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  1. #1

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    I have a rosewood fretboard on my ES-175. Through the years, I seem to remember having read stories of guitarists darkening their fretboard so that is looks like an ebony fretboard. Maybe using some kind of oil that darkens it.

    Has anyone here ever done this? Were there any drawbacks? Can you recommend an oil for this purpose?

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  3. #2

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    Builders do it with black leather dye. Stew Mac sells a fingerboard dye, but leather dye works just as well.

  4. #3

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    many ebony boards...since natural ebony can be streaky..have had black dye applied..not uncommon

    for a rosewood board..a boiled lindseed oil sparingly and repeatedly applied over time (each string change) will darken the rosewood more and more

    i'd recommend that over a dye...on rosewood

    cheers

  5. #4

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    The oil from your fingers perhaps?

    I'm an oil painter...linseed is some greasy stuff that takes a long time to dry...I wouldn't put it anywhere near my guitar.

  6. #5

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    disclosure, I wouldn't darken a nice rosewood board on a ES175. Go with the boiled linseed oil. Be careful to leave rags around the house. They ignite on their own, as they are flammable and generate heat when left in a poorly ventilated area.

  7. #6

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    Google "fretboard dye" for pics and threads on dying a rosewood board black.

    If you're looking to clean, condition and darken - but retain the rosewood look, then Dr. Ducks Axe Wax will safely darken it a bit (without using an irreversible dye).

  8. #7

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    Gerlitz fretboard oil will darken it with no ill affects. If you wanted it pitch black use a ebony stain but you must be careful. It will stain your binding too. A couple coats of Gerlitz will make it nice and dark. StewMac sells a real black stain for fretboards, pickguards, and tailpieces. It will blacken your fingers for a while though. The Gerlitz is what I would do.

  9. #8

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    mr.b- boiled linseed oil..which is really not boiled but has driers added..is different from painters pure linseed oil..which never polymerizes ie hardens/dries..boiled will harden, & continue to darken after applied..and get better with re-application...

    and yes combustible rags, so soak in water when disposing of


    cheers

    ps- and again use gingerly..apply and wipe..don't saturate ...better to build up over time
    Last edited by neatomic; 02-28-2016 at 11:32 PM. Reason: ps-

  10. #9

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    Thanks for all the great info!

    I don't want to darken the binding so now you have made me aware of the pitfalls. Thanks.

    I think I might talk to my local luthier and pay him. I just want the rosewood to be a little darker on the 175 and a couple of other guitars.

  11. #10

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    Old English for Dark Wood oil. Use sparingly. Over time, the rosewood fretboard will darken considerably. You have to be patient. It won't look black but will attain a nice dark brown red hue.

    Might darken the inlays too.
    Last edited by Jabberwocky; 02-29-2016 at 03:04 AM.

  12. #11
    It's a shame, OP, that you'd pay a luthier to perform an operation that you can so easily and inexpensively accomplish at home with no special tools. But I can't say that I blame you, because you're probably confused with the conflicting recommendations you're getting here.

    As it happens, I darkened two rosewood fretboards this month that came out perfectly. I used Minwax ebony stain after watching their Youtube videos. You can also watch videos on Youtube specific to darkening fretboards.

    You don't have to choose an ebony stain; you can choose any color you want. Be aware, however, that your result will look different than the stain color because you're starting with a reddish wood.

    You're rightly concerned about darkening the binding. Just tape it off. But don't use blue painters tape, which is designed to work for the more viscous house paint. I used regular clear office/stationery tape -- not the magic invisible tape. There was no bleed whatsoever. Be sure to press firmly down on the tape to get a good seal.

    As for fretboard inlays, after wiping off the stain, simply apply a Q-tip dipped in odorless mineral spirits (paint thinner) or denatured alcohol. Around the edges of the inlays, use a pointy Q-tip that are sold in the women's makeup aisles in drugstores. Be careful not to soak the Q-tip too much or the solvent will migrate across the inlays onto the wood. That would not be a disaster but it would require another pass with stain after the first pass dries.

