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ZMAN
March 3rd, 2009, 08:34 AM
I am looking at purchasing a Gibson LP Classic. The only thing I am not too excited about is the lighter color on the Fretboard. I can live with the "aged" fret markers. (Yellowed) But I am hoping you can darken the board. I have used lemon oil conditioner on several of my guitars but they already had a darker finish.
Have any of you had experience with a lighter board. The board is not dried out, I aldready checked that.
The price is right on this one and the guy will take trades.

Spudman
March 3rd, 2009, 09:41 AM
I know that there is a dye to darken rosewood. You might check Stewart McDonald. A lot of the preference for a darker board came from the high use of Brazilian rosewood which is now illegal to import to the USA. It is a protected resource. The lighter rosewoods are pretty much just that - lighter. Other guitarists have reported that they cannot tell a difference between the two in either feel or sound. FWIW.;)

ZMAN
March 3rd, 2009, 10:20 AM
I had the guy reapply a coat of lemon oil conditoner and send me a new picture. It has darkened up quite nicely. So I am heading out to take another look at it. If I pick it up I will put picks up.

Edit:
I ended up buying the guitar, see my New Guitar Thread.

ZMAN
March 7th, 2009, 07:14 AM
Update: I went over to the Les Paul Forum and several guys mentioned an item called the Fret Doctor. It is an oil you can use on the board and it will condition it as well as darkening it.
I had my daughter in the US order some for me.

Spudman
March 7th, 2009, 09:29 AM
I just did Fret Doctor oil on 2 guitar necks yesterday. It does darken the wood somewhat. Mostly it deepens the grain color and does a wonderful job of protecting the wood. It won't change the color that much. It's more of a highlight/color enricher.

just strum
March 7th, 2009, 09:37 AM
Here are a few pics from another site. I would have to say it doesn't seem much darker, but does highlight the fret board as noted above.
http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/custom-shop/6695-fret-doctor-before-after-pictures.html

the end result (last two pics) look pretty good.

Where are you finding this stuff being sold?

ZMAN
March 7th, 2009, 01:07 PM
This is the place. For 20 bucks I will give it a try. I will have it sent to my daughter in Maine. Heading down there in a couple of weeks.
http://www.beafifer.com/
They call it Bore Oil, or Fret Doctor.
Look to the left and click on "Fret Doctor" on the web site and they have a big article on it.

Spudman
March 8th, 2009, 11:08 AM
This is the place.
http://www.beafifer.com/
They call it Bore Oil, or Fret Doctor.
Look to the left and click on "Fret Doctor" on the web site and they have a big article on it.

This is the correct link. It's where I got mine. I did get the larger bottle for obvious reasons but the smaller container will last for years...if you just have a few guitars.

just strum
March 8th, 2009, 11:23 AM
I wanted to order some and sent the guy (Ed) an e-mail. We've been discussing the product and he gave me a little background on how it got to be used on fret boards.

Bore Doctor and Fret Doctor are the same products.

Well, in Ed's own words:

"This whole thing began on the Les Paul Forum about 8 years ago. I had been selling BoreDoctor in 10 ml vials to woodwind players. All of a sudden, I got orders for 8 -10 vials from a lot of people, all on one weekend and ran out. I found out they were guitarists and had the stuff packaged in larger bottles.

I was originally very confused by the word, "darken." Some people mean to bring back the original color and grain of the wood, which FD does wonderfully. However, some really mean, "blacken." They want their guitar to look like a guitar from the 50s and 60s. They really don't understand. If someone goes back to old color catalogs of the time, they will quickly see that Rosewood then looked like Rosewood now. Luthiers didn't dye them black! Why screw up a beautiful piece of wood with color and grain.

What they did do is to treat them with Linseed oil which seals the board (bad) and oxidizes over time, turning black in the process. So, if someone wants his board to look the way a 50s guitar looked in the 50s, use FD. If he wants it to look the way a 50s guitar looks NOW, dye it."

I have a bottle being sent out tomorrow and then on the next string change, I will give it a try.

