I just did a Squier Stratocaster neck. I used black leather dye and at first, I thought I'd gone too dark but after soaking in and buff all the excess out it's got this great, dark dark chocolate thing going on. Love the video. Keep up the good work.
Depending on how course wood is also determines how much of the stain it will absorb. For instance if you’re staining wood, sanding it under 300grit will help it absorb more stain and in turn appearing darker than a fretboard that has been sanded to say 1000grit.
Not quite ebony, but still an improvement. They make special stains and dyes just for doing extra dark black shades, one of those might work better. I think minwax makes one. I've used Keda wood dyes to tint rosewood fretboards on multiple builds. But their "black" is a mere dark indigo.
@@IPGuitars I'm still looking for the perfect solution. So far from vids I've seem online, india ink seems to give the best results - even better than Minwax true black.
@@normbarrows I looked into india ink because of your comment, and it seems that in terms of looks it works, to the point that StewMac sells it. However, I'd be a bit worried that it's not waterproof (it's basically fountain pen ink). Would that mean that the ink would transfer if sweaty fingers touch it?... Not sure, but I also wouldn't want to find out with my instrument. I'm looking for a solution as well... It occurs to me that maybe it it's sealed with oil afterwards it would work though. Have you tried that?
@@mercedesescobarmusic No, I've pretty much stuck with aniline dye (Keda) mixed with water, not alcohol. I'll use it to tint a fretboard or dye a maple fretboard brown - for example. Despite being water soluble only a little rubs off when applying oil. These days I'm into lightening, not darkening fretboards: ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-B3hAX2YwwJM.html
Thank you :) and awesome! Atleast maple opens up a whole variety of color options for you. Just make sure that the maple fretboard isn't lacquered, as that would require a bit more work than described in the video.
Head's up, you're not getting rid of contrast by scraping the dots, you're INCREASING contrast because you're increasing the depth/difference between light and dark tones. For example, a black and white checkerboard has 100% contrast, where a black and grey checkerboard has we'll say 50% contrast; since the grey isn't as light as the white, you're reducing the difference between light and dark tones. So by scraping the stain off the dots and making them more light/white/vibrant/pop you're increasing the contrast between the dots and the board. Just wanted to let ya know!
Wow, did I really say I was getting rid of contrast?🤦🏼♂️ What a brainfart, because -as you also said here- that makes no sense. My bad, sometimes my brain thinks two different things at a time and it comes out as just a combination of nonsense. Probably in this case "Removing stain off the dots to create contrast" became "removing contrast by removing the stain" :D
Try Iron acetate instead. Wood must be sanded. Wont affect the dots but will penetrate on wood up to 2-3mm. 2 coats would do, in most types of wood. It allows you to see the wood grain, and if the guy plays a lot and wears the fretborard, the underlaying clear wood wont appear! In addition: It´s so cheap. . . . (Clear vinegar + iron wool + time) Greetings
Oh absolutely a great trick! One that I have done way back when still in school, but never on this channel. I'm reluctant of buying wire wool again, so why I haven't done it in a while. But very good shout this!
Ebonizing fretboards is making a larger comeback for sure as there are easier ways of achieving such nowadays by any diy player/hobbyist out there. I had an experience with an old Yamaha neck from the 90s that was marketed as an ebony fretboard, but it was painted rosewood.
You can stain over on top of the markers. HOWEVER, I recommend you test this on a small part somewhere to see if you can then wipe that marker clean with a cotton swab (with water or IPA depending on your stain). It can depend on what material your inlays are and what stain you use. Good to make sure that you can clean them up before doing the entire board :) If you can't remove the stain off the inlays (rare, worst case scenario) you could try to mask the inlays with masking tape prior to staining. Here you'll need to make extra sure that you burnish the tape down, so that you won't get any leakage. But I'm fairly sure that you can wipe away most stains off of your inlays :)
Nice video, Straight into it, no fluff. One suggestion, if you want to round the edge after staining I'm sure you can roll/compress it with something like the shaft of a large screwdriver, while not affecting the stain.
