Question Silo 30 maple fretboard horrible stains - what reason and what solution?

[Some1bluee]

I am considering some offer of Sterling Silo30 and apart from still open question (is it 30 or 30D - to be yet defined) I will appreciate advice/experience with maple fretboard stains. Just received pictures which have really frightened me.
Will it mean sanding … like 1mm deep to get clean maple and then refinish with poly?
Or maybe it is just dirt around frets getting only shallow into the wood surface? Last frets’ section look worse but this is not the most dirt/moisture exposed part of the fretboard (unless they used the guitar as a paddle).

 

[tbonesullivan]

That definitely looks like it's been exposed to moisture, or they used something like gorgomyte to clean the frets, which turns the pad black as the oxides come off the frets. If you aren't careful, it then gets into the wood on the fretboard. that can also happen if they sweat a lot when playing, causing oxides to dissolve into the wood.

 

[Some1bluee]

Thanks Tbone.
That was my bet as well. Some liquid fret treatment applied too liberally. This can explain why the stain is more intense on high positions where long frets let more liquid to penetrate into the wood.
Does that mean deep sanding inevitable or is there any chemical bleaching solution that would not ruin the fretboard even more?

 

[DrKev]

Does that mean deep sanding inevitable or is there any chemical bleaching solution that would not ruin the fretboard even more?

Barkeepers Friend can do a good job cleaning the raw maple. Use the forum search tool for mentions.

I see some greening along the edge of the frets. That's copper oxides and salts (nickel silver frets are 60% copper). It's not a big deal but it suggest lots of sweat and finger oils and acids and sweat salts that never got wiped off. The highest frets get it from sweat dripping of head/body, and splash from the strumming hand. Everyone's body chemistry is different and some are harder on instruments than other. Of course some people look after their instruments better than others too. Anyway, if it's under the clear coat and down in the wood fibres it may never come up like new no matter what you do.

You won't need a lot of sanding to get under varnish but it's a job. I;d suggest not varnishing afterwards just do a light pass of gunstock oil or fretboard oil. Leave it a minute or two for the wood take what it need and wipe off the excess and buff with paper towels. You could do teh back of teh neck while you;re at it too for the real Music Man finish.

Just consider the time and effort you'll spend cleaning this up and perhaps not being 100% happy with the result when deciding how much you'll offer.

 

[Some1bluee]

Thanks! Much appreciated!
Still considering while waiting for the seller to share electronic details. In case it turns out to be Silo30D I will take advantage of Dimarzio pickups set which will cover 75% of the price.