Epiphone Les Paul dry looking fretboard???
- Thread starter RavenMadd
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Lucid_Lunatic
Rebelyellologist
Re: Epiphone Les Paul dry looking fretboard???
I use Gibson fretboard conditioner. It's just an oil. Apply how ever many times the wood will soak it up.
I use Gibson fretboard conditioner. It's just an oil. Apply how ever many times the wood will soak it up.
Empty Pockets
BadHairDayologist
Re: Epiphone Les Paul dry looking fretboard???
i like dunlop lemon oil for this sort of thing
a $5 bottle will oil 25 guitars easily....so the average player won't need more than one a year, and that's if they use it a LOT.
lay the guitar on a flat surface and cover that **** fretboard with lemon oil. Let it sit there and soak. Re-apply to dry spots as it dries, checking on it every 30 minutes or so. Do this until the oil just sits on top of the fretboard in a pool then use one of those yellow polishing cloths or like an old t-shirt and wipe off all the excess oil.
sometimes rosewood is just lighter and won't darken no matter how much oil you apply. If your fretboard isn't getting any lighter and won't absorb any more lemon oil, then, well..............you bought an Epiphone and got $400 worth of guitar, good job.
i like dunlop lemon oil for this sort of thing
a $5 bottle will oil 25 guitars easily....so the average player won't need more than one a year, and that's if they use it a LOT.
lay the guitar on a flat surface and cover that **** fretboard with lemon oil. Let it sit there and soak. Re-apply to dry spots as it dries, checking on it every 30 minutes or so. Do this until the oil just sits on top of the fretboard in a pool then use one of those yellow polishing cloths or like an old t-shirt and wipe off all the excess oil.
sometimes rosewood is just lighter and won't darken no matter how much oil you apply. If your fretboard isn't getting any lighter and won't absorb any more lemon oil, then, well..............you bought an Epiphone and got $400 worth of guitar, good job.
astrozombie
KatyPerryologist
Re: Epiphone Les Paul dry looking fretboard???
amen.
but hey, my TD es-333 is a badass guitar.
as is my 1971 SG standard
amen.
but hey, my TD es-333 is a badass guitar.
as is my 1971 SG standard
beandip
Frito's Better Half
Re: Epiphone Les Paul dry looking fretboard???
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Finishi...ints,_and_stains/Black_Fingerboard_Stain.html
Good for ebony and rosewood if you want it to be black. If you want it darker, but not black, just cut it down a little bit. Of course, you'll have to remove the oil from the fingerboard that you've already applied. Naphtha or mineral spirits will dry it out pretty well. Apply the stain, wipe off the excess, let it dry, then oil as normal.
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Finishi...ints,_and_stains/Black_Fingerboard_Stain.html
Good for ebony and rosewood if you want it to be black. If you want it darker, but not black, just cut it down a little bit. Of course, you'll have to remove the oil from the fingerboard that you've already applied. Naphtha or mineral spirits will dry it out pretty well. Apply the stain, wipe off the excess, let it dry, then oil as normal.
Re: Epiphone Les Paul dry looking fretboard???
As rosewood isn't sealed...you can put a stain on it to make it darker if you want. Then after it has set up for several days, oil it up with lemon oil. I have done this with good success in the past. You will get a little color back for a short period, then all is good.
-dave
As rosewood isn't sealed...you can put a stain on it to make it darker if you want. Then after it has set up for several days, oil it up with lemon oil. I have done this with good success in the past. You will get a little color back for a short period, then all is good.
-dave
Empty Pockets
BadHairDayologist
Re: Epiphone Les Paul dry looking fretboard???
^^ i hate arguing about the minutia of tone, but i would be interested to hear if staining your rosewood is a good idea soundwise.
i guess those laquer-finished Rickenbacker necks don't really mess with the tone too much.
^^ i hate arguing about the minutia of tone, but i would be interested to hear if staining your rosewood is a good idea soundwise.
i guess those laquer-finished Rickenbacker necks don't really mess with the tone too much.
J
Jessie Sammler
Guest
Re: Epiphone Les Paul dry looking fretboard???
I did something wrong when I used this on my RG270DX. I stained the rosewood alright, but I also stained the sharktooth inlays gunmetal grey, and the dye never stopped coming off on my fingers. I finally got sick of it and put a coat of Tru-Oil over it. :laugh2:
It's okay, though, because the guitar has always been my science project, and it now sounds great.:bigok:
I did something wrong when I used this on my RG270DX. I stained the rosewood alright, but I also stained the sharktooth inlays gunmetal grey, and the dye never stopped coming off on my fingers. I finally got sick of it and put a coat of Tru-Oil over it. :laugh2:
It's okay, though, because the guitar has always been my science project, and it now sounds great.:bigok:
beandip
Frito's Better Half
Re: Epiphone Les Paul dry looking fretboard???
