Glossy/shiny fretboard only possible with ebony?
- Thread starter Dabatross
- Start date
pzaxtl
Gibletsologist
Re: Glossy/shiny fretboard only possible with ebony?
Yeah, you can burnish the wood with a micro abrasive sandpaper but it will be a pain to do well without removing the frets. Start with a 15 micron paper (1000x) and next with 5 micron, (2500x) finishing with .5 micron (9000x). Keep in mind that rosewood is a ring porous wood so it won't look as shiny and smooth as ebony, which has no visible pore structure.
Alternatively, you can apply a couple coats of Tung oil, letting each cure first, then buff to a low luster sheen. It won't be glossy, but it will provide some luster. It'll take a couple weeks to do properly by letting the oil cure.
BTW, make sure you use real, 100% tung oil. Many products that are labeled as Tung oil are not -- they're a wiping varnish. Formsby's, MinWax, etc are examples of faux Tung oil. Check the label, if it lists petroleum products as part of the composition then it's not tung oil.
You can get the micro abrasive paper here:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=33004&cat=1,43072
You can get tung oil here, as well:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=20049&cat=1,190,42942
Yeah, you can burnish the wood with a micro abrasive sandpaper but it will be a pain to do well without removing the frets. Start with a 15 micron paper (1000x) and next with 5 micron, (2500x) finishing with .5 micron (9000x). Keep in mind that rosewood is a ring porous wood so it won't look as shiny and smooth as ebony, which has no visible pore structure.
Alternatively, you can apply a couple coats of Tung oil, letting each cure first, then buff to a low luster sheen. It won't be glossy, but it will provide some luster. It'll take a couple weeks to do properly by letting the oil cure.
BTW, make sure you use real, 100% tung oil. Many products that are labeled as Tung oil are not -- they're a wiping varnish. Formsby's, MinWax, etc are examples of faux Tung oil. Check the label, if it lists petroleum products as part of the composition then it's not tung oil.
You can get the micro abrasive paper here:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=33004&cat=1,43072
You can get tung oil here, as well:
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=20049&cat=1,190,42942
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phil_104
Cheesesteakologist
Re: Glossy/shiny fretboard only possible with ebony?
It really depends on your individual piece of rosewood. I had a piece of rosewood on a les paul studio a little while back that always looked pale and chalky no matter how I treated it and took care of it.
The rosewood board on my guitar at the moment has much nicer grain and color. Just a good oil treatment like for any other rosewood fretboard gives it a nice healthy glow.
I really think the gloss you are describing, as pzaxtl mentioned, is a trait of ebony as per the grain.
It really depends on your individual piece of rosewood. I had a piece of rosewood on a les paul studio a little while back that always looked pale and chalky no matter how I treated it and took care of it.
The rosewood board on my guitar at the moment has much nicer grain and color. Just a good oil treatment like for any other rosewood fretboard gives it a nice healthy glow.
I really think the gloss you are describing, as pzaxtl mentioned, is a trait of ebony as per the grain.
theboatcandream
dreamonologist
Re: Glossy/shiny fretboard only possible with ebony?
Can you find some pictures of the look you're going for?
Can you find some pictures of the look you're going for?
Re: Glossy/shiny fretboard only possible with ebony?
hey guys thanks for the replies.. i'm going to try and find a picture of the look i'm after but it could be difficult. i think you're probably right though that its mostly a trait of the tight gain on ebony wood. Just a description of what i'm talking about, if you see a new ebony guitar the fretboard will usually shine as you look at it from different light angles. comparably, if you look at a rosewood fretboard it doesn't have a shine to it at all. the sanding might work with 1000-2000 grit, but i'm not sure if it's going to give the luster i'm looking for. i probably wouldn't want to mess around with tung oil on the fretboard too much because i tend to bite my fingernails a lot and i'd end up eating half of the oil that was on the board lol
hey guys thanks for the replies.. i'm going to try and find a picture of the look i'm after but it could be difficult. i think you're probably right though that its mostly a trait of the tight gain on ebony wood. Just a description of what i'm talking about, if you see a new ebony guitar the fretboard will usually shine as you look at it from different light angles. comparably, if you look at a rosewood fretboard it doesn't have a shine to it at all. the sanding might work with 1000-2000 grit, but i'm not sure if it's going to give the luster i'm looking for. i probably wouldn't want to mess around with tung oil on the fretboard too much because i tend to bite my fingernails a lot and i'd end up eating half of the oil that was on the board lol
ImmortalSix
John Mayer's Mankini
Re: Glossy/shiny fretboard only possible with ebony?
I have an Epiphone Dot with a rosewood board that I can see myself in
It is possible.
I have never done anything with it except play the pants off of it
I have an Epiphone Dot with a rosewood board that I can see myself in
It is possible.
I have never done anything with it except play the pants off of it
subanots
New member
Re: Glossy/shiny fretboard only possible with ebony?
its probably been buffed. does it have film in the pores, that you can scrape out? as in buffing compound?
its probably been buffed. does it have film in the pores, that you can scrape out? as in buffing compound?
