Has anybody stripped their RIC fretboard?

[Hollowman358]

I have a Ric 330 FG, I love the look of the guitar, and the sound of the guitar and for the most part the feel of the guitar. However, the finished fretboard just does not feel right to me and I find mself playing my PRS Hollow Body more because of the feel of the fret board. Has anybody here ever stripped the laquer off the fretboard on a RIC? If so, how did you do it, and were you happy with the outcome? I am not worried too much about altering the tone of the instrument, I don't get a jangly sound like I did on my previous RIC. I have the high output pickups and get a modern sound out of it which I like. Any and all help or advice is appreciated. Thanks.

[collin]

wow..I see it from time to time, Rics with stripped fingerboards, but I don't understand it.

That's one of my favorite RIC features out there..it just feels so much smoother.

Cheers,
-Collin

[hjarnett]

wow..I see it from time to time, Rics with stripped fingerboards, but I don't understand it.

That's one of my favorite RIC features out there..it just feels so much smoother.

Cheers,
-Collin

+1

[scotty]

+1

[silverjet89]

While not a guitar, my 4001 had the FB stripped when I got it. Personally, I didn't like the feel.
The main problem was that the inlays and, to a lesser extent, the wood did not hold up very well without the finish. The inlays were very dull and worn from the strings. They are not mother of pearl like a Gibson or PRS and the finish helps to protect them.
I planed the FB, re-fretted, and refinished it. Much better now.

[sharkboy]

Some of this is about being used to something one way or another.

I like the way the strings respond to the finished Ric fretboards. There is just a little more "spank" when leaning into a note. It is possible that it's all in my head, or that when amplified, it isn't that big of a deal.

They also look better with the finish to me and are more durable, so I'm not going to strip mine.

[ken_j]

Lee welcome to the forum.

If you use the search feature you will most likely find a few threads on this topic. There was one in the last few months where two of our resident experts explained a couple of different methods of accomplishing this task. For me I will leave the finish on.

[soundmasterg]

I refinished my 1989 RIC 230 in Blue Boy, and recently got it all together. I decided against refinishing the neck and just oiled it as it makes fret repair much easier in the future, and because I could get it done quicker. I've played it a little bit so far and I'm liking it. I have three other RIC guitars with lacquered fingerboards, so I can live with the 230 not having one, and it plays just fine. I'll be posting pics soon so for all those who were interested, get ready!

Greg

[Hollowman358]

Thank-you for all of the replies so far, I am still very torn over this, sounds like some people are ok with it and some would not dream of it. I will try the search option that was mentioned to see if there are some older threads that I can read and see more opinions on this. Thanks again.

[ken_j]

Look here: viewtopic.php?f=3&t=353816

[paologregorio]

I wouldn't do it. I really like that Ricks have a rosewood fretboard that is laquered. I think it's unique, and it plays great. I have other rosewood fretboard guitars without lacquer that I like, and lacquered maple fretboard guitars that I really like. To me, RICK has the best of both worlds! That being said, there are a number of devotees of the stripped RIC fretboard.