I'm looking at my Pau Ferro strat with a beeswax application next to the screen, and I'm seeing basically identical results. I love the look of a well-polished pau ferro, but if you want it dark, you'll have to use a stain. Thanks for proving what this stuff actually is. It's a nice wax for adding moisture and grain definition, but so is beeswax, which is also excellent for any good wooden furniture at home.
Finally an honest video on this product. Some guys are making videos and talking like "miracle wax"!! It is not gonna change Pau Ferro in old Brazilian rosewood, maybe a bit darker and oiled, that's it. Thanks for your honest review.
I eventually fell for the orange look of Pau Ferro, after a light sanding the feel under my fingers is nice. I now appreciate it for what it is though like many it used to bother me.
Thanks for your comment. What kind of guitar is it where you have the Pao Ferro board? Did you apply anything after sanding it (lemon oil maybe)? Cheers, Lukas
@@LMGuitarCorner Hello, a Jazzmaster and a Jaguar both Vintera. I used a combination cleaning and hydrating solution after. The process did nothing for the color but improved ( for me) the feel. By “sand” I mean micro mesh starting at around 1500 and working up to 12,000. Cheers. ( I avoided applying oil as this could cause the wood to swell and result in raised or uneven frets after the fact).
There is a big gap between cheap FENDER Pau Ferro and nice custom builders Pau Ferro, it's used in high end instruments and has a very nice feel under the fingers when played. The cheap stuff feels like 400 grit sandpaper.
The only Fender Pau Ferro I've played thus far is my Road Worn with is quite nice and definitely not like sandpaper. I need to try a Player Series when I get the chance though. Cheers!
I’ve done a few applications personally. The main things I’ve seen that make a difference. Use lots of lighter fluid and scrub really well to get all moisture and dirt off the fingerboard. The stain will not get as dark if the board doesn’t have a clean board to apply to. Secondly apply liberally and really work the wax into the wood. Rub it around for a while. Lastly. Leave it on for at least 24 hours for the first time. Once there is a base layer down it’s much harder to get it darker after that because the initial layer of wax is the one that’s going to impact the wood the most. The darker you want it to get the longer you leave the first layer on. After application you do not need to used fingerboard oil anymore. The wax is moisturizing the wood already. And it creates a layer to protect the moisture from getting out.
Hey James. Well I used lighter fluid and left it on for quite some time. The instructions also say to apply it multiple times for a darker result, so I don't think I did anything wrong. On what kind of fretboard wood did you apply it on? Cheers, Lukas
@@LMGuitarCorner mine were on very light colored rosewood. It didn’t get nearly as dark as the really dark board you showed. But I think those factors I mentioned do help the process. I have also found leaving the board in sunlight to help melt the wax a bit helps. As others have said pau ferrous grain is much tighter so perhaps there was a limited amount of darkening possible.
I’ve found results vary. I treated a Laurel fretboard on an Epi 335 and it got MUCH darker. A friend brought over a Jackson with a Laurel fretboard and it didn’t darken up nearly as much. Both were one 24 hour coat, both were cleaned with lighter fluid first…it was the same. I did the neck of a Gibson SG with a fairly dark board and it went darker and accented the red….came out gorgeous
Hi! Very interesting, thanks for sharing. With some fretboards it apparently works great, with others not so much, even when it's the same kind of wood. Since filming the video I haven't used it on any other fretboard... but I have a Squier with a Laurel fretboard and a couple of guitars with Rosewood fretboards and might give it a go next time I change the strings. Cheers, Lukas
The only thing I'd use for my unfinished fingerboards (e.g., rosewood or pau ferro) is Fret Doctor. Look it up. It's very different to mineral oil, looks beautiful and protects the fingerboard. Use it very sparingly, though. For my oil-finished roasted maple tele neck a tiny bit of carnauba wax twice a year does the trick beautifully. Fast, smooth and hard. Only semipermanent and never sticky.
Hi there. Great to hear that it worked well on your guitar with a Pau Ferro fretboard. I don't think, however, that leaving it on for a couple of hours more would have yielded a different result. I can't remember the exact hours, but I applied multiple layers and left it on for 1.5 days for the second layer. Cheers, Lukas
Thanks for posting this. It's far and away the most helpful review I've seen of Montypresso because of the extra time you took to apply so many coats. The end finish looks great, but I'm honestly wondering whether ordinary shoe polish would give a similar result much cheaper.
