Darkening a rosewood fingerboard

[Clarky]

Hi, just modded a US Fender P to my specs (see Gear Porn). The only thing that rankles slightly is that the rosewood board is relatively light coloured, both compared to my 1990s-built Fender CIJ P-bass and to any vintage P bass I see on this Forum or elsewhere (presumably years of 'funk' causes this to happen naturally).

Given that I am trying to recreate a vintage feel (with the aged DiMarzio creme pickups and celluloid scratchplate etc) I would prefer it to be darker - cosmetic I know but thats what I want.

So is there a neck cleaning oil (lemon oil maybe?) or similar which also darkens the wood and artificially accelerates the natural process?

Cheers Clarky

Edited July 27, 2008 by Clarky

[budget bassist]

You can use dye to darken it, i know somebody that's done it, not sure what he used, i can ask if you like?

[Clarky]

[quote name='budget bassist' post='249295' date='Jul 28 2008, 12:53 AM']You can use dye to darken it, i know somebody that's done it, not sure what he used, i can ask if you like?[/quote]
Thanks for offer - I was really hoping that some kind of neck cleaning/preserving product would do the trick (just as oiled wooden furniture is often darker than untreated). Straight dyeing sounds a bit of a recipe for disaster to me, at least in my clumsy hands!

[BOD2]

Lemon oil will initially darken the rosewood a bit - especially if it's very dry - but it doesn't tend to last long. Don't be tempted to add more lemon oil as it won't be absorbed and just end up messy and have to wiped off.

It's not uncommon to stain fingerboards - it makes cheap rosewood look more exotic - but the problem would be finding a stain that doesn't come off on your hands if it gets sweaty.

[escholl]

i've got some dunlop 2 part fingerboard cleaning stuff that darkens the board...but you have to re-do it about once every season. it cleans the fretboard as well, which is the main reason for using it.

[Clarky]

Thanks for advice gents (or ladies?)

[NoLogic69]

Fast Fret, darkens the wood, makes it feel great and cleans your strings! Really easy to apply, cost about a fiver and lasts for ages!!

[budget bassist]

Yeah lemon oil does darken the wood, but only for a day or two i find. Though i'm starting to quite like the grain on my MM's fingerboard, very pretty. I didn't like it much before.

[lee650]

Hi Clarky
You are right the older p;s have a darker colour due to sweat and oils andprobably loads of rubbish in the air i,e smokey clubs, just a thought is yours rosewood or pau ferro, as pau ferro is a lot lighter in colour, i would do what a lot of people have suggested and regularly clean the board with lemon oil, oh and play and play and play and keep playing again for another ten years, get all those finger oils in there, i have a Jv squire jazz from 1982 ive had it 15 years myself and the rosewood board is a lovely deep reddy brown colour love it, but the lemon oil works wonders.
take care mate- lee



Hi, just modded a US Fender P to my specs (see Gear Porn). The only thing that rankles slightly is that the rosewood board is relatively light coloured, both compared to my 1990s-built Fender CIJ P-bass and to any vintage P bass I see on this Forum or elsewhere (presumably years of 'funk' causes this to happen naturally).

Given that I am trying to recreate a vintage feel (with the aged DiMarzio creme pickups and celluloid scratchplate etc) I would prefer it to be darker - cosmetic I know but thats what I want.

So is there a neck cleaning oil (lemon oil maybe?) or similar which also darkens the wood and artificially accelerates the natural process?

Cheers Clarky
[/quote]

[Mr. Foxen]

Reckon teak oil would work? It darkens wood you finish with it, dunno how it works though.

[Dr.Dave]

I ran out of my ancient bottle of lemon oil and a guitary mate gave me some in a 35mm film container. When I went to apply some I noticed it was dark so I rang him. He said he'd been mixing a bit of 'button polish' in it for years to darken his fretboards. I tried it - it works. Subtle.

Though I haven't the first clue what 'button polish' actually is or where to get it.

