Cracking of lacquer beside frets on fretboard of TVL JM

[FuzzyLoud]

Has anyone encountered or experienced this issue? I just got the TVL Jazzmaster for a great price since it was a demo model. It plays great and honestly I couldn't tell the fretboard had this until I changed strings and looked a little closer. Should I be worried about it getting worse?

[schoolie]

I think those necks are urethane. YOu could wick some thin CA glue into the cracks, to prevent it spreading. I would return it, if it's going to bother you.

[Embenny]

I believe Fender finishes over the frets on their maple boards and then removes the finish from the frets (or sometimes doesn't, depending on the model). What that means is that you often have finish going right up to and making contact with the fret edges. When the wood swells and contracts from rising and dropping humidity, this means the finish gets pushed and pulled away from the stable metal fret, and you get cracks. I've seen it on many Fender boards, varying in intensity, maybe due to finish type and thickness differences or due to how many expansion-contraction cycles the neck has been subjected to.

Keeping the guitar in a stable 35-55% RH (typically meaning humidified in winter and/or dehumidified in summer depending on your weather, house, and heating/cooling systems if any) is the best way to prevent it from getting worse, but all finished boards experience some wear and tear from the mismatch of dimensional stability between wood, finish, and metal frets (Rickenbackers are somewhat famous for this).

[FuzzyLoud]

Thanks for the replies! I think you are right with the temperature changes that may have caused it. Not sure if it was done prior to shipping to me or after. Again, I can't notice it while playing and if it really bothered me I might be able to put a little glue in there to cover up the gap. Glad that it doesn't seem to be a larger issue or anything requiring further worry.

[Embenny]

Yeah, the good thing about that issue is that you'll never feel those cracks while playing, so they don't pose any kind of functional issue. It's just one of the pitfalls of finished fretboards.

[Veitchy]

My telecaster has this all over the board - I wouldn't even bother returning it and swapping it because pretty much all maple board Fenders are going to do this to some extent. It's just down to how they finish most of their guitars now.

I suppose you could take it to a tech and get them to file off the finish on the frets, but the cost and time probably isn't worth it.