To Darken a Rosewood Fretboard

[Anthony M]

Hi All:

Recently purchased an '08 rosewood Am. Std. Strat that I am truly diggin'. The '08s have a darker coat on their rosewood necks, however this one varies shades down the neck slightly and in my opinion overall is not that dark. I've had two previous '08s that for separate issues were returned. Those necks were much darker.

Obviously this is merely esthetic and in no way hinders the feel of this guitar, but my questions are: Do rosewood neck guitars darken with age? For example, the previous '08s were actually produced in '07 and could have had more time to absorb the tinting?

Second Q: Would linseed oil or something similar produce a darker fretboard?

Why fix what's not broken? I know, but I'm just curious for the most part.

Thanks all!

[Jon Silberman]

Fret Doctor (scroll down page to it):

http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm

"Darkening" Your Board


A very frequent comment I hear is that "Fret Doctorhttp://www.beafifer.com/tm.gif darkens my board nicely!" Over time, with exposure to air, light, humidity, and wear and tear, the board faded. The Fret Doctorhttp://www.beafifer.com/tm.gif simply restored it to the original color. The main reason for oiling a fretboard isn't to darken it; it is to preserve it. Remember that the verb, "darken," has created endless confusion on some of the guitar forums, and some quite nasty arguments, for quite a while. Fret Doctorhttp://www.beafifer.com/tm.gif will bring up the natural color, grain, and patina of a tropical hardwood, making it darker in appearance but not making it black. Ebony will appear blacker because black is the normal color of the wood. Your Rosewood will be far prettier. Below are before and after photos of a new board that had never had prior treatment with anything. Fret Doctorhttp://www.beafifer.com/tm.gif has restored it to the original color of the natural wood. Look at it closely...it isn't black!


http://www.beafifer.com/fdbefore.jpg


http://www.beafifer.com/fdafter.jpg

[Anthony M]

Awesome! Thanks Jon.. :AOK

[bazooka47]

With regard to the second Q, I have used WATCO teak oil (available at home imp. stores) with great success.

Just don't leave it on too long.

[K-Line]

Stew-Mac Rosewood oil works pretty well!

[jaydawg76]

fret doctor (scroll down page to it):

http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm

"darkening" your board


a very frequent comment i hear is that "fret doctorhttp://www.beafifer.com/tm.gif darkens my board nicely!" over time, with exposure to air, light, humidity, and wear and tear, the board faded. The fret doctorhttp://www.beafifer.com/tm.gif simply restored it to the original color. The main reason for oiling a fretboard isn't to darken it; it is to preserve it. Remember that the verb, "darken," has created endless confusion on some of the guitar forums, and some quite nasty arguments, for quite a while. Fret doctorhttp://www.beafifer.com/tm.gif will bring up the natural color, grain, and patina of a tropical hardwood, making it darker in appearance but not making it black. Ebony will appear blacker because black is the normal color of the wood. Your rosewood will be far prettier. Below are before and after photos of a new board that had never had prior treatment with anything. Fret doctorhttp://www.beafifer.com/tm.gif has restored it to the original color of the natural wood. Look at it closely...it isn't black!


http://www.beafifer.com/fdbefore.jpg


http://www.beafifer.com/fdafter.jpg


big +1 :aok

[Bob V]

Fret Doctor (or bore oil from a woodwind accessory catalog) sounds like your answer. I'm comfortable with boiled linseed oil because I know how it behaves and I keep a can of it around for woodworking projects, but if you're going out and getting the material solely for your guitar, there's nothing wrong with Fret Doctor.

By the way if it's an old guitar, use some naptha (lighter fluid) to clean the gunk off the fretboard before you oil it.

[9fingers]

Mineral oil costs near nothing, it odor free and non toxic & works great. I have heard that "bore oil" is largely mineral oil but have not verified that.

[pennylink]

I use Fret Doctor 2-3 times a year. It's an excellent and safe product.

Personally, I would recommend staying away from 'oils' such as Danish Oil that you find at hardware and woodworking stores. Most of them act as a thin varnish which will build up every time you apply it. It is to be used as a grain enhancer/low-grade protection for solid wood objects and sometimes furniture, but is not really suitable for rosewood fretboards.

[Johnnytone]

Raw linseed oil and about a month of playing.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/Johnnytone/RWNECK2.jpg

[bluesjunior]

Stew-Mac Rosewood oil works pretty well!

You will get exactly the same bottle of Rosewood oil at your local health food shop for a fraction of what you will pay Stewmac.
:drink

[rogwerks]

Bore oil is mineral oil...

Look at a Rosewood or Ebony Clarinet, Sweet!!!!

