Finish On Fretboards?

[Martinedwards]

hi gang, I have a bunch of crazy grained EIR fretboards both for mandos and guitars and I don't want to loose the grain.

If I oil them they'll darken down.

anyone ever varnish the fretboard?

Thanks in advance!!

heres a guitar neck that I'm working on at the minute.......

[al heeley]

Not normal is it to varnish anRosewood fretboard? Guess it woks fine for Rickenbacker on Bubinga and Fender on Maple. I've heard of 2-pack epoxies being used to coat ivory too. The rosewood is not meant to need coating as it has natural oils. This could give a problem with a varnish penetrating, sticking and curing.

[j. pierce]

The few finishes I've tried on Rosewoods and Ebonies also darken them up considerably, resulting in the same effect, so I don't know if you'll have any luck. I'd try experimenting on scrap however - if you can get it to stick, and it looks good, then I can't see why it'd be bad. Certainly, when the finish eventually wears, being a dark wood, you won't have the gross look that a worn maple fretboard has. I've seen plenty of cheap acoustics with lacquered fretboards, and as the poster below mentions, seems to work fine enough for Fender and Rickenbacker. (I thought Rickenbacker used Rosewood, not Bubinga?)