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Fingerboard of a "Strat 58"

 On this picture you can see how the thin nitro-cellulo varnish of an old mapple neck is getting naturally worn by playing.The friction of the strings against the soft varnish of the fingerboard acts like a file and slowly but surely digs its way through.This is another typical feature of an original fender from the 50 s that has been played. Of course some original  mapple neck guitars in "mint + " or "new old stock" condition will show absolutely no sign of aging since they have never been played. These are very rare and would be extremly expensive as well. Note that if the neck looks new and shiny and the body doesn t, the guitar most likely have been refretted or the neck refinished / oversprayed, or it could be a "vintage kit" wich means that the neck and the body have been assembled some time later and may not even be from the same era (like "Blackie" for example) ...

In some cases, it is possible to refrett without refinishing the neck as well but this is a very delicate job to do and it means that there is no way to plain the flaws of the fingerboard .