Wouldn't mind seeing a stain vs the more traditional steel wool in vinegar ebonising. I thin the steel wool is a darker black but seems to flatten details. Stain seems to keep the grain more alive.
There's tons of videos out there about this :) search for "steel wool vinegar stain" and there's a good selection of people using it for different applications. The results also vary quite a lot between different species of wood.
The easiest is with spirits and a cotton swab, if that doesn't remove the stain the best way is by scraping it off. You can use a razor, scalpel, or similar to do this.
While there are generational and subjective differences in what we think looks 'expensive' (black guitars are like white cars IMHO)... this was a great idea. Nice vid, thank you!. I also wonder what effect longer term wear is going to have.... an inverse result of those worn maple boards (think Buchanan Tele ...)? Speaking of maple ... if/when I try this... I may consider a clear thin lacquer coat to go for that ebony sheen. Thanks again.
Thanks for liking the video! :) When it comes to wear it won't quite be as like worn down maple. Lacquer wears down/chips off the top of the wood, meanwhile the stain -in this case- soaks into the wood a bit deeper. It'll wear, but the more open grain will remain darker. And sure, you can apply a clear coat if you want sure, but getting that sheen might be a good bit less work by sanding with higher grit sandpaper like from 800 upwards to even 2000. Trying out on scrap wood is always great if you can, or if you're up for it, experimenting with a guitar that you're cool with doing so to :)
@@IPGuitars thanks, the lacquer would be clear on top of the stain, not instead-of, but that's a good heads up... didn't know that. I'll research whatever they use on strats/teles.
@@IPGuitars hmm... ok, that's what I meant. I need to find out if my definition of lacquer is the same as nitro.. lacquer. In any case... back to the point... a clear 'fender' coat on top of the black dyed fretboard. I'll be doing it on a cheap neck anyway... thanks for your clarifications
Thanks for this! I don't know why but light colored fretboards (that aren't maple) annoy me. Like Indian Laurel. When you played the guitar later, did it stain your fingers at all?
I do get that yeah. And no, no pigment lifted off onto my fingers. This is why the prepwork and oiling is important. It will reduce any of the loose pigment on the surface.
I mean technically, you could just as easily use something like that, if you have a ready mix. While commonly you wouldn't use an oil that hardens on darker fretboards, there is no REAL reason as to why you can't do that :)
I mean once again, yeah a good point. While the point of this process is to try and remove all the pigment that lifts off, there might be some residue left in the beginning. With truoil the same principle applies, it's just that the final finish is different :)
How would you dye the sides if you didn't want to get it on the guitar neck? Mine is finished with true oil, and I don't want to darken it or mess it up. Thanks!
Good question! Just apply masking tape to the neck :) make sure to burnish down the edge of the tape (with your fingernail), so that you'll avoid stain leaking through gaps. What also helps during application is if you do not wet your applicator too much. Just apply the stain in light layers instead of a whole lot at once (which might cause some issues). If you're going to use water-based stain then it shouldn't even stick to an oiled surface, so clean-up should be easy if it does get on your neck.
Of course! This stain is meant for any part of the guitar. Usually you don't really stain a fretboard, so I was just showing how it would work if you did :)
Thanks! And drying time really depends on what you use. Spirit-based or water-based and how much you put on. Water-based will dry slower, spirit-based will dry quicker. But the more you put on the longer it will take to dry. You can see or feel when it is dry. A good rule of thumb: rather have many light coats that one really heavy coat to build up the finish you want.
Hard to recall, but if memory serves this was the spirit-based so I wanna say anywhere between 5-20min between layers. I think I put the oil on like atleast 8h later.
@@IPGuitars Thanks again. I am still thinking about which stain could be the best. Spirit based or water based stain (for the the Fretboard). I want to use the stain for an old classical guitar which i have sanded to bear wood ( Fretboard).