Pau Ferro is such a tough one to work with in regards to darkening, from my understanding the wood grain is so tight that it becomes difficult to darken through means such as Monty's Wax or even staining. It's an improvement, but if dark Pau Ferro is important to you, you're better off just waiting for a guitar with the darkest color Pau Ferro from the start. That being said, over long periods of time the Pau Ferro can darken significantly with just the oils from your fingers.
Hey Bryan, thanks for your comment. A dark Pau Ferro fretboard would be a nice thing that I'd like the look of, just like dark rosewood. It's not a must and I don't plan to sell the guitar and get a custom shop instead :D It's interesting that you say that even staining wouldn't work all that well as it has been suggested several times now. Cheers Lukas
Pau Ferro of my strat became darker just by playing. Mine looks like its relics itself. Not worn, but you see where its been played most. Looks pretty cool to me. Using wax or some kind of oil after cleaning did not make that much difference and after playing a week its already gone.
I use it all my rosewood and pau ferro fretboards and it noureshes and feels great as well as darkening the look.Much better on rosewood as far as darkening .You'll never make pau ferro look like rosewood tho ,you will need a stain for that but dont forget it will stain your dots too so maybe masking tape dots over the actual dots will work there ?
Agree with Charles and your commentary, this seeems to be a really laborious process and it's a pretty pricey product for a tin of compounding polish, even if it goes a long way.
Appreciate this comparison! I have a road worn Jazzmaster that I've considered darkening with the Monty's. Seeing the results, I'll probably just leave it. Or maybe try something more extreme someday if I really want to darken it. Agree with other commenters that the tight grain of Pau Ferro is likely the reason it takes so much effort to darken. There's just not much open space for the wax to get in and stain the wood.
I’ve ordered both of the Montys wax products and I’m looking forward to seeing the results. While your fretboard only looked slightly darker it did also look a lot warmer - closer to a lighter rosewood than a pao ferro - which is nice. I’m going to try it on both an Indian Laurel and a lighter rosewood fretboards and see what happens. You do also have the added bonus that your fretboard is thoroughly treated, nourished and moisturised after those 5 applications.
Hey there! Yup it looks "healthy" now for sure. I hope you get great results. If you don't forget about it I would love to see picture (before & after). Your comment with the link will be blocked at first, but I will unblock it of course. Cheers, Lukas
I think one of the biggest problems with wax is, unless you really get it melted from friction, it wont penetrate the wood grain. It leaves a slight film finish on the wood that will rub off over time. This results in the wood not really darkening much. An oil would be better for these types of things. I also am trying to darken my PF fretboard and so far, waxes have been a fail for me.
Hey Timothy. Not sure about oil, but a dark stain would probably work well. Haven't tried it yet, but next time I'm at a DIY store I might pick up a bottle. Cheers, Lukas
@@Bourbon-Canted-Ky-Windage Or, from a tip I saw elsewhere, a lightly applied hair dryer! I haven't tried that yet, but I have a Gretsch 5422TG wih a laurel fingerboard. That's had half dozen (or maybe more) overnight treatments with Montypresso, and it's gone really dark and lovely looking.
I you don't want to use naptha, you can use 0000 steel wool to clean both the frets and the fingerboard to get the grime off. If you use naptha, make sure you have plenty of air flow! At 6:00 it looked much better! Monty says over time, it gets darker, I guess they mean months ...
Hello there, thanks for your video. I have this wax for a year, and depending on the fretboard, it had different convincing results : baked maple gets really dark since it's really light, rosewood can vary. I have many guitars, and all got their necks and frets "sanded" a bit with steel wool before, and the wax stayed there for at least 48h hours before removing it. All is a matter of patience from the start
Hey there, thanks a lot for your comment. I suppose you meant sanding the fretboard, not the frets. Makes sense to roughen it up a little, but doesn't that also change the way the fretboard feels? Also, do you have any personal experiences with Pau Ferro? Cheers, Lukas
@@LMGuitarCorner Using steel wool will change the feel of the fretboard, and will actually brighten it up, ofc, but in the end you're adding the wax, so it will become darker again. I've never tried Pau ferro, not that I don't like it, but I never had the occasion to have a guitar with that. How do you like the tone and feel under the fingers?
I don't particularly like or dislike it. I only have it on the Roadworn and would have preferred rosewood. Feelwise its different to rosewood because it is denser. Maybe better comparable to ebony. Can't image it has a considerable effect on the tone, though. Cheers
Hi, that particular rosewood fretboard you showed us was probably one of if not the darkest rosewood fretboard I’ve ever seen. I wouldn’t expect any temporary color change dressing to make pao ferro or indian laurel look like that rosewood you showed. I have seen some fairly dramatic changes using Montpresso but it depends on the wood. Not sure why. Monty does a video and shows a slight change after a few minutes so that should give an idea what to expect generally. Like all things YMMV. Cheers. Thanks for sharing your video and for someone finally being willing to go the whole way and put it thru its paces. Most go maybe 30 minutes. Thanks again.
