The Fretboard Of My New Gretsch Sucked So I Stained It
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- Опубліковано 23 лип 2021
- In this video I’ll show you how I stained the fretboard of my new Gretsch. This isn’t the usual tutorial you can find in this channel, in fact it isn't a tutorial at all. This is the first time I’m attempting to do this job and wanted to share my experiences with you.
What do you think? Do you like the end results or it´s awful and a waste of time? Please let me know in the comments!
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Alternative Rock (B dorian) - Guitar Backing Track
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Several people asked how this looks after 6 months of playing so I decided to make a (really) short video showing it. You can find it here ua-cam.com/video/KkoUWnYnruk/v-deo.html
I love how you included "i didn't break anything" in the pros. I can totally relate lol
Try a product called Montypresso. It's a wax based dye that conditions the fretboard and darkens it with each application. It will help maintain the stain and darken it further over time.
A wood known as "Indian Laurel" is often used in place of Rosewood in recent years. This could be an example of that wood. It looks similar to some of my instruments that were advertised as having Indian Laurel fretboards.
Yes, I believe Gretsch use laurel for the fingerboards on their "more affordable" models, as do Epiphone. Fender tends to use pau ferro on their Mexican made models which in my view is even less attractive (I've got one!) I wish they would all go back to rosewood now that the restrictions have been lifted.
It looks better now. Well done! I'm not sure why I was so amused by this video but I found it very entertaining. Literally, "watching paint dry!"
Lol thanks, I'm glad you liked the video! I think it has some of that "restoration channel" vibes. I watch hours of videos from a channel called Hand Tool Rescue, their videos are totally hypnotic lol
This is like my new Spector. It's ebony, but covered in dusty stain (over the inlays too), which came right off with basic cleaning/oiling. I'll be staining it with Minwax. Helpful video and nice work!!
Nice job. I did the same on my Gretsch Laurel fretboard using India Ink, like what StewMac sells. After dry, I added some mineral oil lemon furniture polish.
My experience on a copy of fender precision bass with "rosewood" fretboard:
undiluted, darker than wanted end result stain, more than 12hrs between 2 coats (did only 2 coats, applied the first coat, went about my day and tomorrow did the second) and 2 coats of boiled linseed oil resulted in perfect success.
It's true color turned out lighter than advertised when completely dry - as expected, but the boiled linseed oil brought it back and gave it another dimension.
I didn't scrape off the original paint, but I did use 0000 steel wool to burnish the linseed oil finish and clean frets.
Total waiting time: 3 days
Great color and durable, I have a heavy touch on both hands and it lasts for all these 3 years since I've done it, albeit, the bass is a different animal than a guitar.
Looks good, doesn't look hacked at all. That looks like a factory finish. The steel wool did polish the frets nice too. I noticed some steel wool dust in the nut slots I wonder if that makes the strings less likely to bind in there 😄
Thanks, glad you liked the results! Nut slots are dark because I was using some graphite to lubricate them
Beautiful job.
Thanks!!
Nice work! I don't mind a lighter colored fretboard, so I probably would have elected to clean off the old blotchy "coloring" and gone with a good oil to treat the dryness and it would still give a nice even coloring while darkening it naturally (not as dark as your method of course...but as I said, I don't mind the lighter colored fretboards) Thanks for sharing your process.
Thanks! I usually also don't mind light fretboards but in this case didn't liked the tone of the wood at all. After removing the old stain it was more a pale gray than a light brown wood tone. I hope the stain holds and gets darker with time (fingers crossed)
Gran trabajo. Felicidades
Muchas gracias!
Looks great but a final side by side photo would have been nice!!!
It looks like a laurel fretboard that the factory tried to dye to look more like rosewood. Laurel is a good material for fretboards, but it doesn't look as nice as rosewood or ebony.
I don't recommend steel wool - it gets everywhere, and corrodes metal over time, including the pickup coils. Use sand paper instead.
I made several attempts at staining and dying an ugly pau ferro fretboard. After some failures and more research I discovered that untreated wood is naturally oily, hence why it's tricky to dye.
For best results: sand it with 600 grit to open the grain, clean it with white spirit, then isopropyl alchohol, let it dry out, and then use a "spirit based dye" (like liberon) - don't use a water based dye, or acrylic, or stain. Dyes and stains are different products, but some manufacturers use the wrong term. A dye will soak into the wood, whereas a stain will sit on the surface of the wood (and rub off).
If you want to seal it, apply matt lacquer or wax. Don't use any oils - I found that oils make the fretboard sticky and smelly.