So wait, you don't have to sand the fretboard down before staining it? I watched many tutorials saying that if you don't sand it, the wood won't take the stain. Honestly I would like to avoid sanding
No sanding required. Rosewood fretboards (and the like) are usually only treated with a fretboard oil. This can be removed with alcohol. For a maple board however, those are usually lacquered and will require sanding.
Hello again bro, I did this ebonizing procedure on my Ibanez, but mine was done with Indian Ink. It turned out pretty well and looks great, one thing though, after playing and getting sweaty hands, I have some Ink/Stain coming off and marking on my fingers. Question is, is there any sort of coat that I can apply after the Ink to prevent this from happenning? Thank you in advance.
Did you apply some oil for the fretboard? When you do remember to let it sit for a bit and then rub off the excess. This will also remove any loose pigment
Great question! You can easily clean up the stain from the binding by just scraping it clean with a razor or scalpel blade :) if the binding is under clear coat then easy enough to wipe off with a guitar cleaning product or isopropanol. You can apply the same method to the imitation inlays. If you clean the inlays with the alcohol, just use a cotton swab to do so. Lemme know how it goes if you go for it!🤘🏻
Great questions :) 1) it really depends on the stain and how it was applied. Many woods also darken with age, so age might actually be beneficial to how dark the board will be. 2) as long as you apply the stain on a clean and dry fretboard and let the stain seep into the grain a good bit, you should be fine. Also with the application of the fretboard oil and buffing all the excess off you will also lift off all the pigment that was just left on the surface. Once again, might depend on what stain you use :)
The stain I used is Crimson Guitars Stunning Spirit Stain, so from crimsonguitars.com/shop However if you want to rather order within the EU (like myself from Finland), TLC Guitar Goods has their stains that are great as well
Thanks for checking it out! And honestly, it is up to preference of working. As I work out of the spare bedroom of our apartment, water based stain is my go to because there are no fumes to worry about, oil based and spirit based are great if you have great ventilation and you like the workflow.
Thank you :) And pretty much yeah. If at all possible, I would try to match the color of the original fretboard before stain to make the look more uniform after staining. But only if using wood as the filler. If you're filling the removed inlays with something else, best to try and match the look you'll get after stain, as some materials will not take to the stain as the wood does.
Been looking online for a while now for the best/practical method for doing this on my jackson king v. I really dig how this doesn’t require sanding! But I do want my board pretty much as black as I can get it. Would using this stain get it really dark with multiple coats? Or would you recommend a different product or method?
Oh you definitely don't need sanding for this to be convincing enough :) and yes, essentially as long as you have done your prepwork well enough (fretboard is clean and dry), the more layers you add the darker you can get it. Just let layers cure in between new layers and you should be just fine👌
It depends on what kind of stain you use. Always good to check the instructions on the label :) but for example spirit based stain will off-gas fairly quickly, so adding layers doesn't take long, so I'd usually give it a fair 20 minutes to be on the safer side. Water based will take a little longer, as you wait for the water to dry, depending on how much stain you use (how wet you use it) this can be from an hour to several.
Great question. You should be just fine, stains usually won't stick to clear coat/paint. But you can always just use masking tape to mask off along the side of the fretboard if you just want to make it cleaner for yourself :) The key is not to use too much stain at once. The more stain you have, the more mess you're going to make if it runs all over the place.
Totally agree with the ebony. How did the stain last? When you showed it at the end, it looked as if a bunch came off during oiling / conditioning. If you can take figure out how to stain fretboards you could make a business out of it because most of the legal ebony left is very low quality. Even on brand new Taylors. Thank you for making the video:)
The fretboard is still looking as good as it did at the end of this :) all the pigment that came off toward the end was the surface pigment that hadn't seeped into the wood at all.
