Fretboard Help, Overall advice on vintage 30's Recording King guitar

chilipeppermaniac

chilipeppermaniac

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Here is my original 1930's Recording King Roy Smeck guitar.

I mentioned to DonP and Ray in Ray's Fender Neck Fret thread that I had questions on fixing divoted fret board on my guitar. So, here is what it looks like.
 
Mmm those are quite deep. That's string bending does that, not finger nails. Maybe some sanding, but I would be tempted not to try to get rid of them entirely.
 
I think a fret job with a light sanding of the FB would do from those photos.
DonP said:
Mmm those are quite deep. That's string bending does that, not finger nails. Maybe some sanding, but I would be tempted not to try to get rid of them entirely.
Click to expand...
Are the FB divots the light spots? They do not line up with the substantial divots in the frets, which is what I would have thought would happen.
 
DonP said:
Mmm those are quite deep. That's string bending does that, not finger nails. Maybe some sanding, but I would be tempted not to try to get rid of them entirely.
Click to expand...

I see. I considered string bending, but it seems odd for my friend's 97 year old dad to have been much of a string bender type.
Although I can see that bending the strings down into the wood might have a grinding it away effect over years of playing. I would think this heavy fingering would make notes go flat or sharp though.
 
RVA said:
I think a fret job with a light sanding of the FB would do from those photos.
Click to expand...

Yes Divots are light spots. On fret board 1-3 they are very deep in between strings 2 and 3, but still others between strings 1 and 2 and 4 and 5,,,,,,,, also not directly under the string but in between.
Less pronounced more ripple like bumps/roughness can be seen and felt in fret boards 4-13 and almost none up to fret 19
 
I see now. The FB divots are actually on either side of the fret divots...bending. Brilliant DonP!

So Chili, what do you want to do with this? Is it something you want to play again, or preserve as Vintage? I would be very hesitant to alter it as it is probably best left as a memory piece.
 
Good questions, Ray.
it is a precious gift to me from a lady friend's deceased dad who bought it used on Pearl Harbor day 1951. He could no longer hear by the time he was 90+ and he gifted it to me one day out of the blue. I truly love it.

It plays, but I would love to have it in as almost as playable without a butchering hack job of a remedy as possible.
 
Chili,

I’ll give you my personal opinion since I’ve had the pleasure of actually playing your Roy Smeck.

I didn’t find the fretboard divots to be at all objectionable while playing it. I’d perhaps have the worn frets addressed, though. The fretboard has tons of character. I’d probably leave it alone.

That’s just my opinion. Of course, you have to pursue a course of action that most satisfies you.
 
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