Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hey all, so my 'new' 2002 360 (its bloody mint though) is great, but while doing a string change I noticed the near some of the frets the finish seems to be cracked and sort of peeling.. how regular is this?

Hi Russell,

I believe (and am prepared to be shot at dawn if I'm wrong) that the fretboard finish is clear CV, so it can be damaged by changes in temperature and humidity. As I have stated in anotehr thread, I've had finish blistering/peeling on my 660 which went from high humidity to low humidity back to high in a short space of time. There's a lot of people far more knowledgable than me on repairing this, but I've heard that clear nail varnish + sandpaper, scratch-x, zymol and a cotton diaper may be involved.

I hope a more thorough, step by step solution can be proposed by one of the gurus.

You'll want to talk to forumite Jingle_jangle about this.

If this cracking is adjacent to the frets, it's gonna be a toughie to solve for an amateur. It's the same as anywhere else on the guitar; it's got to do with climate changes. Although a crack or chip in an edge or on one of the guitar's flat surfaces is fixable with the right materials and a little patience, this could be a bear, because if it's turning up in one spot, it could turn up adjacent to all the frets. 24 frets X 2 edges to each fret = 48 possible occurrences...

My solution would be to let it go until you can't stand it anymore, then strip the bugger and refinish it. I know it's drastic, though. I wish I had better news.

You might be able to stall it by applying clear nail polish to the cracked areas. But sanding, buffing, etc., is not in the cards unless you've got magnifying eyes and the patience of a banana slug...

Thanks, yeah.. thats pretty much the problem, the finish near nearly every fret is doing it.. Its not a real problem to me I guess.. One day it will need refretting.. worry about it then I guess!

Here are some pics..