1 (edited by Evo 2009-10-09 15:30:14)

Topic: Fret Board

Hi All

Has anyone got any advice as to what  oils to put on a fret board? I have a rose wood fret board and need to aply some sort of oil to it because its quite dry

Cheers

Evo  wink

Re: Fret Board

I usually rub a little lemon oil into the fretboard now and again. Helps to get rid of some of the gunk that accumulates as well.

'Try as you might to keep a lid on a good time, you can't do it. When people want to have a good time....' - Billy Gibbons

Re: Fret Board

you can use Old English oil,lin seed oil,or there is some stuff called "Ducks" at Guitar Center i've been using every other string change that works really well. Got to keep them oiled.

Re: Fret Board

Lovely bit of lemon oil works for me - once a week seems enough for me - along with the normal spray polish to buff up the guitars.

I really like using Fast Fret too - works for me if the strings get sweaty. Nice to put on before playing also.

Re: Fret Board

I really like the Dunlop "NO.65" Lemon Oil. Mainly because it comes with a nice applicator built right into the bottle. Makes it a breeze to apply.

    Side Note:

    I have also always told my students about the "NO.65" Polish and Cleaner. Really good stuff, that also cleans your guitar, and all the gunk that builds up on it.
    However, I think they may have done something to the formula, recently. I got a bottle at GC that seems to have a thinner, more watery consistency than the older bottles I'd had. And it seems to have put a dull, weird kind of patch on the guitar. This also happened to one of my Students' guitars. So, I am going to email Dunlop and ask if there is something different going on. New, cheaper factory, etc.?
    What I am saying is this, I can't recommend the Cleaner/Polish right now. Not until I see what Dunlop says. Maybe there's a fix for the finish problems, or a way to avoid this whole mess. But, I don't know  what they will say, yet.

     That said, the Lemon Oil is top notch! And it's also good for Acoustic Guitars' unfinished Bridges.

Early 80's 1957 U.S. Vintage Reissue Stratocaster (Surf Green)-Warmouth Soloist  Pearly Gates Neck, Pearly Gates Bridge- Larrivee D-03 (Mahogany/ Spruce)
Carmen Ghia Head- Marshall 112 Cab W/G12H 30  or  Custom 4 X 6v6 Head  or  Budda Twinmaster Plus Head-Traynor 212 Cab w/Eminence Texas Heats. 
Mo'D-Eternity-Blues Pro- Timmy-BYOC Chorus/Vibrato- TC SCF- Korg DT 10 Pedal Tuner

6 (edited by NPB_EST.1979 2009-10-09 20:47:16)

Re: Fret Board

In the mid 90's, I found this stuff called ALIsyn. Company out of Ohio!

They make all kinds of synthetic oils and lubricants including ones for stringed instruments. I have found this to be the best.... best of all - no wax
http://aerospacelubricants.thomasnet.co … ;keyType=P

The Kyser Dr. Stringfellow Lemon oil is not good to me... I dunno I just regret buying the stuff.

As far as frequency, I do it twice a year. By that time it either looks dry, or it has a lot of gunk on it.

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool

Re: Fret Board

Just wanna warn you not to do it too much.  Once a year or two only for that rose wood fret board.  You over do it and a few years from now the rose wood will absorb all of it and swell causing your fret board to break loose from the neck.  You wanna preserve it not drown it.  Also wipe with the grain if at all possible you'll rub more in at a time.  If you get a build up of dead skin try wiping it down with a cloth after playing rather then using something on it, guitar polish might work but I wouldn't do that too often either unless your wiping right off and not letting it sit for a while on the board.  I rarely wipe mine down at all, and put Len Seed Oil on the boards every 2 years or when ever they look dried out.

Re: Fret Board

AD3THREE wrote:

Just wanna warn you not to do it too much.  Once a year or two only for that rose wood fret board.  You over do it and a few years from now the rose wood will absorb all of it and swell causing your fret board to break loose from the neck.  You wanna preserve it not drown it.  Also wipe with the grain if at all possible you'll rub more in at a time.  If you get a build up of dead skin try wiping it down with a cloth after playing rather then using something on it, guitar polish might work but I wouldn't do that too often either unless your wiping right off and not letting it sit for a while on the board.  I rarely wipe mine down at all, and put Len Seed Oil on the boards every 2 years or when ever they look dried out.

