Ebony Fingerboards Care/ Fretboard Care. Keep Them Shiny!

Ebony fingerboards and fretboards have always been a popular choice in the world of guitars. They offer a sleek look, stable structure, and a shiny surface that many guitar players are drawn to. However, they require special care in order to keep them looking their best. In this blog post, we will discuss briefly what a fretboard is and how to care for your ebony fingerboard/fretboard, keeping it nice and shiny

What is a Guitar Fretboard?

The guitar fretboard, often known as a guitar fingerboard, is critical to producing a playable instrument. It’s what allows you to play different notes on the instrument. To allow the guitar strings to vibrate freely and produce a clear sound, your fingerboard must be absolutely smooth and retain the frets level.

What are Guitar Fingerboards/ Fretboards Typically Made Out of?

Guitar fingerboards are frequently composed of hardwoods like ebony, rosewood, or maple to ensure they are sturdy and endure the constant movement of fingers over them. The more solid the fingerboard is, the less likely you are to experience any frets popping out or significant differences in sound with humidity variations. As a result, high-quality guitars often have an ebony fingerboard.

Are there different sizes of fingerboards/ fretboards?

Depending on the type of guitar you’re building, the fretboard might be cut to a variety of scale lengths. The 650mm scale length is standard for a Classical Guitar. That means the 12th fret will be 325mm from the nut (the half way mark) on a typical Classical Guitar fingerboard.

The fingerboard has accurate slots to guarantee that the pitch of each fret is in tune. Even if the slot is slightly the wrong measurement, the note of that fretted position may be altered. When a string is depressed at a fret, it shortens the length of string, changing the sound.

Why Ebony Fingerboards or Ebony Fretboards?

Ebony is a very popular material for use in guitar fingerboards due to its hardness, smoothness, and elegant black color. While it is one of the more expensive materials used in guitars, many people feel that it’s worth the investment.

A Personal Opinion on Ebony Fingerboards:

Ebony Fingerboard Care

Taking care of your ebony fingerboard is crucial. Because most fingerboards on acoustic steel string and classical guitars only have an oil finish, it’s important to rejuvenate them before they get dry.

If the fingerboard gets too dry, it will shrink along its width, resulting in the fretwire protruding from the ends and producing a sharp and unpleasant feeling on your hands. This might cause an odd fret to sit higher than the others, causing buzz problems (which no one likes!). The best thing you can do to keep your ebony fingerboard in good condition: is wipe a little bit of mineral oil on it every, every 3 or 4 months, burnish it off and then replace the strings. This will keep your guitar fretboard nice and healthy

McClaren Ebony Fingerboards to buy

I have a variety of ebony fingerboards/ebony fretboards in various sizes that you may buy from my online shop. These are the ones I use myself!

Please contact me on +44 7540637515 or contact me via the Contact Page if you have any concerns about doing this. I’d be delighted to assist you. There is more coming to the shop soon! So stay tuned.

Caring for your ebony fretboard, conclusion

Overall, taking care of your ebony fingerboard is not too difficult. Just be sure to clean it regularly and avoid exposing it to excessive moisture or heat. With a little bit of care, you can keep your fingerboard looking shiny and new for years to come! Thanks for reading!