Painting Neck & Fretboard

[HumanisHappy]

Hi guys,
I came across a custom shop painted neck & fretboard and I am loving it! I’m wondering if there is any particular process to painting the fretboard including the neck? Is it as simple as sanding and painting like any other part?

Thanks!

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

I wouldn’t advise painting the fingerboard.
Staining it in some cases might be productive, but never paint.

 

[Rick]

Interesting... got any pics?

 

[somebodyelseuk]

Midge Ure had an Ibanez Roadster done to match the vibe of his stage show for a tour - battleship grey. He played the guitar at Live Aid in '85, if you want to see what it looks like.
Applying paint is no different to applying clear coat - it's essentially clearcoat with pigment etc added. I've pondered doing it myself, but the 'scraping it off the dots and frets' before adding a clearcoat is too much like hard work for me.

 

[Hodgo]

I wouldn’t advise painting the fingerboard.
Staining it in some cases might be productive, but never paint.

Genuinely curious - why not? Plenty of lacquered fretboards out there from Fender, Rickenbacker, etc. What’s a little opaque pigment going to hurt?

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Staining penetrates the wood. Is less invasive.
Clear coating maple as Fender and many others do painting builds up on the fingerboard, and treatment is needed to remove it from the surface of the frets. Prep for paint needs pre-filling, priming, painting, leveling, sealing.

 

[Strat Avenger]

Just say "No".

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Look at it this way. If it was practical and profitable, manufacturers would have already been doing it for a long time.

Dimarzio released a bunch of necks in the early 80’s with red dyed and cleared maple necks. They were cool looking, but they didn’t last in the market place.

No matter how cool some of us think that something looks, if it gets discontinued it’s because it is not selling. If it is not selling, it is because it is not in demand. If it is not in demand, there is no point in supplying it.

Simple economics.

 

[rockandroller]

I have a sort of Wedgewood blue "milk-painted" tele neck with clearcoat. (will post a pic when i get a chance)
In retrospect, I wish I had done a blue-tinted clear instead... (Its a super nice birdseye and the pigment obscures most of the figure)

 

[PFDarkside]

There are definitely examples of transparent “painted” fretboards, and I’ve seen opaque white as well. Many times transparent paint is just a tinted clearcoat, so anywhere you can spray clear you can spray a transparent/tint. However… think of those worn maple fretboards that are worn through the lacquer. Unfortunately you’ll wear through the color in the same manner.

 

[HumanisHappy]

There are definitely examples of transparent “painted” fretboards, and I’ve seen opaque white as well. Many times transparent paint is just a tinted clearcoat, so anywhere you can spray clear you can spray a transparent/tint. However… think of those worn maple fretboards that are worn through the lacquer. Unfortunately you’ll wear through the color in the same manner.

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Thank you to everyone who responded. I originally asked this because I was dead set on buying the pearl magenta Custom Shop, but after further thought, I think it’s better that I didn’t go for it. It’s so pretty though. Maybe one day.

MusicZoo