darkening fretboard?

[Dominik Gräber]

Close to next year I want to build in a golden Syn pickup into my red Schecter c1 classic and also give it a fresher look. So I was thinking if there was a way to darken the fretboard a little so that the inlays come out even more. Now I know that for some types of darkening you have to cover the inlays. If you know the c1 classic you know that is no option. The inlays are crazily complex. Are there any ways you know how to get a fretboard darker?

 

[Ed Seith]

Just don’t wash your hands before you play and it will darken naturally.

 

[Filip Tomiša]

hahaha that’s true, I just cleaned my fretboard today and it became much brighter.

 

[Jak Angelescu]

The only thing I can think of is a wood stain that they use for furniture. But man i’m not sure about going around inlays and stuff. It would probably be really tedious but i’m sure with a q tip and a steady hand you could. Hopefully someone else can give you better answers.
It sounds gorgeous what you’re going for though!

 

[Hiroshi Nakauye]

Stewmac.com sells black fingerboard “stain” but it is just India ink. Maybe just pick some up from an art supply and follow the instructions that are on the stewmac product page.

 

[Dominik Gräber]

@Ed true, but I Like to Clean my fretboard when changing Strings lol
Also it wouldn’t be evenly spread.
@jak @Hiroshi I want to bei Sure to cause no damage to the Inlays so i’m a little unsure here

 

[Hiroshi Nakauye]

From the looks of it on their website it seems like it will clean off of the inlays. But with any kind of modification to the finish there is no absolute guarantee. The least damaging thing would be to clean the fretboard and condition it. The conditioner will soak in and darken the wood a little.

 

[Noah Berends]

I can’t remember off the top of my head what the fretboard material is on that guitar, but on my Blackjack SLS, the ebony fretboard usually darkens a shade or two when I clean it with lemon oil.

 

[Dominik Gräber]

Thanks for the tips guys! I will think about it. Maybe I won’t risk it though

 

[Jake Young]

I had a Syn Custom-S and the fretboard had more wood grain than I would have liked..so I did my research and found that stew macs “Higgins India ink” is the best way to go..but I’m an impatient prick and wanted it done! Haha so after some more research I found that Walmart also sells “India ink” in the craft section for calligraphy.. It turned out how I wanted but it does bleed off a tiny bit on your fingertips for the first few weeks….and every time you clean it. Kind of a double edge sword.. It is kind of a tedious process too I used a Q-tip for the whole thing. And you have to be careful around the fret markers cause it will darken them too..but if you get a tiny bit on there it should rub off with time. I was totally happy with mine! But I think your end result will depend on what type of wood your fretboard is to begin with? Let me know if you decide to do it..I’ll give you a few more tips

 

[Dominik Gräber]

Thanks for sharing your experience! I’ll let you know if I decide to do it. But I’m quite indecisive right now.