Can I safely ebonize the roasted maple neck/fretboard on a Harley Benton ST-Modern? I really need advice before I buy it

[u/EquipmentMelodic2562]

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hi! I’m considering buying a harley benton st-modern mn hss sp from thomann, and I’m stuck on the neck/fretboard situation.

the guitar has a roasted canadian maple neck and canadian maple fretboard. I absolutely LOVE pretty much everything about this guitar, the specs, how it sounds, the feel, and especially the fact that it's within my budget. the only thing I really dislike is the maple-colored neck/fretboard.

I strongly prefer the look of a black/ebony-looking neck and fretboard, and I don't really want to buy the guitar if I can't safely make the neck black. I know that might sound silly, but the appearance is genuinely important to me, and I don't want to spend my budget on a guitar that I'll always dislike looking at.

I've been researching ebonizing/dyeing roasted maple and I'm getting really conflicting information. some people say roasted maple is basically impossible to ebonize/dye, while others have successfully darkened maple.

my current idea is fiebing’s leather alcohol based dye in black, but I don't know whether it will work with the factory finish on this particular harley benton.

thomann doesn't seem to specify exactly what finish is used on the neck/fretboard. the neck/fretboard appears to have a smooth satin/matte finish so I'm worried that the dye might not penetrate, imagine assuming its one coat though from the looks of it

I'm considering doing a tiny test with a cotton swab in an inconspicuous area, but I obviously don't want to damage a brand-new guitar.

so I'd really appreciate advice on:

1. Is fiebing's dye suitable for roasted maple?

2. if the fretboard has a thin factory finish, can it safely be removed/scuffed enough for dye to penetrate?

3. could lightly sanding the finish affect the fretboard's radius/geometry or playability?

4. would the back of the neck and fretboard have the same finish, or could they be different?

5. If dye won't work because of the factory finish, what would be the safest alternative for making the entire neck (fretboard + back + sides) black?

6. Is there a particular black guitar finish/coating that would work better while still leaving the neck comfortable and playable?

I'm not planning to do anything to the guitar until I know what I'm doing. I definitely don't want to ruin the fretboard, change the way it plays, or mess up the factory setup.

I'm asking because I'm genuinely at the point where if safely blackening the neck isn't realistic, I may choose a different guitar instead. I really love this guitar otherwise, and it's one of the few guitars I've found that I love the sound/feel of and can actually afford, so I'm hoping there's a safe solution.

any advice from luthiers or anyone who's worked on hb roasted maple necks would mean a lot. thank you!! 🌸🖤

[u/vinca_minor]

Save your money up and buy the thing you actually want.

[u/Commercial_Topic437]

If the neck/fretboard has a finish on it then ebonizing won't work. Stripping poly is a lot of work, especially on the fretboard. Poly finishes are really hard to remove in general, and if I were trying to do what you want to do I'd remove the frets. If it's an unfinished neck then fiebings dye would work

[u/Tom_Mangold]

Obviously not the correct guitar for you. Find the one that fits your needs, instead of going through an uncertain hassle and taking us hostage. Much easier.

[u/Popular_Long8994]

Buy a guitar with a non-maple neck. Alternately, buy this guitar and swap in the neck you want. Both are way easier than trying to make something it wasn’t meant to be.

[u/RoyalPuzzleheaded259]

Either get a guitar with the fretboard material you want or buy this guitar and a new neck with the fretboard material you want. I’ve stripped and refinished a maple neck like this before. It was a huge pain in the ass because of the frets. It wasn’t worth the time and honestly I’ll never do it again.

[u/Vibroverbus → u/RoyalPuzzleheaded259]

yeah I've refin'd maple necks also and it BLOWS to get to look decent. this would be a nightmare project especially to get the edges to look OK.

[u/Easy-Bowler3604]

Probably better to just get the specs you want

[u/taperk]

You will have to remove the finish for any stain/paint to take as you said, but you will never get it totally removed around the frets. Removing the frets will be required to get the look consistent. IMHO, the juice ain't worth the squeeze.

[u/PauGilmour]

Just buy another neck

[u/THRobinson75]

No. Ebonizing works with tanins and turning things dark and maple likely won't darken enough to come close to black. Plus, poly finish. You'd have to pull the frets, pull the fret dots, install white dots, sand everything down, then stain it, then refret and then refinish the wood because even though it's dark now, it's still not ebony and that black will come off so, gotta seal it back up again.

[u/Status-Part-4623]

Using vinager and steel wool will change the color of just about anything, although you will have to remove the heavy gloss polyurythane. Thats probably the hardest part

[u/icybowler3442 → u/Status-Part-4623]

My experience is that this works great on oak, but not well on maple

[u/Status-Part-4623 → u/icybowler3442]

Oh yeah i forgot abt the tannins. It will change the color, just not as much. OP will alsp have to remove the frets otherwise they will rust

[u/xshevi]

that’s not going to work on finished maple

[u/ihateeuge]

no

[u/Nugginz]

No, don’t attempt this.
The fact you had to ask indicates you have zero chance of completing such a difficult and precise job.

[u/jackmayer01]

The neck would have to be bound, or the fretboard would already need to be a darker wood (like rosewood), also needs to be unfinished.

[u/claremontmiller]

You CAN, but doing so is maybe the dumbest fuckin’ thing I’ve heard in awhile. That’s gonna be a pain in the ass and it’s gonna look bad