PickyPick Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 I realize that this topic is a very controversial one within the guitar world. Many people absolutely hate this idea and many love it... but i tend to have a liking to it... i love the look of the Ebony Fingerboard on my Gibson LP Custom, and i have an Epiphone LP Custom that has rosewood and it seemed something was missing of course when i put it right next to the Gibby the first thing that sticks out like a sore thumb is the fretboard being rosewood... so now i'm VERY interested in Ebonizing after finding an article on it somewhere (forgot where). i realize that it wont feel like ebony and its for cosmetic purpose only but hey thats what i'm shooting for... a hell of alot easier then ripping off the fingerboard and putting a ebony one on... anyway has anyone ever done this? and if so is there some type of instruction to it or do i just smack on the stain and take off the excess? any proper steps and warnings i have to look out for (I've already got the taping part down so...) anyway thanks for the help :) here are the 2 of them side by side hopefully most of you see what i see (and i'm not saying its a flaw i like the rosewood its nice but it just doesn't fit on the LP Custom look... on a G400 or something else it looks brilliant but not the LP Custom copies) and if not thats ok too maybe its just my own eyes and they way i view guitars Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brad1 Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 I think it looks fine. I wouldn't do a thing to it. But then again, I am against all dying/tinting of fretboards. I like them to look natural, just like they are. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Moore Tribute Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 I was thinking of doing something like this with my Fretless Jazz But just revarnishing it in a darker wood tone. EDIT I see you upgraded the Epi Custom I can see a "Nashville" bridge, silver top hats & chrome surrounds & pickguard, did you change anything else fellow modder? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animalfarm Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Sounds unusually familiar.....wonder why.....? EUREKA!!!!!! From the EPI Lounge "Do-it-Yourself" Sticky/thread/thing: ***GUITAR PROJECTS and/or BUILDS: (for reference in case you've been thinking...) FRETBOARD CARE: "POLISH YOUR FRETS and DYE YOUR FRETBOARD!!!" (Really - DYE your Nasty-Looking Fretboard!) http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/the-sevenstring-org-workbench/8862-tech-how-to-fretboard-care.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 I was thinking of doing something like this with my Fretless Jazz But just revarnishing it in a darker wood tone. EDIT I see you upgraded the Epi Custom I can see a "Nashville" bridge, silver top hats & chrome surrounds & pickguard, did you change anything else fellow modder? Maybe it's one of these with different pickups? http://www.epiphone.com/default.asp?ProductID=314&CollectionID=19 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PickyPick Posted April 11, 2011 Author Share Posted April 11, 2011 EDIT I see you upgraded the Epi Custom I can see a "Nashville" bridge, silver top hats & chrome surrounds & pickguard, did you change anything else fellow modder? haha well actually the only thing that actually got modified on that guitar is the pickups (hence the chrome pickup covers) and the machine heads... everything else is standard... this guitar is the Epiphone Les Paul Custom "Chromed" Limited Edition... i speak loosely when i say Limited Edition... anyway yeah :P machine heads, pickups... and hopefully the Ebony fingerboard effect thing. "POLISH YOUR FRETS and DYE YOUR FRETBOARD!!!" (Really - DYE your Nasty-Looking Fretboard!) http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/the-sevenstring-org-workbench/8862-tech-how-to-fretboard-care.html hey this was an awesome read... the first time i actually came across a very VIVID instruction on how to dye the fretboard... now with a bit of confidence because of the instruction i might just give this a stab... first i may go buy a Fender rosewood fingerboard just to get the feel of how to do it (practice is always significantly more difficult then reading instructions)... then try it on the real thing... anyway thanks a million for that Animalfarm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supersonic Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 HA! I was right for once. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Moore Tribute Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 HA! I was right for once. Yes you where Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmm Hotdogs Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 Get some dye from www.stewmac.com and go for it!! Ive seen a black Les Paul with an ebonized fingerboard and I thought it looked WAY better afterwards. Just make sure to clean it really good when your done or you can get some black smudges on your fingers for a little bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
animalfarm Posted April 11, 2011 Share Posted April 11, 2011 hey, awesome, VIVID, confidence, difficult!!! ... anyway thanks a million for that Animalfarm Just make sure to clean it really good when your done or you can get some black smudges on your fingers for a little bit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigneil Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 Most Ebony fretboards have stain on them too. The Ebony wood usually has light coloured streaks in the grain, so they cover it with stain. Check out this unstained ebony board. Most unstained ebony boards are not as beautiful as that, and look more like this. Hence, we get Stained Ebony. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmm Hotdogs Posted April 12, 2011 Share Posted April 12, 2011 That is the coolest fretboard I have ever seen!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PickyPick Posted April 12, 2011 Author Share Posted April 12, 2011 actually just for fun i got my Epiphone EJ 200CE and decided to trying "ebonize" it with Minwax Pen in Ebony... cant wait to see what it looks like after it dries... and then finish it with 0000 grade steel wool and Dunlop 65 fretboard conditioner #2 :D... ill put up some pictures Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PickyPick Posted April 14, 2011 Author Share Posted April 14, 2011 after experimenting with my EJ200CE... i got better results then i expected... i didn't get my target black but i got a deep rich dark brown rosewood which is an AWESOME look... ill just stick with that instead cause i still see the grain and the streaks... and its very dark so in certain lighting conditions it would give off that black look or in very white lighting situations you see a dark brown just love it... used the Minwax Ebony stain pen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigneil Posted April 14, 2011 Share Posted April 14, 2011 cool! can we see some before and after pics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fl00dsm0k3 Posted April 18, 2011 Share Posted April 18, 2011 i wouldn't touch it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PickyPick Posted April 18, 2011 Author Share Posted April 18, 2011 i wouldn't touch it actually it all dried up fine and after i dried it up i put on Dunlop Fretboard Conditioner 02 and that pretty much sealed the deal... the fretboard leaves off no black residue on my fingers what so over... for the people that complain about the black residue i think they over looked that last step or made a mistake by not wiping off the excess properly or something like that... anyway fretboard is now darker and i like the results, thats my story :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mmm Hotdogs Posted April 25, 2011 Share Posted April 25, 2011 Ive read a few good results now with the minwax marker. I am thinking about trying this with my Nighthawk Reissue. I got the Transparent black and the fretboard doesn't look right on it. They claim that they come with Ebony fretboards but I swear its rosewood. I put it next to my SG's and it looks absolutely identical... Can you post the results pictures for us? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PickyPick Posted May 1, 2011 Author Share Posted May 1, 2011 Ive read a few good results now with the minwax marker. I am thinking about trying this with my Nighthawk Reissue. I got the Transparent black and the fretboard doesn't look right on it. They claim that they come with Ebony fretboards but I swear its rosewood. I put it next to my SG's and it looks absolutely identical... Can you post the results pictures for us? sorry that took so long... i had to go out and buy a new camera and figured out how it works and i like the results, its not pitch black like ebony but a very dark deep rosewood texture. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaSTuS Posted May 1, 2011 Share Posted May 1, 2011 sorry that took so long... i had to go out and buy a new camera and figured out how it works and i like the results, its not pitch black like ebony but a very dark deep rosewood texture. Me likey. looks wonderful PP, adds a richness to it, great job. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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