the great replies guys. Any idea what the specs are on those hideous Deans?

                            I figured that labour and cost is the biggest argument against painting a fretboard, but i was wondering whether if there was anything more than that (tone, etc.). Either way, it might be pretty cool to see more guitars done like this.

                            Just remembered a couple of pics i saw on Audiozone of this weird CS Kelly looking thing too:


                            I LOVE Jackson Kellys, but that thing is AWFUL!
                            My Gear: Stoneman SG-1, Hufschmid Tantalum H6, ESP KH-6, Sully #8 JCF One-Off, Templar GuitarWorks Relic Prototype, James Hetfield Tribal Hunt KL Explorer, Coobeetsa CCG-10-DX PRO Eagle, Schecter Hellraiser C-1 Hybrid, Daly Heiro Custom, Gibson Les Paul Custom, Gibson SG Menace, Peavey Vypyr 60 Tube

                            "You are dog shit in my shoe." -Newc

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                            • #15
                              Those Deans are ugly as hell.
                              "I would have banned you for taking part in hijacking and derailing a thread when you could have started your own thread about your own topic." - Unknown

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