Cool! Thank you for the reply. Do you know if any reasons why you wouldn't want to stain a fretboard? Like is someone gigs it outside, down south in the heat? Do you think sweat would make it run even months later? Thank you:)
Well, the goal is to use the stain so that you get it to seep into the wood and remove any of the excess pigment that doesn't do so. So that once you oil the fretboard pigment won't lift off anymore. Even in the scenarios you mentioned.
If you need to sand the fretboard after staining, it will of course sand some of the stain as well and you will need to reapply. So if it's a process that needs doing, do it before staining :) The stain won't come off on your fingers while playing if done correctly. So make sure to wipe off any excess pigment on the surface and when your oil the fretboard, removing the excess oil should remove the loose pigment too and will protect both the wood and the stain better from sweat.
Thanks, glad you liked the video! I actually am just about to work on my first Pau Ferro fretboard, but it shares a lot of qualities with rosewood. It's also a fairly oily wood, so isopropyl alcohol would come in handy for cleaning it before any stain would be added.
@@IPGuitars that's exciting! When do you plan to do it? PF appears to be more denser than RW tho, I hope it absorbs the stain with minimal residue on fingers when playing.
It shouldn't that much. Once you oil the fretboard after the stain has cured, it sort of "protects" it. When you rub off the excess oil, you're also removing all the loose pigment on the surface, which would have come off otherwise. Other than that it should be pretty fine. I have an acoustic I did this with last year and I'm yet to get any pigment on my hands :) But just like with any oil+stain finish, over the years you will see wear as you play, but it shouldn't really come off onto your hands as such.
I mean sure, if you'd have the right sized little stickers that would work (or cut out masking tape bits). It would work, but with -at worst- needing to clean up sticker residue, it also might end up being even more work🤷🏼♂️
Heya, to sand the fretboard properly I would've needed to pull the frets and refret it. Also, I didn't need to :) cleaning it up and removing the excess oils on it are more than enough to get the stain to stick.
Hi, Did you sand the fretboard beforehand? In the beginning it looks like it had been sanded a little but I just want to make sure before I do this on mine.
I only cleaned it. To sand the fretboard properly, you'd have to remove the frets. You could potentially scrape it clean as well, but honestly, just using something like isopropyl alcohol to clean the fretboard is far easier :)
One of the great aspects of neurodivergence is the brain thinking faster than my mouth can keep up🙃 I try to do my best with editing in these cases most of the time
Does this work on a maple fender neck? I have a black fender Stratocaster that has a maple neck and I just can’t stand the look because it’s a black guitar so I want to make the neck black
Maple necks are usually lacquered (definitely so if it's a Fender), so your only option if you want to stain it is to strip it down to bare wood, which means sanding, scraping, and if you want it done right refretting (pulling off the frets, sanding down the entire neck to wood, staining, refretting, applying clear coat). So unfortunately, not as easy of a task. Or alternatively, scuff sanding the neck and then painting it black, before applying clear coats again.
You can definitely use water-based stain for this. Just make sure to thoroughly clean the fretboard beforehand and add a few layers. Let it cure and dry off properly before adding any oil on the board :)
If you've cleaned and dried the fretboard properly then no :) at first with oil added, some pigment will lift off, but if you just rub out all the excess oil and buff it up, it will be just fine.
Hey mate, I've done the process on my guitar but even using lemon oil after the staining process I get my fingertips dyed black after playing for awhile :( any recommendations?
Make sure that when you apply the lemon oil, you rub off all of the excess oil. You can really buff up the fretboard to make sure that any excess oil (or pigment) won't continue to lift off. Now with some oil on already, you've kind of helped seal in the pigment a little more, so best thing to do is apply a very thin coat of oil again and make sure to buff up and remove all of the excess. If your pigment (stain) is clearly lifting off, then there might be an issue where the fretboard wasn't clean and dry enough before staining and some oil residue (for example) isn't allowing the stain to fully sink in.
