PRS SE Custom 24 Fretboard Finish?

[lastemperor7]

Helloooooooo PRS!!!

New to the boards here, but officially joining the PRS family in around a week, when my 2013 SE Custom 24 in Tobacco Burst gets delivered! So I'll be having an NGD some time next Friday :five:. Actually, this is my first real electric guitar, and "excited" barely describes how I feel right now!!!

Back to the point: I tried the guitar out at a guitar show a couple weeks back, and the neck and fretboard felt great. But I forgot to ask the PRS rep what the finish was on it. Would the back of the neck possibly have a different finish than the fretboard itself? I've looked around plenty and have not been able to find this information. Do any of you guys know? I presume if it's just one finish, it's some sort of acrylic-urethane, but I just wanted some confirmation.

Thanks everyone (or anyone)!

 

[Shawn@PRS]

Hi and welcome

The fretboard will be finish-free, except for some oil. The neck will have an acrylic urethane topcoat.

Enjoy your new guitar!

 

[lastemperor7]

Awesome wow, thanks for the quick reply Shawn! That was the answer I was hoping for - a finish-free fretboard! The one thing that I actually do enjoy about the $40 pawn shop hand-me-down that I'm playing right now is that the neck is finish-free as well, and I love being able to actually feel the wood. But hey, I won't complain about having a topcoat

I will definitely enjoy the new guitar, as it will be leaps and bounds ahead of what I'm playing right now. Although, what I really can't wait to do is play them back to back and compare the sounds

Thanks again!

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

Hey, congrats on the (Soon to be) new guitar day! Got the C24 myself and it's a great guitar!

Don't forget to post a shed load of pics when it arrives!

 

[dbonanno]

The fretboard will be finish-free, except for some oil.

I have a new SE245 and a new Tremonti SE Custom.
Both fretboards leave brown stains on my fingers after playing them for awhile.
At first, I thought it was the strings but I read on another forum that the fretboards are stained.
Makes sense cuz that's never happened to me from strings and it would be a helluva coincidence coming from two different guitars .... But I guess, if anyone knows the truth, it would be you.

Weird.

 

[Mikegarveyblues]

I have a new SE245 and a new Tremonti SE Custom.
Both fretboards leave brown stains on my fingers after playing them for awhile.
At first, I thought it was the strings but I read on another forum that the fretboards are stained.
Makes sense cuz that's never happened to me from strings and it would be a helluva coincidence coming from two different guitars .... But I guess, if anyone knows the truth, it would be you.

Weird.

That is pretty odd...

They shouldn't be stained i'd have thought. Some manufacturers dye ebony boards but rosewood?

Could it not be manufacturing residue that's mixing with the oils and leaving rsidue on your fingers? Hasn't happened with my two SE's but it did with another guitar I had briefly that had an ebony board.

 

[CoreyT]

Has not happened with any of the four SEs I have bought.

 

[lastemperor7]

Hey, congrats on the (Soon to be) new guitar day! Got the C24 myself and it's a great guitar!

Don't forget to post a shed load of pics when it arrives!

Thanks! I'm glad to hear you're enjoying yours! I'm going to make sweet sweet love to mine as soon as it arrives, so there will be plenty of pics to share as a result!! LOL :star:

I have a new SE245 and a new Tremonti SE Custom.
Both fretboards leave brown stains on my fingers after playing them for awhile.
At first, I thought it was the strings but I read on another forum that the fretboards are stained.

Wow I hope that doesn't happen with mine. It'd be kinda weird to find brown stains on my fingers after making love to my guitar! LOL But seriously...could you point me in the direction of that forum if you have it? Really curious to read up on the finish.

Actually. I just want the darn thing to arrive already so I can play it!! I have been drooling over all the other members' pictures of their beautiful PRSi. I'm just hoping mine comes with the bookmatching the way I like it...

 

[IRG]

That is pretty odd...

They shouldn't be stained i'd have thought. Some manufacturers dye ebony boards but rosewood?

Could it not be manufacturing residue that's mixing with the oils and leaving rsidue on your fingers? Hasn't happened with my two SE's but it did with another guitar I had briefly that had an ebony board.

That has definitely not happened on my SE 245 either, no brown stains of any sort. Seems odd to me. Never heard of this before. Maybe someone applied some sort of finish first?

