Not really a bass question, but a repair question

[tooloudalex]

I had a guitar come into the soph today, and the frets are giving off a black residue, and i cant figure out why. the guitar is maybe a month old? its not the strings, ive tried changing them, ive cleaned the fretboard off with standard fretboard cleaner and nothing is working, help please?

[tooloudalex]

anybody?

[T-Bird]

Hi.

You really need to give us something to work from.

What kind of frets?
What bass?
What kind of strings?
Got sweaty hands?

Usually the "black stuff" on fingers after playing a stringed instrument is oxidized copper from the cuprous alloys used on phosphor bronze strings/frets. Mostly experienced by ABG or ACG players.

What does it taste like?
Exept foul .

Regards
Sam

[tooloudalex]

It's a 50's reissue telecaster guitar, its in on repair so I don't know the fret material or sweaty hands lol, its maybe a month old, I remember ordering it for him, its a maple neck, fender bullet strings, ill taste it tomorrow haha

[tooloudalex]

Bump

[JTE]

Mask off the fingerboard (I assume it's a maple board because it's a '50s Telecaster, if it's rosewood you probably don't need to mask of the board) and buff the frets with the hardware sponge equivalent of 0000 steel wool. It sounds like somethings on the frets or they're reacting with something used to clean the neck at some time.

John

[tooloudalex]

ill defiantly give that a try JTE, im really baffled by this, its starting to get to me haha

[rumblethump]

I've had nickel strings leave my fingertips black.

[Pilgrim]

It's oxidation from SOMETHING...perhaps reacting to unusually acidic sweat from the owner?

[ZombieSpacebat]

I had something similar happen to me a few years ago, apparently from very acidic sweat on the strings. Switching string brand solved the problem.