I'm about to dye a walnut fretboard to ebony, hopefully this time it will be 'right first time'. ;)
Ciao! Ho la tua stessa identica chitarra (Gretsch5230T): la tastiera dovrebbe essere in alloro. Io uso direttamente l'olio di oliva dato con un fazzoletto di carta e lo lascio agire per una giornata. Il risultato è veramente molto buono, sembra palissandro. Complimenti per i tuoi video!
Just done my pau ferro precision bass fingerboard with a combination of water based dark wood scratch polish and fretboard conditioner looks absolutely fab couldn’t believe the results & none comes off on your fingers really easy to do but ensure it’s completely dry.
what first you've been applied? the paint or conditioner first?
i wanna try to my pau ferro too
or tell me the flow bro,i need your advice..
Also looking for advice on this method!!
Yeah that looks good! I bet if you treated it with Monty’s Relic Wax now it would add the final touch. I use that stuff steady. And it lasts forever
I found water based dyes work well (water has a natural affinity to penetrate the cellulose structure better than organic solvents).
Thanks for the advice! I was considering water based dyes but I was afraid that the previous stain from the factory was solvent based and made more difficult for the new stain to penetrate into the wood
@@InspiringTracks I did this on a couple of real old necks, and after sanding the fretboard from all grit and old finish. On new , freshly oiled fretboard a water based dye may indeed not work.
Terrific job, man!!!
How long did it take the whole process?
Thanks!! It's also holding up really well! With all the experimentation and waiting between coats I think it took me something like two days but I bet it can be done quicker if you know what are you doing
I am surprised that Gretsch would use a cheaper wood then stain it. Why not use Ebony or real Rosewood?
It feels like the accountants are running the company rather than the Luthiers.
Well, I do like it! In my opinion, the darker the fretboard, the better.
Thanks! I also like it a little bit darker but I was thinking that if some of the stain comes of it'll be less noticeable with a lighter color
Leather dye will def stain the wood. Angelus Dark Brown dye would have been perfect. I've used jet black also for ebony.
I used tattoo ink on mine n looks darker n last a lil more dont know if its cuz it's vegetable ink or the freetboard wood its more absorbing
Next time put a soft layer of china ink first to darken it, then it will get lighter within few rosewood tint coats. To be honest I liked the original disgusting look but I'm a weird guy anyway
Lol thanks for the tip! I was considering china ink but since it's water based and the stain is solvent based I was afraid that this could cause some issues with the wood not absorving the pigments correctly
Use bodyshop Wax & Grease remover first, before you start using any abrasives, otherwise you'll just spread the factory wax based stain & finger oils into the microscopic cells of the wood, preventing fresh stain from penetrating. Repeat several times and allow to evaporate for several hours between applications - you'll need to pull all the natural oils out of the surface. The drier the wood, the more effective stains will be at penetrating and taking hold. Use a solvent based stain, several shades darker than the end result you want and dilute with Naptha (Lighter Fuel) for ultimate penetration. I have found Ebony (Black) stain will ultimately dry a very dark brown on lighter woods. I think chemical blackening is probably the answer - still researching ...
Curious do the stain come off or still looks the same after 6 months? Any black color on your fingers after playing?
Here is the answer! ua-cam.com/video/KkoUWnYnruk/v-deo.html
Looks like the fretboard was very poorly stained after sealing to begin with, and you were battling the sealer the whole way. Great job considering what your were up against.
Yeah, looked great when brand new but after some playing all the factory stain was comming off so it was a really bad staining job, glad you liked the result!
send me some of that steel wool sir cnt find here haha nice vid btw earn my sub:)
Lol thanks for your support!
Dude how did you not get the markers ?
6 months later, how is the stain holding up?
I'm surprised to say that it looks as good as the first day. I'll upload a short soon to show how well it looks
Guessing the fretboard is laurel. Just a guess. Looks like laurel. Playing a fretboard over and over will darken it naturally. Stain won't last.
Acording to the Gretsch website you are right. Sincerely IDK, seems too light colored for laurel but it may be. Also IDK how much this can last in the long term but 3 months have passed since staining and it don't show any sign of fading away, looks as even as the first day (fingers crossed!)
@@InspiringTracks 👍
Could've used a Sharpie, they were invented to dye fine woods.
I didn't think about a sharpie. Sounds interesting, specially for a small touch up. I'll investigate about that, thanks!
I hate the look of maple fretboards, the color is just unattractive to me, and I don't care for the high maintenance that an ebony requires, so I'm looking to do this to one of my guitars that have a maple fretboard 🎸🍁 :)
I like rosewood fretboards a lot as they are though
after 3 months how does it look now
I'm quite pleased (and surprised I must admit) to say that it looks as good as that first day. Looks like the stain penetrated well into the fibers and isn't just a superficial layer that can be easily removed
@@InspiringTracks awesome I'm glad it worked out so well it's a shame they don't do a better job when it was built
I think mine has pau ferro.