ZMAN
March 8th, 2009, 01:07 PM
Yes over at the Les Paul forum the guys sent me a stewmac website that showed a stain that almost makes them black. I don't want that. I am pretty sure this guitar has been in stock since 2006 at the distributor and I know I have seen it at the shop for at least 6 months, so the board will be a little dryed out for sure. I used the D'Andrea lemon oil conditioner on it and it did darken somewhat but I want that bore oil to bring the neck back to life.
I have had real rosewood in my family room and on a lot of oriental furniture we own and I love that color. No black boards for me. I am hoping my daughter has ordered it and I will pick it up when I am down there in couple of weeks.
I bought the 60 ml. and I have about a dozen guitars with rosewood boards so it will come in handy. Especially with winters like the last one.

bigoldron
March 9th, 2009, 07:54 AM
Just my two cents, but I've been using plain old mineral oil and have been well pleased with the results. All my necks are rosewood (not a maple fretboard fan) and I treat mine about twice a year and so far, it's worked fine for me.

ZMAN
March 9th, 2009, 08:46 AM
If you read what he says on his website, it probably is just mineral oil. He says you can use it on a cutting board, and it is edible.
We are always looking for an "engineered" product when the natural one is probably the best.
I will give the Fret doctor a try and report back on the results. Pictures included of course!!

Spudman
March 9th, 2009, 10:13 AM
I have no complaints with the Fret Doctor treatment. In fact I think it looks better in the wood than the Formbys lemon oil that I've used for so long. Both are good but I think I like the FD better.

just strum
March 9th, 2009, 11:47 AM
What is recommended if you want to clean and then treat the fretboard - Formby's Buildup Remover (green) and then apply Fret Doctor.

just strum
March 9th, 2009, 11:49 AM
We are always looking for an "engineered" product when the natural one is probably the best.


I believe (could be wrong) that Fret Doctor is natural, just made up of a number of ingredients.

Plank_Spanker
March 9th, 2009, 03:37 PM
What is recommended if you want to clean and then treat the fretboard - Formby's Buildup Remover (green) and then apply Fret Doctor.

If the board is really nasty and gunked up, naphtha. It won't hurt the finish, and it will soften the crud up so you can get it off. Follow that up with bore oil to rehydrate the wood.

My boards don't get nasty. I just hit them with bore oil about once or twice a year. All bore oil is is mineral oil.

just strum
March 15th, 2009, 04:40 PM
I received the bottle of Fret Doctor during the week and applied it to the Dot. Out of all my guitars, the Dot had the driest fret board. I applied it on each fret, lightly rubbed it with my finger and let it soak in. I then applied a second application with a Q-tip and again, let it soak in.

Did a final rub with my finger (not applying more) and then wiped it with a rag. I can say I am very happy with the results.

The next time I change the strings on the Wildkat, I need to give the fret board a good cleaning with naphtha and then apply Fret Doctor.

ZMAN
March 15th, 2009, 06:02 PM
MIne is on order. I used D'andrea lemon oil conditioner on mine. I put it on with a Q tip and let it sit then wipe it off with a cloth. I don't take the strings off. It seems to work pretty well. I hope the Fret doctor will be even better.

just strum
March 15th, 2009, 07:33 PM
MIne is on order. I used D'andrea lemon oil conditioner on mine. I put it on with a Q tip and let it sit then wipe it off with a cloth. I don't take the strings off. It seems to work pretty well. I hope the Fret doctor will be even better.

I didn't take them off of the Dot, just loosened them up so that I could get good coverage. The first three frets are tough without loosening the strings.

The Wildkat needs a string change or I would do the same thing as I did with the Dot.

ZMAN
March 18th, 2009, 07:50 AM
My bottle arrived in Maine yesterday, so I will be picking it up this weekend.
I will treat all my rosewood boards when I get home. I got a good tip from my tech. He loosens the strings and lifts the stop bar out of the way with the strings attached. I don't know what precautions he takes to make sure everyting goes back the way it should but he says it saves a good set of strings. I would not do this for fret oiling but he does this when he has to do a fret job.

Plank_Spanker
March 19th, 2009, 06:45 PM
I got a good tip from my tech. He loosens the strings and lifts the stop bar out of the way with the strings attached. I don't know what precautions he takes to make sure everyting goes back the way it should but he says it saves a good set of strings. I would not do this for fret oiling but he does this when he has to do a fret job.

I hope he tapes down the thumb screws on it and the bridge when he does it - but then again, he can charge you for the setup. One HUGE reason I do my own - I know what I'm getting.

