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Thread: Lighter colored Rosewood Fretboards

  1. #1
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    Default Lighter colored Rosewood Fretboards

    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.
    Last edited by ZMAN; March 3rd, 2009 at 10:21 AM.
    The Blues is alright!

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    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.

    "No Tele For you." - The Tele Nazi

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  3. #3
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    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.
    Last edited by ZMAN; March 3rd, 2009 at 06:22 PM.
    The Blues is alright!

    Guitars: 1968 Gibson SG, 2005 Gibson SG Standard, 2006 Gibson LP Classic Gold top, 2004 Epiphone Elitist LP Custom, 1996 Gibson Les Paul Standard. 2001 Epiphone Sheraton II, 2007 Epiphone G400.
    Fender Strats: 1996 Fender 68 Reissue CIJ, 2008 Squier CV 50s, 2009 Squier CV 50s Tele Butterescotch Blonde

    Amps: Blues Junior Special edition Jensen in Brown Tolex with Wheat front, 65 Deluxe Reverb reissue,1970 Sonax reverb by Traynor, Avatar Custom 2/12 Cabinet with Eminence Legend V1216 speakers,
    2008 DSL100 Marshall Amp , Fender Super Champ XD,Fender Vibro Champ XD

    Effects and Pedals: Fulltone Fulldrive II, Fulltone OCD, Fulltone Mini Deja Vibe, Fulltone Fat Boost, Dunlop Crybaby Wah, Boss DS1, Boss DD20 Giga Delay, Boss TU2 tuner, Boss BD2, Ibanez TS9 Tube screamer, Zoom 505. Radial tonebone hot british.

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    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.
    The Blues is alright!

    Guitars: 1968 Gibson SG, 2005 Gibson SG Standard, 2006 Gibson LP Classic Gold top, 2004 Epiphone Elitist LP Custom, 1996 Gibson Les Paul Standard. 2001 Epiphone Sheraton II, 2007 Epiphone G400.
    Fender Strats: 1996 Fender 68 Reissue CIJ, 2008 Squier CV 50s, 2009 Squier CV 50s Tele Butterescotch Blonde

    Amps: Blues Junior Special edition Jensen in Brown Tolex with Wheat front, 65 Deluxe Reverb reissue,1970 Sonax reverb by Traynor, Avatar Custom 2/12 Cabinet with Eminence Legend V1216 speakers,
    2008 DSL100 Marshall Amp , Fender Super Champ XD,Fender Vibro Champ XD

    Effects and Pedals: Fulltone Fulldrive II, Fulltone OCD, Fulltone Mini Deja Vibe, Fulltone Fat Boost, Dunlop Crybaby Wah, Boss DS1, Boss DD20 Giga Delay, Boss TU2 tuner, Boss BD2, Ibanez TS9 Tube screamer, Zoom 505. Radial tonebone hot british.

  5. #5
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    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.

    "No Tele For you." - The Tele Nazi

    Ha! Tele-ish now inbound.

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    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/cust...-pictures.html

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

    Where are you finding this stuff being sold?
    Mark
    * Loud is good, good is better!

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    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.
    The Blues is alright!

    Guitars: 1968 Gibson SG, 2005 Gibson SG Standard, 2006 Gibson LP Classic Gold top, 2004 Epiphone Elitist LP Custom, 1996 Gibson Les Paul Standard. 2001 Epiphone Sheraton II, 2007 Epiphone G400.
    Fender Strats: 1996 Fender 68 Reissue CIJ, 2008 Squier CV 50s, 2009 Squier CV 50s Tele Butterescotch Blonde

    Amps: Blues Junior Special edition Jensen in Brown Tolex with Wheat front, 65 Deluxe Reverb reissue,1970 Sonax reverb by Traynor, Avatar Custom 2/12 Cabinet with Eminence Legend V1216 speakers,
    2008 DSL100 Marshall Amp , Fender Super Champ XD,Fender Vibro Champ XD

    Effects and Pedals: Fulltone Fulldrive II, Fulltone OCD, Fulltone Mini Deja Vibe, Fulltone Fat Boost, Dunlop Crybaby Wah, Boss DS1, Boss DD20 Giga Delay, Boss TU2 tuner, Boss BD2, Ibanez TS9 Tube screamer, Zoom 505. Radial tonebone hot british.

  8. #8
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    Quote Originally Posted by ZMAN
    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.

    "No Tele For you." - The Tele Nazi

    Ha! Tele-ish now inbound.

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    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.
    Mark
    * Loud is good, good is better!

  10. #10
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    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.
    The Blues is alright!

