Bob Gramann wrote:I have used and continue to use EM 6000 extensively. It’s soft. I buff and polish it by hand. I would not recommend it for the fingerboard. Target Coatings sells a crosslinker for it that may make it tougher, but I have no experience with that.
A couple of decades ago, I was under the impression that the water based finishes wouldn’t do well on the neck shaft, so I experimented with oil base varnishes. None if them would hold up under my playing. Player sweat and friction would break it down in very few months. Target Coatings was then selling “Premium Spray Lacquer (PSL),” and it didn’t hold up very well either. PSL became “ Ultimate Spray Lacquer (USL).” That seemed to hold up under my playing. The EM 6000 is the modern version of that. I don’t dissolve it, but one of my customers, who does 200 gigs a year and teaches, has really put it to the test. His chemistry overwhelms it. In addition to his corrosive sweat, I suspect that he spilled some alcohol on it, or maybe even played it when he was coated with bug spray. Fortunately, he doesn’t mind that his guitar looks like it’s been used a lot.
In other words, for most applications, the EM6000 is fine. I buy it in gallons and seldom use any other finish. For the fingerboard surface, I think it will wear away quickly. Years ago, I tried KTM-9. If it were still available, it would probably work well for the fingerboard. I didn’t like it because it was hard enough that buffing it out took a long time. And, it was hard enough to be brittle. Tightening the tuner nut on the peghead caused the finish to crack. I didn’t buy a second can.
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