Thanks for the kind words, Steve! The rosewood fretboard is on my American Professional II Tele Deluxe and is indeed pretty dark. Not sure if it is actually the darkest of all my guitars or if it is just the lighting in the video, but certainly a great looking fretboard. Yeah unfortunately you can't turn Pao Ferro into Rosewood, but that's alright :) Cheers, Lukas
@bluwng That might be the case. But I'm pretty confident that the rosewood board on my Tele Deluxe wasn't stained, unless Fender also does that with modern guitars, but I've never read anything about that.
I've darkened the Pau Ferro fretboard of my Player Strat easily with dark rifle Stock oil. Used it instead of lemon oil at the first two or three string changes, the fretboard becomes darker than in the Video.
I think you have to take into consideration that the Pau Ferro has a striated color pattern. The lighter shades, which is a nice contrast, will never get as dark as a dark rose wood board. It looks really good..
I agree with you---it simply looks like a slightly darker shade of pau ferro. I don't think it's worth the 31 quid it costs. As a fellow owner of a pau ferro f'board I have tried all sorts of products to darken it and none of them make much difference. I think the only solution would be wood stain, which I am reluctant to use. Looks like I will have to live with it---or maybe sell it!
Hey there. Thanks a lot! I didn't dare to use wood stain either. Which guitar / model with a Pau Ferro board do you have? Personally, I wouldn't sell my Road Worn 60s just because I don't love the color/tone of the fretboard - but if you're unhappy with your guitar overall, it would make sense to look for another one you enjoy more. Cheers, Lukas
@@LMGuitarCorner It's a Fender Mexico Standard Precision bass---one of the last before they were discontinued. I do like it, it's just that pesky Pau Ferro. I guess the Standard series is now replaced by the Player series---which still has Pau Ferro so I think I'll keep it. I just wish I still had my old 1962 Precision which had a lovely dark rosewood board! --John.
Hi there. I haven't had the chance to try one of the first run Roadworn guitars. Do you happen to know the differences in specs? Is it also nitro finish. Cheers, Lukas
Thanks for the great video! Are the sides of the fingerboard you darkened darkened? I am concerned that only the surface of the fingerboard will be darkened and the sides will be lightened.
Hi! Thanks a lot for the kind words. There isn't a noticeable difference, although I didn't use the wax on the side fingerboard. Hope this helps. Cheers
True, but Monty advertises it this way. Apparently, that's to a certain extent marketing talk and doesn't hold true in general or for all kinds of woods
Montypresso is a conditioner. You do not need to apply fingerboard oil after it. It is also a wax with color in it which means that if it does not get absorbed by the wood it will not color it. So subsequent applications make little difference since the wood is conditioned and sealed by the first application. Just use the montypresso everytime your fingerboard needs it. It will absorb the colored wax and every time and it will get darker and darker every time you use it. The only thing you managed here is to waste a lot of expensive product.
You're right. The way you describe it would be the best to handle it. Maybe I wasted some of the wax, but saved some of the viewers from applying it this way on their Pau Ferro fretboard. I took one got the team so to speak ;) Cheers
I wonder if after you take the wax off if you put more lighter fluid on it to make the wood dry again so it could soak up more of the wood stain, or if every 3-6 months or so when you change strings and oil the fretboard to use the montys instead of lemon oil, if it would darken overtime?
Just curious….Should the first application be left on the longest as to not “seal” the grain causing subsequent longer applications to not permeate the grain as well?Loved the demo, and to me, the grain really pops and is absolutely more beautiful! Thanks.
Thanks a lot! The instructions don't indicate that you should leave the first application on the longest, they simply state to wait for 5 mins to 48 hours after buffing it on. I guess if you have the time you should leave it on as long as possible and repeat a few times for a better result. Cheers!
@@LMGuitarCorner Thanks. I ordered one of each, the natural and the relic wax. I figured I can use the dark as needed and seal it with the natural on several light fingerboards and use the natural on my darker ones only. I may try a piece of Saran Wrap over the dark application so it doesn’t dry out as quickly and absorbs better. I’m always thinking outside the box. Appreciate the video.
Am I crazy (don't answer that :), but in the before and after shown at 9:03, I don't see a difference that would make me think you had applied anything that changed the look very much, and I might actually like the before better.
