Official Luthiers Forum!

I built my first electric guitar a year ago modeled off an old MIM Tele I had.  I put a bigsby tremelo on it and put in a couple of Texas Specials for pickups.  Sound pretty sweet.

I went through the Red Wing program here in MN, so I had instructions and help mostly when I needed it.  I sprayed my maple fingerboard, because I've always liked the looks of it, but now I have a problem.  Here are my two questions.

A.  How do I get the lacquer off my frets?

B.  What's the best way to final sand and buff the fingerboard.

I'm hoping I don't have to level and recrown the frets! Suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Mitch

Welcome Mitch! Whilw we primarily deal with acoustic guitars, many here have also built electrics. I'm mot familiat with the Red Wing program, I have a feeling that they could have hepled you through these issues at the right time in the building sequence.

Here's my take...others might have diffferent opinions:

B...Before fretting actually. Now you'll need to go through the grits with the frets in place and make sure you get the job done precisely between the frets.

A...Micromesh abrasive material...through 12,000 grit.

As far as leveling and crowning, it's quite common to do this. It all depends on how straight your neck and fb are and right now only you can measure that. Be precise and acccurate here and you'll be pleased with the guitar's performance.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

As far as getting the lacquer off of the frets:

I cannot remember where I have seen it, but you can make a nifty little jig out a large penny nail...

1.  run a razor blade along the seem between the fret and the fretboard.  This ensures that you will only chip lacquer away from the fret, and not your fretboard

2.  shape into the head of the nail the profile of the fret - ensuring that it is a little shallow to prevent contact with the fretboard.  Try to add a slight burr - similar to a wood scraper.

3. Scrape the profiled nail head across each fret, and the lacquer should chip off.

I bought a gorgeous aged-cherry burst Fender American Deluxe P-bass a few years ago, and it was nearly perfect - except that there was lacquer all over the frets.  I have to do this process to remove it - and it worked great...

Also - post some pics of the Tele.  Everyone here loves pictures..

 

Stephen

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www.ziegenfussguitars.com

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www.ziegenfussguitars.com

Yep, the nail head trick.  Easiest to do with a roofing nail, big
ol' head and aluminum, which is not so hard that it will scratch up
your frets.  A needle file on the head and Bob's your uncle.



A tip on lacquering over frets; tape off the fretboard first, leaving
only the frets exposed, then use a Q-tip to apply a light coating of
Turtle Wax on the frets.  Remove the tape and spray away. 
Finish sand & buff out, then score along the edges of the frets
with a razor.  The lacquer will flake right off.

Thanks for the suggestions!  I'll be sure to post some pictures once it's all buffed out.