Does this work for the back of the neck also? I have a Fender p-bass with maple neck and ebony fretboard and I would like to get a darker neck as the headstock and the body are black.
For the neck itself you will need to strip it to the bare wood. After that you can stain it and apply a finish. You won't really be able to put stain on top of a lacquered neck. Other option is of course paint.
My rosewood fretboard was finished with true oil. Can I use the stain directly or do I have to sand it down before? Does the stain gets in the skin of the fingertips when playing?
You'll need to get rid of the oil first, so that the stain will stick. Denatured alcohol, lighter fluid, or fretboard cleaner of sorts should be enough to remove it. Once you've applied the stain, be sure to apply some fretboard conditioner (oil, e.g. lemon oil). Apply the oil and buff out the excess. This should create a protective layer on the stain and at the same time it will remove the pigment that was lightly stuck on the surface that would've otherwise ended up on your hands :)
Also I'm doing it on a bright Maple Fretboard. U can see my stroke pattern and it looks bad. Will this fad or is there a proper stroke pattern to do? I did the little circles like u did in the video
Seeing stroke marks is normal, especially if you've applied only one or two layers on a light colored wood. Just means that you need to blend the stain in a little more. I did little circles, but unfortunately didn't explain that quite well enough, so: During application of the stain, what you want is a uniform finish. Depending on the brand of stain, your results may vary, so a test piece is always a good idea if you have access to one. Essentially in the video I do little circles to wipe on the stain as a way to rub in the stain into the grain. During repeated action I gauge how the stain blends into itself and aim to get rid of any stroke patterns. Wiping off excess stain is really important, so you can do the final wipes with the grain to try to even everything out. You may need to do several layers, so with each consequent layer, you can see that the stain starts to get to a more uniform finish. Keep up this process until you have your desired color. If the stroke patterns are too prominent even after a new application, you might need to lightly sand between layers (400-800 grit, REALLY lightly). If the stain seems to just move on the surface of the fretboard and not seep into the grain, you might need to make sure that you have prepared the surface properly. Especially with maple boards that could have a clear coat on them as stain will not penetrate that.
Yes, exactly the case. In the video, I should've been more clear about this. I used the tip to clean off some very specific parts. While yes, with a fresh blade you can easily get the inlays cleaned with the flat, for some reason I chose to not do so here, when that would be what I usually suggest in doing🤦🏼♂️
Ah cool, lemme know how it turns out :) for other luthiery supply stuff in the US, check out StewMac. They've got pretty much everything. Had a quick look, they even specifically have a "Black fretboard stain"
I have used Crimson Stunning Stains and TLC Guitar Goods suStains. Those are ones I have experience with. They all work pretty much the same and come as either water or spirit-based, and mix well together within the brands. And together as well oddly enough. The kind of final coat you are looking for really depends as well. Sprayed on clear coats, then you're pretty good with either. With Oil, CG stains go either way. Some of the stains lift the pigment off A LOT during oil application (blues and black spirit-based). But as a type of stain, I would definitely recommend water-based if you're doing stuff at home because a) it's easy and b) they don't stink😆 Water-based just dries slower, but are super easy. Purpleheart is a rather oily wood, so it might require spirit-based, which are also easy, however a) need ventilation due to fumes b) need to dispose of rags safely.
Would this stain work on a Pau Fretboard? I tried to get my fret board darker with a stain marker , after 3 days it darkened a bit but it just seems that Pau Ferro doesn't suck in stain. Great Video Thanks for Posting
Some exotic woods are fairly oily and take stain a little harder, however if you clean the fretboard properly and get it dry enough, spirit stain or leather stain should work pretty well to darken it.
Scraping things clean is a matter of whether the stain sticks to the material and whether you want the dots cleaned up or not :) in the end it becomes a matter of personal taste
Should do, once again, just need to be sure to remove any excess of oils before you stain. Of course results always vary, due to grain patterns, but you can always add a few layers. Pau Ferro is pretty dark to begin with, so you should be just fine.
