Black Stuff Coming Off My Fretboard

[devnull]

hmm i thought it might be the strings at first but they were new ones, incidentally i just snapped the high E string when i was playing earlier, it snapped right at the ball end which imo is a really strange place to go. they usually snap at the tuner end when they have gone before...

il just keep cleaning it with lighter fluid and putting the lemon oil on untill it dissapears, the wood looks really nice when its not dryed out.

i cant understand why they would dye the fretboard, it seems to ruin the look.

It could be this stuff coming off:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_suppl...=3&xsr=6496

I think that this is commonly (and regrettably) done.

[Samba Pa Ti]

you're probably right, im still getting black stuff off that fretboard too they must have put a lot on, whenever i touch it i get a "dose" and come away with grey fingers :/ not even lighter fluid gets rid of it.

it might just be me but i prefer the "before" pictures on stewmac, especially after having to clean this stuff off and getting it on my fingers

[NotYou]

Is it totally black, or is it blueish? Wiping naphtha, acetone,or alcohol on rosewood will extract the color.

I soaked some rosewood in alcohol in a jar and I use it as a dye. They liquid is totally opaque. It actually works pretty well for certain things.

Edited June 28, 2010 by NotYou

[WezV]

slow down - you are playing too fast!!

[chops1983]

If its an oil based dye you could try mineral turps in a corner to test. I cant see mineral turpentine doing any damage to the fretboard but may damage your finish, if you try just be real careful. Then lemon oil that fretboard again as it will probably dry it out. Hope this helps.

[IbanezDudeCK]

Quick question- Is it an acoustic by any chance? I have problems with stuff getting all over my finger tips but it's only with phosphor bronze acoustic strings, specifically the D'Addario type. I've never had problems with my electrics (all of which have rosewood boards), but both of my steel string acoustics have done it to me when I've had the phosphor bronze strings. My new one didn't do it when it had the stock Godin strings, but it started doing it when I put on Daddario phosphor bronze so I think it's the strings. I tried Ernie Ball 80/20 bronze and nothing and I've used Martin strings and nothing but the Daddario phosphor bronze always leave gunk on my hands. Just something to think about.

[Samba Pa Ti]

its a semi hollow, i think they are daddario strings (or rotosound i forget) but they are the regular ones.

loads of cleaning has made it go away a bit, so now its not a huge issue.

[Maren]

I just bought a new Eastman PCH acoustic guitar & black stuff comes off my fretboard too onto my fingers when playing. I changed the strings on day 2 of ownership to stop it. It didn't help. Used Fretboard oil by Music Nomad on neck before putting new strings on but it did nothing. Everyday I wipe it down with a clean cloth before, during & after playing. The white cloth is black & will not come out even when soaked in bleach. This is BS! I bought this as it's lighter in weight but still sounds pretty good. This black finger nightmare has got to stop. And it won't come off your fingers immediately with washing either. Is it toxic to us? There is a Proposition 65 with this guitar. MAN! I'm not happy 

[Bizman62]

Hi and welcome! And as Robin the Boy Wonder would put it, Holy Necro Bump!

The black stuff colouring your fingers and the white cloth is most likely water soluble dye. I tried to look for the PCH series but they're pretty well hidden in the Eastman site... Anyhow, the PCH 1 and 2 seem to have a rosewood fretboard whereas the fingerboard of PCH 3 is made of ovangkol. If they're made of less fancy pieces of wood I guess for the lower priced guitars they'd like to make them look more uniform.

There's several reasons why the dye comes off. First, it may be a manufacturing defect, something wrong with a batch. They say that the Chinese factory only builds for Eastman which they claim to be a proof of quality. Contacting Eastman should thus be the first step.

Second, if Eastman doesn't co-operate, you can try washing the dye out. For water soluble dyes plain water is the best option. DON'T SOAK! A damp rag changed every so often should do. A final wipe with lighter fluid or alcohol to vapourize any water could help. And after that a thorough oil treatment as you'd be washing any oils off as well.

Speaking of oiling, using hardening oil such as Boiled Linseed Oil or Tung Oil might also help keeping the dye inside. Splash on liberally, rub until tacky and wipe dry with a clean towel. After about a quarter of an hour wipe off anything that has sweated on the surface. Oil left on the surface won't dry but that in the pores will harden and seal the dye inside. You can apply the oil several times with a day in between for curing.

Third, there might be nothing wrong with the strings or fretboard, instead the culprit might be your fingers! Some people have such a sweat that it melts stuff. The hand cream used may also affect. Back in the day I used to sell 'roller mouses' that had a rubber coated bar to move the cursor. In mere weeks one customer complained that the rubber had swollen and got loose so the bar couldn't move freely. We swapped the product to a new one and within a month he made another complaint. Needless to say that he wasn't a heavy user other than by his size. I also have a friend who corrodes regular strings in a few days, coated Elixirs are the only ones that last for a month or so.

Is it toxic? Most likely not. At least such dyes should not be used for items that are in direct skin contact.