Ive just converted my RBX170 (Rosewood Fretboard) into a fretless, and after all the sanding it went through, the fretboard is looking pretty dry. What do you guys recommend using to bring back the nice dark colour and to put some life back into it???
I am no certainly no expert, but I would use some dark colored wood stain to bring out that color the fret board should be. Then I would add several (10+) thin coats of super glue for that smooth texture. Make sure you dont use oil-based products on your bass.
Actually, on all my unglossed fretboards, I rub linseed oil into the wood - keeps it at a nice moisture level, and keeps the wood looking slightly darker than that awful "powdery" hue you get with new or freshly sanded boards. On fretted boards I use a cotton bud soaked with the oil and rub it in so I can get right up to the fret edges. I leave it overnight, then gently buff the board with a lint-free cloth - does the job every time!!! I have done this on ALL my rosewood and ebony fingerboards over the years - Alembics, Sei Basses (8 of them so far!!), Fenders, Nordy, Lakland and so on. As for the superglue idea on fretless - you would need an awful lot of the stuff to fill the pores and grain of the wood, then you'd need to re-shoot the neck to get the profile flat - which may result in rub through of the superglue. Also, I am not sure about how the superglue would sustain prolonged playing - might be rather brittle? If you were thinking of a coated fingerboard, you would be best checking out the Thor Epoxy coating site. Myself, I prefer the natural growl you get from strings on wood!! Here's my latest fretless in construction - shouldn't be too long before it's ready now!! (macassar ebony full facings and fingerboard!) {} {}
Ernie Ball Wonder Wipes Fretboard Conditioner. Best fretboard conditioner I've used.......and they smell good too.
Is that raw linseed oil or boiled? Ive got both in the garage, and was wondering what i could do with them...
I have been using boiled lindees oil for the past couple of years - I had a bottle of raw prior to that, but one of my friends borrowed it and I never got it back! hahahaha Use a cotton bud to apply it on fretted basses, or a cloth on fretless - dead easy - let it soak into the grain overnight, then give it a buff up in the morning - your rosewood fretboard will look great!!
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