Need advice on finishing a maple fret board - no electronics content

[d. spree]

Hi all:

Hope I can get some advice here despite there being no electronics content - you guitar buiders will know the answers I think.

I have just built oneTele and am almost done with a second that I want to send one off to a friend. But, when I play the one I finished I get a lot of string "dirt" on my fingers that transfers to the maple fret board despite wiping down the strings after use. It happens almost immediately. I also get this on my rosewood fret board guitars I don't care.

As I am about to send one of the teles to a friend I want to address the problem. I don't worry about it so much when I play, but my sense of pride in building the tele and sending it off makes me want to give him a fret board that won't get so dirty so fast. I used might mite necks which are described as follows by the manufacturer - "the guitar neck has been given an oil-based finish." As I understand it this can mean many different things.

So my question is what finish should I apply to the fretboard that will make it less likely to build up this dirty layer and yet maintain a fast and smooth action under the fingers.

P.S. The dirt is clearly coming from the strings (not from the frets) as I repeatedly test wiped the strings between the pick up where there is no contact with teh frets or fretboard - and even after careful and multiple wipe downs the strings produce dirt. These strings are d'addarios and the problem remained when I swapped them out.

[Slobrain]

Hi all:

Hope I can get some advice here despite there being no electronics content - you guitar buiders will know the answers I think.

I have just built oneTele and am almost done with a second that I want to send one off to a friend. But, when I play the one I finished I get a lot of string "dirt" on my fingers that transfers to the maple fret board despite wiping down the strings after use. It happens almost immediately. I also get this on my rosewood fret board guitars I don't care.

As I am about to send one of the teles to a friend I want to address the problem. I don't worry about it so much when I play, but my sense of pride in building the tele and sending it off makes me want to give him a fret board that won't get so dirty so fast. I used might mite necks which are described as follows by the manufacturer - "the guitar neck has been given an oil-based finish." As I understand it this can mean many different things.

So my question is what finish should I apply to the fretboard that will make it less likely to build up this dirty layer and yet maintain a fast and smooth action under the fingers.

P.S. The dirt is clearly coming from the strings (not from the frets) as I repeatedly test wiped the strings between the pick up where there is no contact with teh frets or fretboard - and even after careful and multiple wipe downs the strings produce dirt. These strings are d'addarios and the problem remained when I swapped them out.

I found after trying a few different types of finish I liked the clear satin polyurethane spray on my maple fretboard. I tried using Tung oil and gun stock oil but for the maple fretboard I liked the satin poly. After about 4 coats of poly applied, I then steel wool the fretboard with quad ott steel wool, then clean the fretboard with lighter fluid.

On the back of the neck I use at least 5 or 6 coats of gunstock oil. Makes the necks feel fast in playing. No drag and feels like you put talcum powder on your hand. I'll steel wool after every 2 coats to get that smooth feel

I used Nitro lacquer in the past and hated the way the neck felt after. It gets sticky too after hours of playing.

For strings I like Ernie Ball super slinky, my maple necks don't get that dirty, when they do I just wipe them off.