    Likewise, in case you experience any bleed onto your binding (although you shouldn't if properly taped off), you can remove the stain using this Q-tip method.

    Follow this advice (while also applying some common sense) and you should have perfect results.

    I would avoid applying any water-based dye to wood. You could get fancy and buy guitar-specific dyes (ReRanch, etc.) but they will cost more. I spent less than $10 to darken my two fretboards and I still have more than a half of a small can of stain left over.

    Linseed oil, whether boiled or artists' grade, is not ideal unless you want your guitar to be out-of-commission while it dries. Minwax and other wood stains dry in mere hours.

    And by the way artists' grade linseed oil does dry. Linseed oil is a drying oil and that's why it's used in paint. If you don't believe me, touch an oil painting on a wall. If the oil didn't dry, the paint would come off on your finger.
    Last edited by Ghostofachance; 02-29-2016 at 03:08 AM.

  13. #12

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    Of course, the TGP favourite has long been Fret Doctor which is in essence expensive clarinet bore oil.
    Last edited by Jabberwocky; 02-29-2016 at 08:18 AM.

  14. #13

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    Be wary of oil on fretboards! Ive seen what over zealous application of linseed oil can do to wood surfaces and then all the scraping off afterwards.

    What's the old wives tale? Lanolin?? Hair grease?

    Lots of playing helps!

    I've had great success with a product called 'Gorgamyte'. It's an impregnated cloth, like a mild abrasive with oils. It polishes frets too.

    Check this out..

    Darkening My Fretboard-img_0376-640x478-jpg
    This is the fretboard of a 40 year old acoustic guitar. Notice the darkened wood from years of bar room playing. It was somewhat cruddy!

    Darkening My Fretboard-img_0682-640x478-jpg
    This was a 10 year old electro acoustic. Spent its time in a hot and dry environment.

    Darkening My Fretboard-img_0697-640x478-jpg
    Gorgamyte on the fingerboard.

    Darkening My Fretboard-img_0703-640x478-jpg
    After application and new nut.

    Not exactly ebony black but the natural darker colour of the palisander comes through.

  15. #14
    Indeed, applying linseed oil could turn into a train wreck if the undercoat is not allowed to properly cure. Curing can take days, weeks, even months. If the undercoat is not allowed to properly cure, the above coat will have a harder time drying, and you will end up with a tacky feeling fretboard for months on end.

    Plus linseed oil smells and off-gasses for quite a long time.

    BTW when applying stain, there is no need to mask off the frets. The stain wipes right off the metal when you wipe off the stain.
    Last edited by Ghostofachance; 02-29-2016 at 06:07 AM.

  16. #15

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    My luthier (and he is a luthier, not just some guy who cranks on guitars) told me to never oil a fretboard. The only thing he'll use is a little S.C. Johnsons paste wax, for hardwood floors. Oil can actually expand the wood and pop frets eventually.

  17. #16

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    Linseed might be for the more experienced. I use it after refrets, but only a dab does well for the entire fretboard. I have never had any issues with it on my own instruments. Regarding leather dye and other black dyes sold at stew mac etc. These most often wipe right off plastic or pearl. The danger lies in it soaking into small cracks in the plastic. Any darkening at the surface can be scraped with a razor blade. That's how binding is scraped after installation anyway.

  18. #17

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    Ok. That's it.

    I am going to leave the fretboard alone.

    Forgive me, buy I have seen so many things go wrong long-term - things that started out like a good idea and then had long-term unintended (and unwanted consequences) that I am hesitant to take on certain projects or make changes to things.

    Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and experience.

    As with most things in life, there appear to be no guarantees with this topic. And in the end, why fix something that ain't broke.

    I will embrace the beauty of the rosewood for what it is. After all, beauty is in the soul of the guitar (and person), all else is vanity.

