Ebony fretboard is dyed black. Here is an image of the guitar I have.
Ebony fretboard is dyed black. Mar 6, 2022 · Most guitars, especially in the last 10+ years, have dyed ebony fretboards. But several years ago, they switched to a water soluble dye that was prone to rubbing off onto the player's fingers and bleeding onto the top finish. I used micro mesh sheets to polish the wood after the stain was fully dry (24 hours later), then Fret Doctor to condition the wood and bring out the grain. Maybe Yamaha dyed the Ebony to make it more uniform in color, and you are wearing off the dye? May 18, 2022 · There are many examples I've seen of newer guitars having striped ebony bridge and fretboard, particularly on the 18 series. However, the ebony has many open pores -- almost like rosewood, whereas the ebony fretboards on my other guitars are very dense and have virtually no pores. The guitar's body is a black/grey colour but the rosewood fretboard looks out of place to me and I think it would look better if it was black/ebony. Ibanez, Solar and Edwards are jet black, super tight grain and what I expect when I see “Ebony” written. Here is an image of the guitar I have. If you look up Taylor Guitars Ebony on Google you will find some general information about the history of harvesting ebony (for examples that are predominately black) and the problems it has caused for the species. Although I happen to think that non-black ebony is beautiful, yes, it's fairly easy to dye the stuff, if that's what you want. Apr 14, 2025 · Apparently Martin has been dying many of the Ebony Fretboards for decades. Jun 28, 2018 · I wouldn't doubt that dyed fretboards are still used but personally I have not encountered them in any recently made guitars. Hey guys, I know this is bit of a controversial topic but I was thinking about dying my fretboard black. I prefer the solid black ebony but like this one as much or more than any of the others I've seen with streaks and I think it would go well with the Offset Special's vintage sunburst finish. Feb 17, 2024 · Page 2- Do light streaks on a new ebony fretboard darken over time? General Acoustic Guitar Discussion May 15, 2019 · The fretboard is dark brown ebony with some lighter streaks in it. Jul 25, 2013 · The standard ebony that we have here would be open to having some wood streaks in it whereas ebony (black) would be the darkest material that we have on hand and would be giving you the "jet black" look that everyone is used to. Mar 8, 2011 · The dye will settle in after a couple of weeks, especially if you let the fretboard dry out. Mar 2, 2011 · TS, it is absolutely possible to dye Rosewood, StewMac sells fretboard dye. I know Gibson would not do that. I thought that Martin used to dye it's ebony black, and I'm wondering if that's stopped for some reason? 0018 Striped ebony I actually kind of like it, but it's quite a bit different from what I've seen in the past. The grain is far more important to me than the color and of the 4 guitars I have with ebony boards, there’s some variation across them. The natural ebony look has become more popular in the last 10 years, to the point that some companies like Kiesel charge extra for slabs of ebony showing more figuring than is typical. Apr 11, 2025 · Martin has traditionally dyed their ebony using alcohol soluble aniline, like leather dye. We don't dye the ebony at all so the possibility of have some added wood grain is going to be there. May 16, 2008 · If you look around at black fretboards, a lot of them you see have been dyed. Fiebings is a longtime favorite, but there are other brands, such as Lincoln. Jul 9, 2025 · Doesn’t bother me and if it did I’d just dye it. . 00 minimum order. Apr 12, 2023 · The shiny completely black fretboards on guitars are usually dyed ebony to remove the lighter streaks. I have to ask the same question about Gibson. On my Classic Custom it is almost like rosewood that has been dyed black. Use a good masking tape along the side where the fretboard meets the neck and the top (I like Scotch 2080), and be careful. Does Gibson dye any of their Fretboards? No real idea, and never really thought about it as it’s not at the top of my concerns. Jun 12, 2002 · I recently acquired a Les Paul Classic Custom which has an ebony fretboard. Ebony with more red tones has its origin at lower altitudes and from soil with greater iron content. I've run across articles where people dye their rosewood board to look like ebony but that isn't quite the same as ebonizing a much cheaper wood. Not all ebony is dark black. Alternatively I've heard leather dye works as well, but I'd stick to what I know and just go with StewMac's rub on dye. 530-346-6590 Ebony Fingerboard Blanks *please note, we have a $30. Try not playing the guitar for a couple of days and leave it out of its case. Mar 13, 2023 · All of the black stains tend to result in black that is 'black but bland', 'lifeless' in a way -- I found that crossing a stain cycle with a bit of red (like 'mahogany red') made the black 'more alive'/'vibrant'/'pop better'. And then I saw it's a very common problem with E-II ebony. Consider it a kiss from Mother Nature! And depending on the piece Apr 11, 2025 · In answer to the OP, an ebony fretboard is fairly easy to dye with black leather dye. It's a feel method to get just a little color involved so try on practice wood before you go on your final project. If anyone's done this before, what tips could you give on doing this right? Also, how often will I have Dec 2, 2013 · Generally, the darker ebony is found at higher altitudes and from older trees. E-II ebony fretboard users, how do you deal with the black stain? I got my NT7 evertune a couple of years ago and quickly noticed that my fingers got black stains after playing for a while. Oct 20, 2010 · My goal wasn't to make the wood black, just richer brown. tfyujvxtmugqgtrnfkizextokymgwmqcjgpxsjzsklclkedplrqxc