The Fingerboard...
Fingerboard of McGill Guitars
The fingerboard of the classical guitar is generally ebony. Ebony is hard, durable and black in color. An alternate wood for the fingerboard is Indian Rosewood. Rosewood is softer than ebony with varying browns in color. The grain of the fingerboard should be straight and consistent. Irregular grain, susceptible to humidity changes, can cause performance problems.
Cleaning & Treating Fingerboard...
The fingerboard can be rubbed with boiled linseed oil on a cheesecloth. This will remove any playing grime on the fingerboard. Also, this will moisten the fingerboard to prevent cracking. Follow with plain cheese cloth to remove remaining linseed oil.
The Frets...
Classical guitar strings are made out of soft materials chosen for their ability to create tones & dynamics sought after by today's classical guitarists. Their soft nature requires a softer fret than frets commonly used on electric or steel string guitars. If the latter were used classical guitar strings would wear out much faster than we are accustomed to. Taking into account string settling (stretching of new strings), one would spend more time restringing & tuning his guitar than playing. Softer frets translates to longer string life. On the down side, the compulsive practicing and performing of classical guitar players takes a mighty toll on guitar frets. They wear away, become coarser and shift the string's contact point off-center toward the bridge causing a note to play sharp. Unevenly worn frets cause varying clearances from note to note affecting balance, tone, clarity & sustain and along with that, they....they...they start to shorten your string life. What? Take care of your frets to lengthen your string life! (See Dressing the Frets on a Classical Guitar)
A thin piece of paper can reveal a loose fret.
The Heel...
Heel of Trinity Guitars
The heel has both function & beauty. It acts as a truss transferring the string tension to the back of the guitar. It can act as a marker for the upper positions of the fingerboard. The shape & size of the heel can be a maker's signature.
The Heel of a Rodriguez Guitar
Two methods of building a heel out of a block of wood.
Inlays...
Inlays by Pimentel & Sons Guitars
Inlays add beauty and personalize a guitar.