If you sand the fretboard in the wrong direction, it will become harder to bend your strings.
Buff scratches out of your guitar or bass's fret-board to keep your instrument in the best possible condition. The fret-board of the instrument is attached to the front of the neck, and is the wood between the vertical, metallic fret-markers which stretch up the length of the neck. Small scratches and marks get onto the fret-board easily through ordinary playing. Learning to get these out can help you keep your instrument in optimum condition. Buffering scratches requires a light hand, and it is important to sand the scratches in the correct direction.
Instructions
1. Remove the strings from your guitar. This makes the fret-board easier to access. De-tune the strings at the machine heads, located at the top of the neck, and then unwind them from the tuning posts. You don't have to completely remove them, just take them away from the fret-board.
2. Run your fingernail over the scratch. Listen out for a distinctive "click" sound when your fingernail passes over the mark. If you hear one, the scratch may be too close to the actual wood of the fret-board to be buffed out. You should be able to feel the scratch, but it shouldn't be so loud as to make an audible noise when your fingernail is brought across it.
3. Put a few drops of oil on a piece of 400 grit sandpaper. Spread the oil across the surface of the sandpaper so that it is evenly covered. Lightly sand up and down the affected fret (staying between the two neighboring fret markers) to remove the scratch. Feel the fret with your finger to ensure the small scratch has been buffed out. Lightly sand other frets if you have any dinks or dirt to remove.
4. Lubricate a piece of 500 or 600 grit sandpaper with a few drops of oil, and spread it out in the same way you did before. Go over the affected areas again, sanding only very lightly. This should pick up some dust left from the previous sanding. Lubricate some 0000 grade steel wool in the same way and go over the fret again. If you sand from fret-marker to fret-marker (horizontally), you will create resistance on the fret-board when you bend a string. Only sand vertically, from the E string's position to the high E string's position.
5. Use a soft cloth or a t-shirt to clean the surrounding area and remove any dirt or dust from the affected area. Ensure that you remove any excess oil left over from the cleaning process.
