New Epis turn your fingers black

[Daniel Desmarais]

This happened during an Anderson's Music review of the DC Pro. The consensus was it was because of the wood used on the fretboard.

How does one overcome this?

 

[Raiyn]

Clean your fretboard and frets.

 

[BGood]

Once cleaned and oiled, nothing comes off anymore.

 

[bluesfordan]

all my new guitars have been turning my fingers black, maple, rosewood, ebony, indian laurel. I've taken to polishing the frets, cleaning the fingeboards, oiling the rosewood, ebony and indian laurel. The new strings are almost invariably crapola. Which makes the new bass a little more expensive to bring up to grade.

 

[Daniel Desmarais]

The new strings are almost invariably crapola.

First thing I'm gonna do is replace the factory strings with D'Addario 11s and do a set up. I'll clean the fretboard at that time.

 

[Raiyn]

The new strings are almost invariably crapola

In fairness, they've only been on since the factory setup, crossed an ocean, been handled multiple times etc. It's not like they put a fresh pack on right before you bought it. Unless you paid someplace like Sweetwater to do a setup for a different gauge or something.

 

[Supersonic]

Every new guitar I've ever bought the first thing I do is clean the fretboard and put on new strings. Who knows how long it's been sitting in a warehouse, all kinds of junk can build up on there. The factory strings suck anyway.

 

[soulman969]

Every new guitar I've ever bought the first thing I do is clean the fretboard and put on new strings. Who knows how long it's been sitting in a warehouse, all kinds of junk can build up on there. The factory strings suck anyway.

Ditto. IME unless the fretboard has been dyed if someone is getting blackened fingers it's generally the strings many import guitars come with that's causing it.

After cleaning the frets and fretboard with Gorgomyte and finishing off non-maple boards with F-One Oil I always replace the stocks strings with those I typically play.

Neither of the last two new guitars I bought, one with a Rosewood board the other with Brazilian Cherry, gave off any black residue.

 

[Steven Westberg]

This happened during an Anderson's Music review of the DC Pro. The consensus was it was because of the wood used on the fretboard.

How does one overcome this?

Two weeks old. No dirt on arrival. Immaculently clean. But it’s German. The Germans even clean the gutters everyday.

 

[Davis Sharp]

This guy has the solution.

Oh hush. you knew this was coming.

 

[Kostas Kritsilas]

What, no Pressure Washer with industrial detergent? Amateur.

Get it really clean with a belt sander.

On the other hand, it is a bolt neck LP, so no great loss.

 

[BGood]

On the other hand, it is a bolt neck LP, so no great loss.

Which one would that be ?

 

[Kostas Kritsilas]

What, no Pressure Washer with industrial detergent? Amateu.

Get it really clean with a belt sander.

Which one would that be ?

The one in the video. Mot a genuine LP, a copy, but none the less, an LP.

 

[Johnathon Jones]

 

[davesultra]

It’s residue from the due/stain that’s used on the fretboards. Wipe ‘em down, or keep on playing. It’ll eventually bleed itself out.

 

[Maekong]

This happened during an Anderson's Music review of the DC Pro. The consensus was it was because of the wood used on the fretboard.

How does one overcome this?

Not likely. More likely bad strings and/or a buildup of environment contaminants. I’d hit it with a light-duty wet wipe, dry and oil it, and slap a set of D’Addarios or Elixirs on there and call it a day. Wood won’t turn your fingers black unless it’s on fire. Ask Jimi.

 

[Old Woody]

This happened during an Anderson's Music review of the DC Pro. The consensus was it was because of the wood used on the fretboard.

How does one overcome this?

That's carbon residue as a machined parts QA guy for a long time its the frets and/or strings use a fret eraser or cleaner on them. I have had my last two Epi Masterbilts come from the factory with the same problem but, it's an easy fix. While your at it clean the fingerboard as it is porous and more than likely has some carbon dust on it as well.

 

[BGood]

That's carbon residue as a machined parts QA guy for a long time its the frets and/or strings use a fret eraser or cleaner on them. I have had my last two Epi Masterbilts come from the factory with the same problem but, it's an easy fix. While your at it clean the fingerboard as it is porous and more than likely has some carbon dust on it as well.

They put it there so the guitar can be carbon dated when it is found in a few millenias in the remains of the society.

 

[neoclassical]

Clean your fretboard with mineral spirits a couple times and then coat it with cutting board mineral oil.

 

[Greg Dunn]

Dye used on fretboards to darken or even out the color. Even high end guitar makers do this, but they clean them better before shipping. Rub down with a rag, oil your fretboard, repeat until the rags come clean.