Are you putting it on with a paintbrush or something? lol  You can do it once a week no problem especially if your guitar is out of its case a lot...  I've been doing it for 12 years and no swelling, beaking or anything.  It's part of the daily up-keep of your instrument.  Just like wiping down after playing and polishing it on a regular basis every week or as needed.  Just use a dedicated cloth and remember a dot does a lot.  It's not a deck so don't use it like Thompsons lol.  If you don't condition your fretboard it will dry out and cause those lines you see on the binding at every fret.  O yea I use Planet Waves Lemon Oil, I don't like those hydrates or synthetics I guess they are called.

Ben

Re: Fret Board

http://www.guitarsite.com/newsletters/011105/1.shtml
http://www.muzique.com/schem/fret.htm
http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-m … post157951
http://reviews.ebay.com/Guitar-Fretboar … 0012123820

I did get my facts wrong to a degree.  you wont seperate the fret board from the neck, but you will swell the wood and loosen the frets using excessive amounts and doing it too often.  All these links suggest about 2 twice a year in general.  Honestly I have had a lot of rose wood fret board guitars and had most of them 3 to 5 years without doing anything and never had a problem, but my hands don't sweat at all!  I can keep a set of strings on my electric guitars for months without any worries.  So unless I can tell I got some major string ware I keep them on.  BTW for guys with non sealed tuners that have to grease the gear every so often, its suggested you remove the tuner from the head stock to grease them again.  The biggest problem people run into with those are the tuners get filled up and people over fill them with grease.  The grease then is leaking out of the back of them and the head stock absorbs it.  Over the years the screws that hold it in strip out and the wood around the tuner get mushy.  Kind of hard to fix.  Everybody should buy Dan Erlewine's book on guitars and how to maintain them. http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Books,_plan … Guide.html
I have the second edition but this book has been a life saver.  Oh yeah I try to stay away from paint brushes all together.  Too much like work.

10

Re: Fret Board

Thanks, thats really helpfull.  Lemon oil seems quite popular. We have a very good guitar shop here i will wander down and see what they have but it was usefull getting some feed back first


Cheers


Evo  wink

Re: Fret Board

I emailed Dunlop about the Cleaner/Polish "problem" last week. But, no reply so far. roll

Early 80's 1957 U.S. Vintage Reissue Stratocaster (Surf Green)-Warmouth Soloist  Pearly Gates Neck, Pearly Gates Bridge- Larrivee D-03 (Mahogany/ Spruce)
Carmen Ghia Head- Marshall 112 Cab W/G12H 30  or  Custom 4 X 6v6 Head  or  Budda Twinmaster Plus Head-Traynor 212 Cab w/Eminence Texas Heats. 
Mo'D-Eternity-Blues Pro- Timmy-BYOC Chorus/Vibrato- TC SCF- Korg DT 10 Pedal Tuner

12 (edited by Voodoo Blues 2009-10-13 14:15:24)

Re: Fret Board

Sweat? big_smile

Re: Fret Board

Tears? big_smile

Re: Fret Board

Blood? big_smile

Early 80's 1957 U.S. Vintage Reissue Stratocaster (Surf Green)-Warmouth Soloist  Pearly Gates Neck, Pearly Gates Bridge- Larrivee D-03 (Mahogany/ Spruce)
Carmen Ghia Head- Marshall 112 Cab W/G12H 30  or  Custom 4 X 6v6 Head  or  Budda Twinmaster Plus Head-Traynor 212 Cab w/Eminence Texas Heats. 
Mo'D-Eternity-Blues Pro- Timmy-BYOC Chorus/Vibrato- TC SCF- Korg DT 10 Pedal Tuner

Re: Fret Board

i know one guy who never does it, and you can tell where he plays most frequently. I dont know if the dry areas are "bad" for the fretboard or not, but his finger oils are obviously soaking in where he plays.

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool

16 (edited by gibson335 2009-10-15 23:06:13)

Re: Fret Board

Hey all,

I've been using Roche-Thomas Premiun Fingerboard oil for years now.  I do it about every 6 months or so.

I use a cotton cloth and let it set about 5 minutes and then wipe it off.

Here's a link:

http://www.rochethomas.com/c-18-oils-and-greases.aspx

Re: Fret Board

I've used lemon oil for some time, usually not twice a year.

But with a few drops on the fret board,  I rub it wi 0000 steel wool.

Just watch out for fibers attracted to the pickups

---------------

(If only I had 1% of Joe's guitar talent)

18 (edited by ZeyerGTR 2018-12-01 10:55:30)

Re: Fret Board

I use a little lemon oil (forget the brand, I've had the same bottle for 15+ years).  Maybe once a year at most, historically less often, but it's pretty humid here in Florida and my fretboards don't tend to get too dirty (stainless frets + Elixer strings probably help).  Definitely don't overdo it.  It is a nice feeling to have everything clean and shiny, but too much can cause problems.