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

Sorry to necro-bump but I find my 2012 PRS SE-7 leaves black stains on my fingers as well.
Any thoughts?

 

[garrett]

Clean it thoroughly with naptha on a lint-free cloth. It will remove the oil and dirt, which is what gunks up your strings and fingers.

 

[dogrocketp]

Did you buy the SE7 new? I have a used SE Tremonti Custom that I had the same problem with. The previous owner must have had some vile scum in his hands. I cleaned it with naptha, then used nomad fretboard oil, and 3 months later had no problem at all. That was 4 years ago, and the guitar will stay with me till the end, like most of my PRSi.

 

[AkiraSpectrum]

Did you buy the SE7 new? I have a used SE Tremonti Custom that I had the same problem with. The previous owner must have had some vile scum in his hands. I cleaned it with naptha, then used nomad fretboard oil, and 3 months later had no problem at all. That was 4 years ago, and the guitar will stay with me till the end, like most of my PRSi.

No I purchased it used. Could have been the previous owner's poor cleaning of the instrument. Next time I change strings and clean the guitar i'll have to be sure to really pay attention to getting the gunk out.

 

[enakki]

I have cu24se 2018 too. bought a new one. the fretboard looks very dark like some kind of top grage rosewood but I'm pretty suspicious it is dyed as the edges are not that dark as the top layer. however it does not leaving stains on my fingers. I gave it lemon oil treatment during the tuners replacement and cloth got darker maybe from the dye or some factory residue.. BUT look at the picture.. Doesn't it look like dyed?

 

[JJJ]

that looks dyed to me, which is pretty wierd tbh. Nothing wrong with light coloured rosewood, what is anyone expecting from an SE?

Also to OP: Rosewood generally almost never has a finish, because it doesn't need it, and it doesn't take it very well. Also raw necks are generally a bad idea, so don't go sanding the finish off your new guitar. Raw necks warp unless they're a stiff oily wood like rosewood

 

[enakki]

I agree to keep rosewood undyed whatever color it is. It is ridiculous to me.

 

[Cbouty]

I have cu24se 2018 too. bought a new one. the fretboard looks very dark like some kind of top grage rosewood but I'm pretty suspicious it is dyed as the edges are not that dark as the top layer. however it does not leaving stains on my fingers. I gave it lemon oil treatment during the tuners replacement and cloth got darker maybe from the dye or some factory residue.. BUT look at the picture.. Doesn't it look like dyed?

There are also certain types / viens of rosewoods where the color is inconsistent and mottled. I have a very hard time believing that PRS would dye a fretboard, since you bought it new. I can very easily believe that the Korean (or Indonesian) factory didnt chose the most beautiful peice of rosewood like Paul would. I can also believe that once it hit the states for quality control, it played and sounded great so it was passed.

As far as those with used ones, human beings are disgusting. I cant even inagine what that stuff is on your fingers, but I'm pretty darn sure it didnt come from the factory!

 

[enakki]

There are also certain types / viens of rosewoods where the color is inconsistent and mottled. I have a very hard time believing that PRS would dye a fretboard, since you bought it new. I can very easily believe that the Korean (or Indonesian) factory didnt chose the most beautiful peice of rosewood like Paul would. I can also believe that once it hit the states for quality control, it played and sounded great so it was passed.

As far as those with used ones, human beings are disgusting. I cant even inagine what that stuff is on your fingers, but I'm pretty darn sure it didnt come from the factory!

well regarding the dirt I can't complain. But according to image of my it seems to be dyed.

 

[Cbouty]

I think I finally realized what youre loking at... Are you comparing the side to the top?

The top of you're fretboard is a natural finish. That’s what I thought we were talking about. The sides are poly coated and sometimes stained / finished to match the back of the neck or give whatever look the guitar is going for. The picture below is my core C24 with a silimar apearance to the sides of the fretboard.

However, the sides are under a poly coat, so they shouldn’t leave stains on your fingers even if they are stained

So, the top of you’re fretboard is the true dark color (ie if you sanded it, it would not lose that color), but the sides are laquered that color (if you sanded thru the poly coat, you’d see the dark rosewood like the top)

 

[enakki]

well thank you for this information. it it is as you're stating then the rosewood fretboard is top notch!
You may be right as the flame tops are getting more contrast too after the treatment and aplying coating layers. And yes it is coated.