You really don't need to oil the fretboard more than once or twice a year. The oil in your hands alone does a good job of keeping the fretboard alive. As far as cleaning with naphtha goes - only when the Frito and barbeque crust starts building up visibly.

ZMAN
March 20th, 2009, 06:50 AM
It was in for a set up, and I asked him to check out the 13th fret it was pretty high. After he adjusted the neck he realized the frets were all over the place. He levelled the frets and set it up. It came out perfect and was 100 bucks. I finally found a person who actually sets the guitar up the way I like it and he has done all 17 of my electrics. Most for free. I get a free set up when I buy a guitar.
It is nice that you can do your own though. I am in Maine now and I have the Fret Doctor. When I get home I will try it on my Classic.
I usually only do mine twice a year but this year was extremely cold and I we have had the heat blasting for most of it.

just strum
March 29th, 2009, 01:04 PM
I am looking at purchasing a Gibson LP Classic. The only thing I am not too excited about is the lighter color on the Fretboard.

I thought you might find this interesting. Here is a picture of my Dot, followed by the Wildkat. Both pics taken in the same light only a minute apart.

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h16/auroraohio/Guitars/023.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h16/auroraohio/Guitars/025.jpg

As you can see, the Wildkat are the same color. They are both Rosewood, but there is a distinct difference. I cleaned the Wildkat today and no sign of dye came off on the rag. Both pics were taken after cleaning and using Fret Doctor.

ZMAN
March 29th, 2009, 06:08 PM
Yea JS I am on my way home tomorrow so I will be using the Fret Doctor when I get home.
It should make a big difference.
That Wildcat board almost looks like ebony. My only worry is that the board is dry on my classic. that is why I bought the Fret Doctor. I will take some before and after pics.

Plank_Spanker
March 31st, 2009, 01:39 PM
I thought you might find this interesting. Here is a picture of my Dot, followed by the Wildkat. Both pics taken in the same light only a minute apart.

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h16/auroraohio/Guitars/023.jpg

http://i60.photobucket.com/albums/h16/auroraohio/Guitars/025.jpg

As you can see, the Wildkat are the same color. They are both Rosewood, but there is a distinct difference. I cleaned the Wildkat today and no sign of dye came off on the rag. Both pics were taken after cleaning and using Fret Doctor.

Wow!

The bottom pic is dyed rosewood????

Looks nice and "ebony" from the pic, Strum. :D

just strum
March 31st, 2009, 02:59 PM
Wow!

The bottom pic is dyed rosewood????

Looks nice and "ebony" from the pic, Strum. :D

The grain is much tighter than Rosewood, plus during cleaning and conditioning there was no dye residue on any of the rags. The guitar was built in Korea in December of 1999. Someone checked Epi catologs beginning in 2000 and there is no mention of ebony. If it is dyed rosewood, they did a good job, plus I've never seen rosewood as dense as this appears to be.

Whatever it is, I like it and the guitar, so I guess it really doesn't matter.

Plank_Spanker
March 31st, 2009, 03:16 PM
The grain is much tighter than Rosewood, plus during cleaning and conditioning there was no dye residue on any of the rags. The guitar was built in Korea in December of 1999. Someone checked Epi catologs beginning in 2000 and there is no mention of ebony. If it is dyed rosewood, they did a good job, plus I've never seen rosewood as dense as this appears to be.

Whatever it is, I like it and the guitar, so I guess it really doesn't matter.

It sure looks ebony to me as far as the grain goes...............no scattered pores like rosewood.

And you're right - who cares? :D

ZMAN
March 31st, 2009, 04:35 PM
I used the Fret Doctor today and this was the results.
Before.
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/Stewz/P3310082.jpg

After
http://i15.photobucket.com/albums/a392/Stewz/P3310083.jpg
A little bit of a difference.

goonrick
April 9th, 2009, 06:48 AM
If you're not concerned about a bit of yellowing in the fret markers, you can use tinted Briwax which should be available at woodworking stores on on the internet. It's a paste wax instead of an oil, but it goes on much the same as a oil. You just rub it on and buff out the finish. I've found waxes to be excellent in applications where your hands come into contact and a fretboard is an excellent example of this. The tinting in the wax should give an even more pronounced darkening affect than did the lemon oil.