RJLII Posted May 3, 2009 Share Posted May 3, 2009 Greetings to all. I've just purchased a 335 gloss figured top in Antique Sunburst. Love it. The rosewood board is much lighter in color than I would like. Anyone have any experience with anything I can apply to darken the wood without screwing up the dots or binding? Thanks in advance for any suggestions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Plains Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 I've read that Fret Doctor will darken your fretboard if you apply it and leave it on for around an hour. Fret Doctor is premium bore oil that a lot of people use to clean their boards. It's great stuff. Have a look at the pictures http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ken Rayba Posted May 4, 2009 Share Posted May 4, 2009 Personally, I would leave it alone. It may get darker as the guitar ages. When you clean an older rosewood fingerboard, it does get lighter. It may be that it is new, and that is the way is supposed to look. Just my thoughts! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jamester Posted May 5, 2009 Share Posted May 5, 2009 Definitely Fret Doctor, or even just linseed oil will help. But these oils will only restore the wood to it's richest *natural* color - they are not "darkeners" per se... If the wood has faded over time and dried out, they will restore it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJLII Posted May 7, 2009 Author Share Posted May 7, 2009 I'll try a little Fret Doctor and see how that works out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sean Posted May 7, 2009 Share Posted May 7, 2009 Play it, play it, play it some more, and lay some oil on the board every time you change strings...it'll darken up and feel better too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rythmpyg Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 fret doctor is the best i've found Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Plains Posted May 10, 2009 Share Posted May 10, 2009 RJLII, have a look at this http://forums.gibson.com/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=18967 Look for the before & after pics I posted. 90 minutes to two hours is all you need. Over conditioning your fretboard is not a good idea. I wouldn't use FD each time you replace you strings. Only use it around once a year, unless you live in a very dry environment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RJLII Posted May 11, 2009 Author Share Posted May 11, 2009 I just need to get some Fret Doctor on order. I tried some "Dr. Stringfellow Lem-Oil" this weekend. I stopped in to GC in Kalamazoo this weekend and one of the guys there said he swears by it. I was underwhelmed. Looks like it makes a good cleaner, but a poor penetrating oil. The wood darkened up initially but lightened and was looking dry again within 24 hours. Part of this may be the wood. When compared to the fingerboard on my '58 reissue LP, the wood on the 335 is much lighter and finer grained. It also hung in a store for more than a year so it may be that much dryer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Archer993 Posted May 11, 2009 Share Posted May 11, 2009 Fret Doctor, which I have been using for a year on all my Gibsons, will only darken the wood temporarily. I have an LP standard with a board that is a little too light. I would consider using an ebony stain like a Minwax product or a leather dye to darken the board. Maybe a visit to the Steward Macdonald web site is in order???? Yep - here we go: http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Finishing_supplies/Colors,_tints,_and_stains/Black_Fingerboard_Stain.html The question is - how would it look on rosewood vs ebony? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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