Rosewood Fretboard Stain

[NICQ]

I have a neck with Rosewood fretboard that is way too brown for my taste... I read that StewMac sells a stain that makes rosewood look like ebony.. has anone tried this?

[mackerelmint]

I've seen "ebonized" maple fretboards. They look cheesy and off. I'm sure rosewood would work better, but i'd be hesitant.

[axehound]

You can use shoe polish but you really have to polish it out so that there is no residue left to get into your wound strings. First clean your neck with napha. Next use the shoe polish until you get the desired color,then go one step darker. Next rub it out with a clean cotton rag until the color dosn't show on the rag anymore. If you want the fret board to shine, mist it with water and buff it out.
Please note this dosn't work for everyone and you may not like the results so do this at your own risk.

[alexdm]

Fret doctor seems to get fantastic feedback, although I never tried it.
General consensus (yeah, right, on the internet....) seems that you should use some kind of oil, anyway, not shoe polish - tru-oil, danish, linseed, mineral, some even tried olive oil, mind you.

Try boiled linseed oil, apparently is a good option. But the boiled one, remember.

[Jet]

avoid shoeshine, you need something that goes "in" the wood, that your fingerboard will absorb.
i wanted to do that as well for one of my guitars, but never found a solution that sounded good or reliable...

[Fenderguy]

Fret doctor, no doubt!

[zakmaster]

You can use shoe polish but you really have to polish it out so that there is no residue left to get into your wound strings. First clean your neck with napha. Next use the shoe polish until you get the desired color,then go one step darker. Next rub it out with a clean cotton rag until the color dosn't show on the rag anymore. If you want the fret board to shine, mist it with water and buff it out.
Please note this dosn't work for everyone and you may not like the results so do this at your own risk.

This is a horrible idea. Not your worst post, but perhaps your worst advice.

If the fretboard plays great, you will learn to love it. If it isn't a great fretboard, changing it cosmetically won't be enough. Don't damage it, find something you like better.

[NICQ]

Shoe polish sounds as weird as some people using markers on the whole fretboard - I'd never try that..

I read bout his stain used to dye leather - stewmac sells it too.. people use it with success to "ebonize" their worn fretboards... I love this neck (great satin finish) but the rosewood is very brown'ish and I'd prefer it so be more dark/even black... read a lot about oils but they do not darken the fretboard permanently and they bring out the grain more - something I do not really need. I used lemon oil a couple of times but it didn't really change the color of the wood..

Stain or dye sounds better - googled a lot ot pics from people with mostly gibson guitars who darkened their fretboards.. looks good seems to be quite messy to apply though...

[axehound]

You can use shoe polish but you really have to polish it out so that there is no residue left to get into your wound strings. First clean your neck with napha. Next use the shoe polish until you get the desired color,then go one step darker. Next rub it out with a clean cotton rag until the color dosn't show on the rag anymore. If you want the fret board to shine, mist it with water and buff it out.
Please note this dosn't work for everyone and you may not like the results so do this at your own risk.

This is a horrible idea. Not your worst post, but perhaps your worst advice.

If the fretboard plays great, you will learn to love it. If it isn't a great fretboard, changing it cosmetically won't be enough. Don't damage it, find something you like better.

It's not advice,just something I have seen done.Would I do it, no, but some might want to try it. I guess you missed the last sentence in my post. People do all kinds of weird stuff their guitars,you know,like taking a belt sander to it to make it look old, or put stickers all over it ect.
My advice, would be to contact a builder and have one built with the fret board of your choice or to look for one on Ebay with good pics and a good return policy.
On the other hand,I have seen rosewood fret boards done this way with shoe polish and it made the board look better than it did before. Would I do it, No. The look of the fret board is one of the things on my list when buying a new guitar. It's your guitar, do what you want. You want another idea? How do you like this one,...wait for it..hair dye.

[saxjag]

I suspect that people are talking about two different things here. By "shoe polish" do you mean the quick-dry liquid stuff, or the thick waxy stuff?

[axehound]

I don't know, but I would think the liquid stuff would be better as far as staining the board, deep. I got the impression that the people who do this just use the kiwi stuff that comes in a can. Either way, I would not like my guitar smelling like a shoe. What is Fret doctor and how is it different than any other die? Does it smell like a fret board?
If you don't like the color of your fret board and you don't want to buy a new neck,what options do you have?

[zakmaster]

I don't know, but I would think the liquid stuff would be better as far as staining the board, deep. I got the impression that the people who do this just use the kiwi stuff that comes in a can. Either way, I would not like my guitar smelling like a shoe. What is Fret doctor and how is it different than any other die? Does it smell like a fret board?
If you don't like the color of your fret board and you don't want to buy a new neck,what options do you have?

Just so it's clear, you don't know how it's done, and you wouldn't do it, but you suggested it to the OP.

My limited research (because I think this idea is bad) would seem to indicate some people do this on maple boards to get a played in look.

[zakmaster]

Edit - sorry. Carry on...

[HorseyBoy]

Fret Doctor is great stuff (you get it here: http://beafifer.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;) but it won't necessarily darken your fretboard. It might darken a little as a result but that's not really what Fret Doctor is for.
I'd just leave it alone and live with it. A darker fretboard isn't going to feel or sound any better.

[NICQ]

Hmm yeah.. but I'm just curious coz I came across some ideas and pictures like this



and wanted to know if someone had tried that..

If it works non-destructive it would be an option for a neck I like to play but is too brown for my taste..