grooves in neck...normal?

[deanfrommine]

hi everyone. i've had my guitar about 6 months. (#G19652) the neck is developing grooves in the first fret position for the E, A and D strings at the spot where the strings contact the fretboard. is this normal? if not, is there a problem with my set up? i haven't noticed any buzzing or intonation problems. i'm using EB hybrid slinky 2222 strings. any advice or comments would be much appreciated, thanks.

 

[nobozos]

What kind of guitar is it? More importantly, what fretboard material is it? Is it rosewood or maple?

I have never seen a maple fretboard get grooved like that. On the other hand, I have seen plenty of rosewood fretboards develop the kind of grooves you are describing, mostly on older Kramers.

I'm not sure why. The ones that I have seen like that usually have extremely low profile frets, which I believe may contribute to the problem.

One other possibility could be body chemistry. Do your strings start to turn black very soon after you change strings?

Anyway, those are just my ideas from what I have seen. I could be way off base.

 

[deanfrommine]

thanks nobozos! my guitar's a MM axis super sports. maple neck. i'm lucky, my strings last a while, i don't have a problem with sweat or anything, and i take good care of my guitar. these grooves have developed through normal playing (assuming my playing is normal i am worried about it though, perhaps some-one at musicman could comment for me?

 

[Greg]

Because the neck is unfinished, it is possible to develop grooves in the neck. If you play a lot, and use a fairly heavy touch, the fingerboard will sustain some wear and tear. If it becomes a problem, give us a call.

800-543-2255. Ask for repairs.

Thanks
Greg

 

[ebb soul]

you are heavy-handed my fren. This is fairly normal and considered a badge of honour. Lookit Jeff Beck's tele neck sumtime....it's scalloped from wear!

 

[deanfrommine]

hahaha, i had a feeling that might be the case. yes, i admit to being a bit heavy handed. so long as the grooves don't affect the guitar's playability then i guess i will think of it as a badge of honour, thanks!