That really looks good, even if you didn't get the results you wanted.......But dude ..... Stain Markers are the way to go ! You won't be getting any of that slop underneath your frets and down the tangs.
Pau Ferro is a very hard type of wood that makes it very difficult for the wax to penetrate. after 5x treatment I find the result deplorably bad and on top of that the wax is also very expensive! I think that if you play a lot and treat your fretboard with lemon oil (much cheaper) every time you change strings, you will achieve the same result in a while!
Thanks for commenting. At some point I will try it on a Rosewood fretboard as well and hope to get a better result there. I didn't know that Pao Ferro is particularly hard. However, I know that Ebony (and Maple) is harder than Rosewood. Cheers, Lukas
@@LMGuitarCorner You can compare Ebony with Pau Ferro, these types of wood are very similar in terms of density of structure and hardness. Rosewood is softer in texture and therefore has a warmer tone than Ebony Pau Ferro or Maple. Pau ferro will darken over time and if you regularly treat the fretboard with lemon oil, it will also darken over time. I have here a Suhr Reb Beach strat now 12 years old that also has a Pau Ferro fretboard and that fretboard is now almost as dark as Roswood!
That's the first time I hear about this, but it makes totally sense. Thanks for the tip! I did it as they showed it in their official video (lighter fluid) and thus expected a more dramatic result. Did you try it yourself the way you've described it? Cheers, Lukas
Hey there. Apparently, it isn't, but it's advertised this way by the company selling it: "Applying it to open-grained woods darkens and relics the lightest shades of grain while giving a smooth, gloriously grubby finish, and let’s be honest who doesn’t like one of those. (...) Montypresso has two main applications, the first, when applied to an open grain fingerboard, made from such fine timbers as rosewood or pao ferro, it will darken the wood to the rich, shade of golden-era Brazilian rosewood with the look and feel of a well-played board."
@@5150show Sorry to hear, that it didn't work out for you as hoped either. Really wished it would give both of you the results you were looking for. Cheers, Martin
@@LMGuitarCorner I have brought the Bethnal Green set of pickups from Matt as well as a 50s loom for my 19 Les Paul , can’t be more than happy then I am now with that set up . Matt’s pick ups brought my Les Paul alive . Shame about the montypresso
What’s a shame is Fender can stain the Pau Ferro dark during the preliminary stage prior to finishing and I’m not sure why they aren’t doing that.. Must be a cost thing. No one likes these Pau Ferro fretboards. Fender should use Indian Laurel or Ovanhkol or perhaps Richlite. It would solve many of these problems many of us have with Pau Ferro. It just doesn’t aesthetically fit classic fender appearance.
That can't be good for the fretboard long-term. I mean look at this mess: 7:40. Anyway, there's no way I'm buying this product after watching your video. I might as well use Dunlop lemon oil. Thanks for the effort.
Hey there. Never heard of a Pao Ferro neck... they are usually maple, especially if it's a Fender guitar. Also, usually the finish of the neck is satin, and not the fretboard, which should be open pore just as the one on my Mexican Strat in the video. I exclusively applied it to the fretboard, not the neck. Cheers, Lukas
Buy Dr. Duck's AXWAX and String Conditioner. Put it on your fretboard. Let it sit for about 10 minutes and wipe off the excess oil. It will be darker than your five layer of the wax you wasted you time with. Plus if you wanted a dark fret board why didn't you buy a guitar with an Ebony or Rosewood fretboard. Pao Ferro looks best when it lighter as is shows off the grain of the wood which looks fantastic...I got a Epiphone Les Paul Custom Pro in Koa, all mahogany body and neck, with the Pao Ferro fret board. I used a very light coat of the Dr. Duck's and it slightly darken the light parts of the fret board but the wood grain stripes got real dark making it look absolutely amazing...I got a Schechter C-1 with an Ebony fret board which looks cool all shiny black but the POA wood grain is way better looking when conditioned...
Hey there. I have guitars with Ebony and Rosewood fretboards, but unfortunately Fender doesn't sell Road Worn Strats made in Mexico with that. Cheers, Lukas
@@LMGuitarCorner No not on a fretboard, but lots of experience with wood. Wood is wood. Just follow the dye instructions then seal it with something like Monty's Instrument Food. Since you're going to be playing on it make sure it's bone dry with every step.
You should have took an image of each application result and put them side by side. Not sure why you oiled it after 5 layers of wax! I just use tung oil once or twice to darken. Then usually mineral oil a couple times a year.
