I think one of the big reasons RIC tried this was their problems with UV finishing, resulting in non-adhering clearcoats.
The problem wasn’t confined to the fretboards, but that was the area where it was most conspicuous.
Having owned a 4002, and several Cheyennes i and ii, all with oil finish fretboards, I was quite in favor of the move.
My 2015 Laredo’s fretboard was really bad with large “tents” around most of the frets. Even my old 4000 had the original finish knocked down considerably when I had it refretted, and I never wanted to restore that aspect.
I think one of the big reasons RIC tried this was their problems with UV finishing, resulting in non-adhering clearcoats.
The problem wasn’t confined to the fretboards, but that was the area where it was most conspicuous.
Having owned a 4002, and several Cheyennes i and ii, all with oil finish fretboards, I was quite in favor of the move.
My 2015 Laredo’s fretboard was really bad with large “tents” around most of the frets. Even my old 4000 had the original finish knocked down considerably when I had it refretted, and I never wanted to restore that aspect.