Fretting Finished and Maple Necks

There are special considerations in fretting a neck that is or is to be finished including the fingerboard surface.  Maple is the most common neck and fingerboard material that is finished as it lacks the density and oil content of rosewood and ebony etc and is thus finished to protect it from climatic change and decay.

There are some builders and players that prefer an unfinished maple neck and fingerboard; such an arrangement leaves the maple prone to more expansion and contraction and thus more maintenance over time.  For those reasons I do not recommend an unfinished or tung oil or oil/wax finish on a maple neck as it doesn’t protect the substrate well enough (body is another matter and less of a structural or playability concern).  A stable neck is one that doesn’t deviate much from where set and the purpose of finish is to protect the neck (already under the pull of gravity, strings and truss rod) from climatic influence.

Should a maple neck be finished before or after installing frets?  If a maple fingerboard needs to be leveled or it is desired to change the radius, then the fingerboard must be refinished.

I do it both ways depending on the situation.

I see no problem with fretting over the finish; if frets can be properly installed, seated, leveled and crowned on an unfinished fingerboard, why not on a finished fingerboard? If the slot prep, fret prep, fingerboard compression and installation method are all in sync for a particular job, the glue is just insurance for the job, filling minute gaps between the tang and slot walls.

Important points to consider:

• What kind of finish
• Finish should never be too thick
• Wshat kind of feel and frets desired

Advantages to fretting over finish:

• Full feel of the crown
• Can be refretted again without disturbing the finish

Disadvantage to fretting over finish:

• Have to be careful not to make a mess
• Have to be careful filing the fret ends
• Slow for production application

Advantages to fretting under the finish:

• Fret ends are under finish and so feel smoother
• Can hide ugly installation
• Fast for production application

Disadvantage to fretting under finish:

• Have to clean finish off of frets
• May have less distinct crown feel (fret shape/height vs finish thickness)
• Harder to refret in the future
• Difficult to sand and buff between frets for gloss finishes

Seating and securing the frets hasn't been a problem for me using either method. Using careful and appropriate prep will yield good results with either method.

Personally I prefer the over the finish feel. I have always harbored a dislike for frets under a heavy finish ala 70s Fenders and Rickenbackers. I dislike thick finish for many reasons; regarding re/fretting the thick finish wants to stick to itself more than the substrate as it is homogeneous material and so can break out in chunks when disturbed.

There are times when I have oversprayed, wetsanded and buffed just the sides for giving that smooth fret end feel and appearance.

Now the tone of a fretjob is a whole separate topic in my mind, but I've never heard a detraction in tone from an over finish refret. Tonal change is more about change in neck stiffness, fret material and height and impact on break angles or even something as simple as having good, clean crowns for the string to seat against and ring off of.

There is an additional cost for finishing maple fingerboards during refrets as it is more time and work to complete.

In the end for me it is all about what the client wants for his piece.