[bluesjunior]

Raw linseed oil and about a month of playing.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/Johnnytone/RWNECK2.jpg

Absolutely don't use Linseed Oil. I used it for years on my rosewood necked guitars until I read a post on it here where it was explained that it doesn't really sink into the wood but rather lays a skin on top of it. I decided to test this the next time I restrung my ES335. Come the day what a shock I got it took me about four hours to carefully scrape the gunk of my fretboard using a Stanley blade as a scraper terrified I would slip and take a chunk of wood with it. Luckily I knew what I was doing and eventually removed it all. Underneath it was just as light and dried up looking as it had been prior to using the oil all those years ago. I used a cotton swab to apply the Rosewood Oil I bought in our local health food store for £1.50p and it turned out great. Do yourself a favour and check out your own guitar next time you change strings.:AOK

[jimtalkbox]

I've found that the Dunlop Fingerboard Cleaner and Conditioner do a pretty good job of making my rosewood fretboards look a lot darker. If you leave the conditioner on for about a half an hour, it'll look a lot better!

[Johnnytone]

Absolutely don't use Linseed Oil. I used it for years on my rosewood necked guitars until I read a post on it here where it was explained that it doesn't really sink into the wood but rather lays a skin on top of it. I decided to test this the next time I restrung my ES335. Come the day what a shock I got it took me about four hours to carefully scrape the gunk of my fretboard using a Stanley blade as a scraper terrified I would slip and take a chunk of wood with it. Luckily I knew what I was doing and eventually removed it all. Underneath it was just as light and dried up looking as it had been prior to using the oil all those years ago. I used a cotton swab to apply the Rosewood Oil I bought in our local health food store for £1.50p and it turned out great. Do yourself a favour and check out your own guitar next time you change strings.:AOK

Well, if it's good enough for Dan Erlewine, it's good enough for me. I used it once more than 5 years ago. Sparingly. There is no film or coating that you speak of.

[Fourth Feline]

Raw linseed oil and about a month of playing.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v84/Johnnytone/RWNECK2.jpg

I'll second that !

[5E3]

I like using Fret Doctor too. :AOK

[bluegrif]

Hmmm. I've used regular lemon oil for years and that's what's usually recommended to condition Rosewood (well, unless someones's trying to sell a product - LOL). You just wipe some on, let it sit for 3 or 4 minutes, then wipe it off with a another cloth. Looks great. Feels great.

It isn't really a darkener. But the board does look darker by virtue of it being less dried out.

[69strat]

I've got one for ya..... I bought an allparts rosewood strat neck... When finishing the neck with a decal, I oversprayed the headstock onto the fretboard.. Low and behold I noticed the rosewood was darker... I sprayed the whole board with three light coats... Wow ! what a difference... Go figure...

[Mickey Shane]

Hmmm. I've used regular lemon oil for years and that's what's usually recommended to condition Rosewood (well, unless someones's trying to sell a product - LOL). You just wipe some on, let it sit for 3 or 4 minutes, then wipe it off with a another cloth. Looks great. Feels great.

It isn't really a darkener. But the board does look darker by virtue of it being less dried out.I use lemon oil exclusively on my rosewood boards. They look and feel great. I own an ebony, but no maple boards in this house.

Tip 'o the hat to those that do like maple.

[xStonr]

After reading one of these threads, I opted to use the mineral oil on my faded fretboard. It's very inexpensive and does a great job.

[buddastrat]

Absolutely don't use Linseed Oil. I used it for years on my rosewood necked guitars until I read a post on it here where it was explained that it doesn't really sink into the wood but rather lays a skin on top of it. I decided to test this the next time I restrung my ES335. Come the day what a shock I got it took me about four hours to carefully scrape the gunk of my fretboard using a Stanley blade as a scraper terrified I would slip and take a chunk of wood with it. Luckily I knew what I was doing and eventually removed it all. Underneath it was just as light and dried up looking as it had been prior to using the oil all those years ago. I used a cotton swab to apply the Rosewood Oil I bought in our local health food store for £1.50p and it turned out great. Do yourself a favour and check out your own guitar next time you change strings.:AOK

I used rosewood oil from a health store on a Gibson once and that guitar stunk forever and looked just as dry as it did before. It never aired out. That stuff smells funky!

I've come to appreciate the beautiful grain in rosewood more. Like in Johnnytone's pic, I think the before shot looks great too. Lots of gorgeous grain.

[~Abstract~]

I thought rosewood is a naturally oily wood and didn't need any moisturizing?...And that ebony, on the other hand, does.

If you're just looking to make it darker...linseed should be fine...but the rosewood doesn't NEED anything.

[Anthony M]

Thank you all for your suggestions. I can sample raw linseed oil on a small part, if it gets too funky, I will go with fret doctor.

Thanks again!