Darkening a rosewood board

[rfield54]

Does anyone out there have experience with staining a rosewood fretboard darker? Is there a type of stain that lasts a long time and doesn't stain one's fingertips? This would be for a solid cobra I ordered last week...Ruby Slippers with a black headstock, M1 M1 M3. I already had Steve at Wildwood Guitars ask Tom for a dark piece of rosewood. Thanks for any replies. - Roy

[tom]

mike tobias used to use clairol black hair dye. i can't imagine that it wouldn't come off some. be careful to not get it where it doesn't belong.

[rfield54]

Thanks for the reply, Tom. Last night online I came across a thread on Harmony Central regarding a product called Professional Oil Dye by a company called Fiebing's. Apparently, it's used by Gibson and PRS to darken streaks in their ebony boards. I'll look further into it and the Clairol product as well. This might be a lot of hassle for the sake of vanity, but there's something to be said for a DARK fingerboard on a red guitar with a black headstock.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Finishing_supplies/Colors,_tints,_and_stains/1/Black_Fingerboard_Stain/Pictures.html#details

[tom]

i am personally not a fan of dying fingerboards. be careful to not soak the wood.

[rfield54]

i am personally not a fan of dying fingerboards. be careful to not soak the wood.
Thanks again, Tom. If I do go this route, I'll go one fret at a time - applying a small amount with a Q-tip...then buffing after a timed duration. I would remove the neck and tape it well before hand.

[ryman150]

Why not just use a darker type of wood? Ebony, etc?

[mbrown3]

Why not just use a darker type of wood? Ebony, etc?

Because then he'd have to replace the whole fretboard...

[tom]

and then it would sound like ebony.

[ryman150]

I meant if it was being built from the get-go.

I didn't realize RW and Ebony had a huge tonal difference. What would say is the main difference? :cool:

[mbrown3]

In my opinion, ebony is harsh and sterile sounding...rosewood is warmer. Ebony can complement a guitar well if the other woods "go with it," I suppose, but I've never liked the sound or feel of it. Also, it supposedly doesn't hold up real well over time (especially on a maple neck), so a lot of builders don't like using it.

[rfield54]

It's actually a preferred fretboard wood for acoustic guitars...and synth guitars as well - it's on five of my Godins (6). I have a Warmoth Strat neck (maple) with an ebony board and I can't use it...tonally way too brittle.