Yea, Gretsch are beautiful guitars, but im not a fan of Laurel fretboard, if Ebony is too expensive for them, why not Ovangkol ? 😕
By the way, i think yours looked kind of okay, there are mutch lighter ones on their guitars
Size of the steelwool used?
Medium, if I remember correctly the number is 1
Can i use steel wool number 0000?
Imitation rosewood probably!!!
According to the Gretsch website should be laurel but sincerely IDK
What model number of Gretsch is it?
Pro Jet 5230t
@@InspiringTracks should be a Laurel fingerboard, unless it’s one of their top end versions.
My 5622 is also laurel, but looks darker than yours for some reason 🤔
This could be work only at unfinished, non painted fretboards...
The fretboard wasn't painted, it was (badly) stained and I removed all the old stain (or at least I tried) before applying the new one
Could be Indian laurel
Much easier way is a cloth cleaning, after playing...
This don't have anything to do with cleaning. The factory stain was superficial and came of just by playing the guitar
O certo seria raspar com stilet
didn't oil the fretboard. I can assure you that oil stain will come off on your fingers
To this date I applied lemon oil twice since the staining an it looks just as good as the first day (fingers crossed!)
Final result: Brown fingers
Lol not at all!
A better way to do it. Never use "Lemon oils" or what is actually mineral oil that never dries from the get go. Once a fret board is soaked with that stuff it will never take a stain as could be seen here. Better to scrape the board with a Stanley razor than sand or steel wool. Instead of stain, Use a 50/50 mix of pure tung oil and pure gum/pine turpentine, Wipe on wipe off once or twice per day over three days or until you see a build. and you are done. The board will seal and gradually darken over time to very dark. THEN you can clean it once a year with mineral oil. And no stained finger tips after playing!
LMAO....! dude, they coat them in penetrating sealers. that's why it took so much work to truly get nowhere. it would have been much simpler to order a new fret board (unfinished) and then treated it etc etc etc.
Lol how replacing the whole fretboard is simpler?
@@InspiringTracks if ordered pre-cut and the frets pre-tapped. after soaking in the die. it's just a matter of tapping in and gluing the frets. then gluing and clamping the board to the neck. the entire process wouldn't take and hour for a laymen. than just wait for the glue to fully cure and then buff it all out. done....
and if you are trying to die your existing fretboard. i would VERY carefully mask off all surfaces. and apply several light doses of stripper to remove existing sealers. then begin applying the die.
this video showed the effects of multiple layers covering the existing layers of sealer. bare exposed wood will readily absorb any color you apply. purple... pink... blue... and yes, black.
you see, the problem with trying to die an existing fretboard. is that the sealers used don't just seal the wood. they form a bond that strengthens the wood. without this, a fret board wouldn't last more than a few years of regular use before the wear needed repair. so even the highest concentrate of die is only staining the surface of the sealer. and is unable to actually pernitrate the wood fibers.
Lol apart from the cost of a whole fretboard you need to redo the bindings and inlays, unglue the old fretboard and refinish the neck, that's an insane amount of work compared with this. It also requires specialized tools and lots of skill. The stain actually pentrated really well in the wood, here you can see after 6 months of playing how it looks as good as the first day ua-cam.com/users/shortsKkoUWnYnruk?feature=share
This may qualify as the dumbest advise on the whole internet
@@InspiringTracks clearly you're discussing something you know nothing about. over the years i've ordered new fret boards many times. most often just to change the look of the guitar. and just about ANY company that produces them. you can order it to be delivered in nearly any state you wish. and no.... tapping in new frets doesn't require anything special, expensive or hard to find. simple flush clippers and a fine file is about all you need. you can even order frets pre-cut. inlays are pretty much the same thing. you can or item pre-done or simply do them yourself with ease.
and i never said what you did was bad. just offered a way to do it much better, period. and if you doubt that. simply do a little searching on actual wood coloring. if done to clean or fully stripped wood. you can achieve vastly more color effects.
I will try to make this sound polite..you compromised an already bad guitar, for many reasons. Then again if YOU like it and you are happy my opinion is irrelevant. I refer to damage to the board and future issues with the frets, tone, etc.
I disagree on some points. The guitar isn't bad at all, in fact is amazing. I have others that costs several times more and it blows them away (I'm looking at you Gibson) also I don't see compromised any part of it. No opinion is irrelevant, I always wan't to learn new things from other people. What damage to the board are you talking about? In which way do you think this can affect tone?
Waiting?
BlueTitan7 Would you care to Elaborate on you Statement?