  19. #18

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    Like Neatomic said, boiled linseed oil will work fine, Ive used it for 40 plus years, never a problem and will darken really well over time. If your real sensitive to smell, there may be a bit of an odor when you first rub it in. Bob

  20. #19

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    Quote Originally Posted by jazzbow
    Darkening My Fretboard-img_0376-640x478-jpg
    This is the fretboard of a 40 year old acoustic guitar. Notice the darkened wood from years of bar room playing.
    now that's how you darken a fretboard

  21. #20

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jabberwocky
    Old English for Dark Wood oil. Use sparingly. Over time, the rosewood fretboard will darken considerably. You have to be patient. It won't look black but will attain a nice dark brown red hue.

    Might darken the inlays too.
    I wrote the parent company at old English, they recommended AGAINST using that oil (mineral oil and solvent based) on git fretboards, but their lemon oil is totally OK.

    Most players use Feibing's leather dye, it seems to be permanent and not harmful to the wood or glue under it long term.

  22. #21

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    Quote Originally Posted by AlsoRan
    Ok. That's it.

    I am going to leave the fretboard alone.

    Forgive me, buy I have seen so many things go wrong long-term - things that started out like a good idea and then had long-term unintended (and unwanted consequences) that I am hesitant to take on certain projects or make changes to things.

    Thanks again for sharing your knowledge and experience.

    As with most things in life, there appear to be no guarantees with this topic. And in the end, why fix something that ain't broke.

    I will embrace the beauty of the rosewood for what it is. After all, beauty is in the soul of the guitar (and person), all else is vanity.
    May I ask where you were planning to take it to be worked on?

  23. #22

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    btw, the other good polymerizing oil is walnut...was used in french polish, along with olive oil or linseed..linseed is the oil of the flax plant seed..and the "lin" in linoleum!!

    good info on linseed oil--explaining differences between pure-(which is not suitable for wood), boiled and polymerizing-which are!

    Linseed Oil - Woodwork Details

    the key to using most oils on raw wood is to use it very lightly and reapply over time

    cheers

  24. #23

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    Quote Originally Posted by Thecytochromec
    May I ask where you were planning to take it to be worked on?
    I had not decided on a luthier yet. I was going to ask around at the guitar show at the end of April.

    Right now, I take my guitars over to Murphy's Music Center in Irving Texas. They installed the wiring harness and Gibson '57 pickups upgrade on my Sheraton II. They also cleaned the contacts on my Gibson Explorer when the neck pickup ceased having an output.

    The guitar repair technician ( I don't know if he rises to the level of the title "Luthier") is experienced and seemed to know his stuff.

    I would probably take the guitar over to Fort Worth to Lamb's Music. They have done a lot of great guitar repair work and I KNOW their guitar repair guy knows his stuff. He fixed a couple of cosmetic issues and cracks and I could not tell they were ever there. He should be able to darken the fretboard but I don't know if anyone would take the care and attention to detail that I would have since I would be paranoid about discoloring an inlay or the binding - that is my biggest fear along with maybe doing long-term damage to the wood.

    Hope this helps!

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by neatomic
    many ebony boards...since natural ebony can be streaky..have had black dye applied..not uncommon

    for a rosewood board..a boiled lindseed oil sparingly and repeatedly applied over time (each string change) will darken the rosewood more and more

    i'd recommend that over a dye...on rosewood

    cheers
    NOOOOOOOOOO...Definitely do not do it with oil. If you ever need a refret it'll be hard to get glue to adhere to it. My luthier told me that guitar forums and hobbiests who have fingerboard oil fetishes have made his life difficult...

    [edit] just to clarify , it's ok to occasionally oil the fingerboard but to oil it to the extent that it dies the wood black is bad.
    Last edited by jzucker; 03-01-2016 at 12:26 PM.

  26. #25

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    Quote Originally Posted by abelljo
    Builders do it with black leather dye. Stew Mac sells a fingerboard dye, but leather dye works just as well.
    In fact the StewMac product IS leather dye, it's literally the same product. I tried it on a cheap classical guitar, and it worked like a charm. Having said that, i would think twice about using it on a valuable guitar such as an ES175...

    N.