Lighter colored Rosewood Fretboards

[ZMAN]

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]

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]

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]

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.





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]

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]

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.





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.

[just strum]

Wow!

The bottom pic is dyed rosewood????

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

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]

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?

[ZMAN]

I used the Fret Doctor today and this was the results.
Before.


After

A little bit of a difference.

[goonrick]

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.