Should do, once again, just need to be sure to remove any excess of oils before you stain. Of course results always vary, due to grain patterns, but you can always add a few layers. Pau Ferro is pretty dark to begin with, so you should be just fine.
Respectfully, the situation of having a neck that will be painted is unusual for the non-luthier. It would have been much more helpful for you to show how to work with say, a bound neck.
If done properly it won't. Of course over age it will wear, just the same as any finish really, but with proper prep to get the stain to penetrate a little, and oil on top, it'll be good for a while. Wearing also will depend on the stain that was used as well.
You can use any kind of water or solvent based stain for this. Another very good product is leather stain. I strongly recommend also testing the stain before application to your actual work :)
Technically yes. But any sort of paint will wear down faster and look more obvious. A stain or even leather dye will seep into the grain of the wood and will therefore wear down at a much slower and less obvious way :)
After a bit of reading up (and not having used either in a long time) it seems that I hadn't updated my information, as naphtha at least used to be an ingredient in lighter fluid (or some of them). Nonetheless when I did use lighter fluid 10 years back I did not notice it leaving behind any residue either. Thanks for actually making me look this up and update myself on things a little more! :)
@@IPGuitars We all learn from each other brother! Thanks for the video, I picked up some tricks from you. I've found that Naphtha also dries out the fret board a little bit....making it thirsty for stains and conditioning oil. Seems to soak it up a little better especially when dealing with tighter grain woods like Pau Ferro. Rock on!
I'm wondering if I can PAINT my fingerboard black. I'd like to paint my ENTIRE STRAT black. The headstock, the back of the neck, the fingerboard. Everything except the strings and pickup posts I guess.
I mean, yes, you CAN. However, the difference with paint and stain on the fretboard is that the stain seeps into the grain of the wood and the paint is a layer on top of the wood. Essentially if you paint the fretboard, it will start coming off as you play and the strings wear out the paint. This can of course be lacquered afterwards, like Strat maple boards usually are. Paint is also much much thicker and if not done well enough, will feel a little "off" to play. Also, while you can paint the fretboard, it is much more difficult and time consuming to get right. Just a little heads-up :)
I used the spirit stains, which dried up pretty quick. I'd say that give it a good 10-15 minutes at the very least for best results before oil :) with water-based I would rather go hours. You can tell when the stain has dried by how it looks. Any splotching and wait a little longer :)
@@IPGuitars Thanks. I tried to darken the fretboard on my LP to make it look more vintage accurate. I think where I messed up was not cleaning and drying out the fretboard well enough for the stain to absorb properly. The stain has rubbed off from playing. So I am going to make another attempt to darken it.
Ah yeah, good to make sure you get the wood as close to "untreated" as possible with cleaning it. Essentially giving the best odds for the stain to absorb into the wood grain and stick. Any residue, oils, or build-up will inhibit the results. Hopefully your next try will go off without a hitch though! :)
Over the years, yes. But it won't be as obvious as paint wearing off as the stain penetrates the wood more. If you're staining a darker wood already, the wearing will show even less :)
Either by sanding, acetone/alcohol of some sort. Really depends on the type of stain and how good a job you did when you applied it. It might come off easy or it might be a pain.
If it feels like you'll need it sure. But usually you should see a good result in just two. BUT very much depends on the stain you use, some take more to the surface than others
I'm so sorry, I COMPLETELY mistook which video you were commenting on🤦🏼♂️🤦🏼♂️ Stain-wise, it depends on if you're using water or spirit based, because you need to let them fully dry. This will read on the label for the stain you've chosen. Layerwise, I usually might do two for this sort of thing, but honestly it depends on how dark you want and how long until it is that level of black. As for oiling afterwards, one layer on the board, then wipe off the excess. The cloth is just paper towel here.
