daveinspain Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Ok... This is sure to be a dumb question but here goes... I have a couple of guitars with ebony fretboards. I love the look. I have others with rosewood boards that look pretty cool too, but I have one guitar with a rosewood fretboard that looks like its dried out and its very light colored. The guitar is only about a year old and there is nothing wrong with the fretboard but it really bugs me that it looks the way it does... So, If I were to get a wood stain and wipe it on and wipe it off to darken it up would I be damaging or devaluating the guitar? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slimjimdom Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 I wouldn't stain it. I'd just say that's one way that guitar is different from the others. The difference between my BFG and SG is pretty significant the BfG is quite a bit lighter. But... before you put that off as being a BFG thing. haha. The first BFG I bought had a dark rosewood board. So my opinion is just make sure its conditioned and roll with it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thundergod Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Strange... maybe your other guitars started like the new one and darkened as time passed by... I have never noticed that but I'll look carefuly from now on to see if I can notice something strange in different guitars of the same model. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tonebias Posted August 19, 2008 Share Posted August 19, 2008 Wood tends to get darker with age and I don't think staining it would be a good idea because oil base stain it will stay oily and sticky for some time and its really meant to have a finish on it like poly or varnish. If you stain it with a water base stain you risk introducing water moisture into the wood which may cause warping etc... (I used to own a furniture making business) Â You stated that it looked dry, have you put lemon oil on it? I clean my fretboard about every 6 months with Naptha (lighter fluid) and then use a silicone free lemon oil like formby's lemon oil treatment, let it soak in for a few minutes and then wipe it down good with a dry cloth... It will darken it a little and it is correct fretboard maintainence. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Plains Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Fret Doctor may darken your fretboard a little bit...and it's safe. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Aside from the obvious difference between Ebony and Rosewood, there's still some variation in nature. Â Never one to pass up a chance to show off my 12 string SG, but here's a couple pics where the board is notably lighter in color. Between the three you'll see it's not extreme, but it IS lighter. It is Brazilian Rosewood, so why the color difference? I dunno. I was told it's simply natural variation. Â Â Â Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
saturn Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 When I saw Gibsons promo photo for the Studio Plus, the fretboard was much lighter than mine. I actually think it looks better, but I'm sure Gibson used the most striking examples for their photos. Have you done the lemon oil thing, if you think it's dried out? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoubleSixx Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Use some fretboard conditioner, that'll remove the dryness and darken it up about a bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FennRx Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Use some fretboard conditioner' date=' that'll remove the dryness and darken it up about a bit.[/quote']Â +1 Â lots of variation with mother nature. as long as you oil it every once in a while, there shouldnt be any problems Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daveinspain Posted August 20, 2008 Author Share Posted August 20, 2008 The fretboard is not died out... I just looks that way. I did buy some Dr. Strigfellow's Lem-Oil and just gave it a treatment... it has darkened up a bit now. Maybe thats all it needed... Thanks for all your input though! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Paul Fanatic Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Lemon oil, that'll help out tremendously with drying out, oh and Neocon, nice SG. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoConMan Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 Thanks Buddy! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Les Paul Fanatic Posted August 20, 2008 Share Posted August 20, 2008 I'm not jealous. (Crosses Fingers Behind Back) I Swear. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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