    Guitars: 1968 Gibson SG, 2005 Gibson SG Standard, 2006 Gibson LP Classic Gold top, 2004 Epiphone Elitist LP Custom, 1996 Gibson Les Paul Standard. 2001 Epiphone Sheraton II, 2007 Epiphone G400.
    Fender Strats: 1996 Fender 68 Reissue CIJ, 2008 Squier CV 50s, 2009 Squier CV 50s Tele Butterescotch Blonde

    Amps: Blues Junior Special edition Jensen in Brown Tolex with Wheat front, 65 Deluxe Reverb reissue,1970 Sonax reverb by Traynor, Avatar Custom 2/12 Cabinet with Eminence Legend V1216 speakers,
    2008 DSL100 Marshall Amp , Fender Super Champ XD,Fender Vibro Champ XD

    Effects and Pedals: Fulltone Fulldrive II, Fulltone OCD, Fulltone Mini Deja Vibe, Fulltone Fat Boost, Dunlop Crybaby Wah, Boss DS1, Boss DD20 Giga Delay, Boss TU2 tuner, Boss BD2, Ibanez TS9 Tube screamer, Zoom 505. Radial tonebone hot british.

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    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.

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    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!!
    The Blues is alright!

    Guitars: 1968 Gibson SG, 2005 Gibson SG Standard, 2006 Gibson LP Classic Gold top, 2004 Epiphone Elitist LP Custom, 1996 Gibson Les Paul Standard. 2001 Epiphone Sheraton II, 2007 Epiphone G400.
    Fender Strats: 1996 Fender 68 Reissue CIJ, 2008 Squier CV 50s, 2009 Squier CV 50s Tele Butterescotch Blonde

    Amps: Blues Junior Special edition Jensen in Brown Tolex with Wheat front, 65 Deluxe Reverb reissue,1970 Sonax reverb by Traynor, Avatar Custom 2/12 Cabinet with Eminence Legend V1216 speakers,
    2008 DSL100 Marshall Amp , Fender Super Champ XD,Fender Vibro Champ XD

    Effects and Pedals: Fulltone Fulldrive II, Fulltone OCD, Fulltone Mini Deja Vibe, Fulltone Fat Boost, Dunlop Crybaby Wah, Boss DS1, Boss DD20 Giga Delay, Boss TU2 tuner, Boss BD2, Ibanez TS9 Tube screamer, Zoom 505. Radial tonebone hot british.

  13. #13
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    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.

    "No Tele For you." - The Tele Nazi

    Ha! Tele-ish now inbound.

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    What is recommended if you want to clean and then treat the fretboard - Formby's Buildup Remover (green) and then apply Fret Doctor.
    Mark
    * Loud is good, good is better!

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    Quote Originally Posted by ZMAN
    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.
    Mark
    * Loud is good, good is better!

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    Quote Originally Posted by just strum
    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.
    Guitars: 2008 Gibson SG Classic, 2006 Gibson Les Paul Standard LE, 2002 Gibson SG Supreme, 2001 Gibson Les Paul Studio Plus, 1996 Les Paul Studio Gem, American Deluxe Double Fat Strat, Bluesville "Super" Strat Copy, MIK Fender "Limited Edition" Tele, JD Bluesville "Night Pilot", Yamaha AES 820, Steinberger Spirit GT Pro, Taylor 355CE, Ovation 1897 Adamas, Ovation CC057 Celebrity

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    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.
    Mark
    * Loud is good, good is better!

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    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.
    The Blues is alright!

    Guitars: 1968 Gibson SG, 2005 Gibson SG Standard, 2006 Gibson LP Classic Gold top, 2004 Epiphone Elitist LP Custom, 1996 Gibson Les Paul Standard. 2001 Epiphone Sheraton II, 2007 Epiphone G400.
    Fender Strats: 1996 Fender 68 Reissue CIJ, 2008 Squier CV 50s, 2009 Squier CV 50s Tele Butterescotch Blonde

    Amps: Blues Junior Special edition Jensen in Brown Tolex with Wheat front, 65 Deluxe Reverb reissue,1970 Sonax reverb by Traynor, Avatar Custom 2/12 Cabinet with Eminence Legend V1216 speakers,
    2008 DSL100 Marshall Amp , Fender Super Champ XD,Fender Vibro Champ XD

    Effects and Pedals: Fulltone Fulldrive II, Fulltone OCD, Fulltone Mini Deja Vibe, Fulltone Fat Boost, Dunlop Crybaby Wah, Boss DS1, Boss DD20 Giga Delay, Boss TU2 tuner, Boss BD2, Ibanez TS9 Tube screamer, Zoom 505. Radial tonebone hot british.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ZMAN
    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.
    Mark
    * Loud is good, good is better!

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