I've done it on quite a few, and haven't noticed a real difference in tone.
Jessie, I'm sorry to hear it went that way. It's always recommended that you cover inlays with wax before staining. As for it constantly coming off, I dunno...never had it happen.
There's also several other wood stains out there that can take it to a darker brown. So long as you do things right, you should walk out alright.
I've done it on quite a few, and haven't noticed a real difference in tone.
Jessie, I'm sorry to hear it went that way. It's always recommended that you cover inlays with wax before staining. As for it constantly coming off, I dunno...never had it happen.
There's also several other wood stains out there that can take it to a darker brown. So long as you do things right, you should walk out alright.
SabbathFan0220
New member
Re: Epiphone Les Paul dry looking fretboard???
I used StewMac's black fingerboard stain on my Epi LP and I think it came out great. This is an 'after' pic...
By the way, it didn't effect the sound at all (as far as I can hear)
I used StewMac's black fingerboard stain on my Epi LP and I think it came out great. This is an 'after' pic...
By the way, it didn't effect the sound at all (as far as I can hear)
richard parker
New member
Re: Epiphone Les Paul dry looking fretboard???
I was put off all things Fender a few years ago when a friend was shopping for an amp. He's a lefty Strat player and I remember he tried a Carvin amp that he liked but he wanted to hear me playing a Strat through it. Not being left handed I asked the shop guy to give me a Strat and he handed me a Robert Cray hard tail with a rosewood board. This thing was selling at over £1000. It had the driest board I have ever come across. Bending a string unplugged produced a sound like dragging your nails across a blackboard. It felt like it had been baked in the Sahara for a year. You could have dumped 10 gallons of oil on this thing and it would have made no difference. For the price they were asking or ANY price for that matter it was totally disgusting.
I was put off all things Fender a few years ago when a friend was shopping for an amp. He's a lefty Strat player and I remember he tried a Carvin amp that he liked but he wanted to hear me playing a Strat through it. Not being left handed I asked the shop guy to give me a Strat and he handed me a Robert Cray hard tail with a rosewood board. This thing was selling at over £1000. It had the driest board I have ever come across. Bending a string unplugged produced a sound like dragging your nails across a blackboard. It felt like it had been baked in the Sahara for a year. You could have dumped 10 gallons of oil on this thing and it would have made no difference. For the price they were asking or ANY price for that matter it was totally disgusting.
Empty Pockets
BadHairDayologist
Re: Epiphone Les Paul dry looking fretboard???
^^ That's not Fender's fault. It's your shop's fault. I'm sure the rosewood was perfectly fine a year and a half ago when that thing was cut, built, put in a box, and shipped from California to England...
Any shop worth it's salt has some sort of system for maintaining, setting up and oiling their guitars. At my shop the quota is five guitars a day.
^^ That's not Fender's fault. It's your shop's fault. I'm sure the rosewood was perfectly fine a year and a half ago when that thing was cut, built, put in a box, and shipped from California to England...
Any shop worth it's salt has some sort of system for maintaining, setting up and oiling their guitars. At my shop the quota is five guitars a day.
Zerberus
Baron Von Shred
Re: Epiphone Les Paul dry looking fretboard???
No discernible difference whatsoever, the difference in tone is that of guitar with a natural finish vs that of a guitar with a solid finish.
1/100th of a gram of black pigments and solvents just isn´t that much difference
As far as other colors: very possible and has been done before. Just becasue we luthiers traditionally use black dye to make fretboards uniformly black doesn´t mean one couldn´t use all sorts of colors instead
No discernible difference whatsoever, the difference in tone is that of guitar with a natural finish vs that of a guitar with a solid finish.
1/100th of a gram of black pigments and solvents just isn´t that much difference
As far as other colors: very possible and has been done before. Just becasue we luthiers traditionally use black dye to make fretboards uniformly black doesn´t mean one couldn´t use all sorts of colors instead
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LtKojak
New member
Re: Epiphone Les Paul dry looking fretboard???
Yes, plain vaseline works great!
Wait a second... you're NOT talking about fretboards, aren't you? OUCH! :naughty:
Yes, plain vaseline works great!
Wait a second... you're NOT talking about fretboards, aren't you? OUCH! :naughty:
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kherman
New member
Re: Epiphone Les Paul dry looking fretboard???
Has anyone used Fret Dr?
http://beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm
Has anyone used Fret Dr?
http://beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm
beandip
Frito's Better Half
Re: Epiphone Les Paul dry looking fretboard???
Used it, did the same thing as almost every other plant oil out there. It soaked into the board, and made it darker. But I'll stick with bore oil. It's what I've been using for years, never had a problem, and I like the orange smell.
Used it, did the same thing as almost every other plant oil out there. It soaked into the board, and made it darker. But I'll stick with bore oil. It's what I've been using for years, never had a problem, and I like the orange smell.
