Update with pics of my "Black Oxide" problem with the maple

[Robert Burns]

Unfinished neck on the HRF San Dimas. Its twice as black as these pics
show, as the stupid flash kept going off, which makes the pictures allot
brighter. In your opinion, is this really bad? Or acceptable?
If i remove the strings..EB pink package slinkys in 9/42)
This black will come off with some windex. Cleans up to absolutely
brand new! Then within 4 hours of playing, im back to these shadows
again! I slide allot btw, so the neck gets a workout. Your thoughts?

[Robert Burns]

Here is another pic. Now the EVH art series has some semi gloss coating,
so it only gets about 25% of this amount of darkening.

And once again, its about twice this black in real time! Flash lightens
these pics up allot

[Special-K]

Change to some other brand of strings... :/...
Elixir maybe...

[daisp]

Maybe switch to elixir strings...or quit playing for coal miners...dunno dude I have several of those necks with little or no issues...except after significant time.

[delt]

If it's that bad/annoying you could always put some transparent tape over the fretboard between the frets... or shoot just a little bit of satin clear coat on it?

[Guitardude86]

I've seen that at some Charvel (San Dimas) guitars at a local store too.
If the fretboard gets discolored even while it's hanging at the store I don't think it takes much..

[RobRR]

Hm never really had that problem on any of my maple fretboards... And I play pretty hard too, my finger nails sometimes touch the board and I never get any discoloration like that. Try a set of different strings... if that doesent do it, then its just the natural oils in your skin doing it.

[straycat]

You may have a lot of acids in you skin oils reacting with the metal frets.
I would NOT use windex tho' because it contains ammonia.Use some 0000 steel wool or a rag with some lemon oil the black should come right off.
I love a dirty neck

[Robert Burns]

But thats what scarying me, is that i did use some steel wool about 3 times on this neck only to find out that i should have masked off the wood,and ONLY applied the 0000 steel wool to the frets! So i may have
a bit of oil already embedded in the maple too much? Im afraid to add
any more "Oil" to the wood ! I'll try some Elixers, thanks guys

[Wayniac]

Also - as stupid as it sounds.. if the maple is that light.. make sure you are washing your hands before playing whenever you can

[MikeStrat]

Also - as stupid as it sounds.. if the maple is that light.. make sure you are washing your hands before playing whenever you can

Not stupid at all. If I'm playing live, I wash my hands as often as I can.

[dg]

I agree with straycat. It depends on each person's sweat & skin oils how bad this gets or how quick it happens, but it's oxidation from the strings & the frets. Mine take about a month or so to start to show it with regular playing.

[Robert Burns]

Just put on a set of "DR" Red Devil "coated" strings... We shall see.?
They claim to be almost rust proof, and clean from acids and dirt,
plus to last twice as long? Anyone else use these? The red looks
kinda killer on the HRF imo

[PittJitsu]

I am a collector more then a player, so I try and keep my Charvels looking new. I have seen this happen before. First DO NOT Sand or Steel wool the board when its this color. You will in effect heat the wood by friction and sand the wood, OR shellac the dirt into the neck like the back of an old strat neck. You know how after a neck has been sanded down and gets old its almost shiny and hard and very smooth? will you want that, but not with the dirt. So clean it off with the grain with a chemical like you have been doing. I use NON acetone nail polish remover. After the neck is clean, its then the time to tung oil or gun stock oil and Steel wool the neck using brisk movement to try and close off the pours a bit in the wood, and create a smooth hard surface.
after that, Apply a totally different set of strings. what I mean by totally, is try a set thats not nickle,or if yours are stainless, try nickle, try anything opposite than what you have.. most strings have a coat of cosmoline on them to keep them shiny when new. Remove this coating by boiling the strings, or by using Acetone Nail polish remover. After the strings are clean and nothing is on them You can experiment with using them as they are, or do as I do, and add a few sprays of orange oil to them wipe well and start your shredding. Lastly when I'm done playing, I keep a small bottle of corn starch in my case. If I cannot properly clean the neck, I will apply a bit of the corn starch baby powder to the neck and it will absorb all the foreign oils and dirt rather then let then sink into the wood.
It sounds like a pain in the ass, but its really easy once you have your routine down..

IF nothing else, The Non acetone to clean off the dirt, and then an application if oil with the wool does wonders.