Dyeing ebony?

[rupe]

I would not oil ebony to be honest as it's not much of a grainy wood it would last a very short time looking like that and then you'd have to do it again after 2 weeks..

That goes against everything that I've ever heard about ebony...it dries out easily and is more prone to cracking than any other guitar wood that I've ever come across. The trick is to use the right stuff and not some garbage fretboard oil like Gibson or Dunlop (or anything else containing pertoleum distillates). The best stuff that I've found by a longshot is Fret Doctor.

 

[OUTLAW1969]

Had a friend say that he was going to "freshen" up his Les Paul Custom's fretboard a few years ago with this dye method. Worked great, but DON"T GET IT ON THE BINDING Wipes off of the inlays fine, but takes some effort to clean the binding. He said that he would use a Q-tip next time, to apply it more carefully.

 

[verderacer]

Where you guys stand on Lemon Oil?

 

[rupe]

Where you guys stand on Lemon Oil?

Real lemon oil is a good cleaner but you still want to use a conditioning oil afterward...plus its extremely difficult to find the real stuff. Most commercial lemon oils are simply lemon scented mineral oil...you don't want to let that stuff touch your fretboard as it doesn't penetrate and condition properly (although it will make your fretboard look nice) and can also clog the pores and make it hard to condition the wood in the future.

 

[Digital Jams]

I would not oil ebony to be honest as it's not much of a grainy wood it would last a very short time looking like that and then you'd have to do it again after 2 weeks..

That goes against everything that I've ever heard about ebony...it dries out easily and is more prone to cracking than any other guitar wood that I've ever come across. The trick is to use the right stuff and not some garbage fretboard oil like Gibson or Dunlop (or anything else containing pertoleum distillates). The best stuff that I've found by a longshot is Fret Doctor.

Agreed, I have seen many cracked ebony boards due to drying out. Wood is what wood is and no matter the tightness of the grain it needs fluids. More so than Rosewood.

 

[leib10]

Seems that Fret Doctor is the only real stuff around.

 

[blackba]

Seems that Fret Doctor is the only real stuff around.

I highly recommend fret doctor, its a bit on the expensive side, but does a great job. I was using Dunlop ultimate 65 lemon oil before, but got a residue on the fretboard that eventually wore off. The Fret doctor leaves no residue and lasts a long time. I only apply it every year or so.

 

[leib10]

Is there any place to get it other than the manufacturer's website?

 

[rupe]

I think a few "ma & pa" stores may have it but basically you need to get it from the website...it ships fast. Like Blackba said, I use it approx once per year so the large bottle lasts a long time.