[TDM]

You can use leather dye.

There are some tutorials here
[url="http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/sevenstring-org-workbench/8862-tech-how-fretboard-care.html"]http://www.sevenstring.org/forum/sevenstri...board-care.html[/url]

[fekalizatorius]

I also am trying to darken up my fingerboard. My bass has a VERY light colored fretboard, but the bass itself is gloss black, so I`m trying to get the fretboard as dark as possible, without resorting to dye.
PS. Dr.Dave, could you ask your buddy about the ingredients in that magical darkening polish. That stuff sounds interesting :]

[john_the_bass]

I had somet called fret doctor recommended to me - it cost me about 16 quid shipped from the US from [url="http://www.beafifer.com"]www.beafifer.com[/url] - I think it was originally intended for use as a bore oil for fifes to stop the wood drying out and cracking and somebody used a bit on a fingerboard. I recently used some on my SG (which had a very light fingerboard) and it's made a big difference with the small amount that I used - the wood looks like it's restored to its natural colour and seems to have hydrated to the point where it's expanded a bit and the previously sharp fret ends don't feel as sharp. I'm going to use it on the rest of my rosewood boarded guitars now (my basses are both maple so I don't think I can use it)

Edited September 12, 2008 by john_the_bass

[Clarky]

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='282336' date='Sep 12 2008, 08:59 AM']I had somet called fret doctor recommended to me - it cost me about 16 quid shipped from the US from [url="http://www.beafifer.com"]www.beafifer.com[/url] - I think it was originally intended for use as a bore oil for fifes to stop the wood drying out and cracking and somebody used a bit on a fingerboard. I recently used some on my SG (which had a very light fingerboard) and it's made a big difference with the small amount that I used - the wood looks like it's restored to its natural colour and seems to have hydrated to the point where it's expanded a bit and the previously sharp fret ends don't feel as sharp. I'm going to use it on the rest of my rosewood boarded guitars now (my basses are both maple so I don't think I can use it)[/quote]
Nice one! I have ordered some on your rec

Thx Clarky

[john_the_bass]

I thought it was really good Clarky - I'm usually quite sceptical about stuff like that, but I thought feck it, it's only 15 quid if it doesn't work (I'd been made redundant, so I did have all of 17 pounds burning a hole in my pocket ), then it's not so bad. I only used a tiny bit (like 10 drops on a bit of cotton wool) and left it for about 5 minutes (I think you're supposed to leave it longer) but it's made a difference already.

I showed the results to mrs jtb-to-be who said the fingerboard looked less chalky - if she can spot the effect then that says that it's doing something, and "less chalky looking" means it must by rehydrating it. My SG is 2000 and I don't think it had been played much, but I don't think it had been lemon oiled regularly.

[Clarky]

[quote name='john_the_bass' post='282355' date='Sep 12 2008, 09:16 AM']I thought it was really good Clarky - I'm usually quite sceptical about stuff like that, but I thought feck it, it's only 15 quid if it doesn't work (I'd been made redundant, so I did have all of 17 pounds burning a hole in my pocket ), then it's not so bad. I only used a tiny bit (like 10 drops on a bit of cotton wool) and left it for about 5 minutes (I think you're supposed to leave it longer) but it's made a difference already.

I showed the results to mrs jtb-to-be who said the fingerboard looked less chalky - if she can spot the effect then that says that it's doing something, and "less chalky looking" means it must by rehydrating it. My SG is 2000 and I don't think it had been played much, but I don't think it had been lemon oiled regularly.[/quote]
sounds perfect, the board on my recently-acquired MIA P bass looks like it has barely been played and certainly never oiled in its six years of life

[Adrenochrome]

On my ancient JapCrap EB0, which had a very dry fingerboard, I used a polish designed for antique wood that was based on tung oil. That worked really well and darkened it also. I wouldn't recommend leaving it on too long on a newish bass though.