Any idea what this is on fretboard

sunshinewelly

On my new martin after the honeymoon is over notice a couple of minor flaws. Woukd not mind on a cheap guitar etc but there appears to be a substance on the ebony fretboard on one fret. Tried wipeing it but it's slightly raised and you can feel it etc

Guitar plays lovely and the sound is great but just a bit disappointed with these tiny flaws 

http://imgur.com/a/VEZvWeo

Fuengi

Adhesive from the frets? 

Winny_Pooh

Glue, take a razor blade and scrape it off then apply lemon oil or "nose oil" (double bass players swear by it)

fishfingers

Send the pic to the shop before you start doing surgery on a brand new guitar!

sunshinewelly

Yep I have sent the photo off

fandango

Maybe you need get the sander out  

Andy79

You should mention those shitty red marks in the binding while your at it











im sorry 

sunshinewelly

Andy79 said:

You should mention those shitty red marks in the binding while your at it











im sorry 

i deserve it.

peach suggested the following

you’ll probably find that some 0000 wire wool is enough to clean it off which is what I’d recommend to clean the fingerboard on that anyway, finished off with a good oil and even some instrument food should leave it feeling lovely. If it’s a little more stubborn some fine grit sandpaper (800-1000grit) followed by the wire wool all following the grain of the wood, would certainly sort it and take all of about 2 mins.


i am not sure what instrument food is?

i do have a pack of wet/dry sanding paper in various grit sizes. 

prlgmnr

sunshinewelly said:

i am not sure what instrument food is?

Just leave a few different options in the case overnight and see what it eats, lettuce, grains, maybe a few fresh flowers from the garden, that sort of thing

LastMantra

Unless it's effecting playability I'd just leave it. It'll probably disappear with time and use.

danishbacon

prlgmnr said:

sunshinewelly said:

i am not sure what instrument food is?

Just leave a few different options in the case overnight and see what it eats, lettuce, grains, maybe a few fresh flowers from the garden, that sort of thing

You could flip the idea on its head:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NG-lH0uo3-Q


Jokes aside @sunshinewelly , I have found myself playing the Martin loads more than my Santa Cruz and I swear it's sounding better than when I got it, or my ears have become accustomed to it. The neck is feeling even better.

Andy79

Before getting the abrasives out I would try playing it and bending/rubbing the D string over it. Probably find it just vanishes as LastMantra says

sunshinewelly

cheers everyone

terada

Seems like you've had a few things disappoint you with the guitar. I may be totally wrong but for the honeymoon period to have ended after only a few days perhaps the guitar might not be for you?

It's a hell of a lot of cash for something you're not 100% on, and at that price you really have lots of options!

prlgmnr

That's what I was starting to think - I only really notice flaws on guitars that I already don't like, unless it's something absolutely glaring.

digitalkettle

sunshinewelly said:

i am not sure what instrument food is?

Could be this: https://www.montysguitars.com/products/montys-instrument-food-guitar-wax

fishfingers

Post-putchase cognitive dissonance is unwelcome, that's for sure!

beed84

Is the fingerboard listed as ebonized? It could be a finish imperfection if so.

TTony

If you’re looking for perfection, you’ll always be unhappy.

If you’re looking for happiness, it’s easy to find.


You have a guitar that many - most? - guitarists would covet.  And rightly so.  You have it.  Play it.  Enjoy it.  Be happy.

[edit]

FWIW, that looks like a bit of glue spill.  Probably shouldn’t be there in an ideal (perfect) world, but the best guitars are made by humans, to be played by humans, and neither the makers nor the players are perfect.  

FelineGuitars

I'd agree that it is a tiny bit of glue spill, and judging by how zoomed in your pics are it loos quite small 

I would say that a single edged razor blade will remove it 

You may want to put a bit of Scotch magic tape on the bits of the blade you don't want to touch the wood - go look at Dan Erlewine tips on this in Stew Mac's trade secrets on doing drop fills on guitars

Revolting1

Nuts, Walnut,Brazil ect