Deep Cleaning of Fretboard

[TidesOfBlood]

ok this applies to ANY instrument with a fretboard. unfortunately i do not have any pictures to show a before/after effect, but here goes anyway..

i'm not sure how many of you actually have the problem of getting gunk stuck in the grains of your fretboard.. the whitish gunk lining the grains of the wenge fingerboard on my Warwick are a real eyesore. at least, the wenge that i have, is a really dark brown.. darker hue than the milkier looking rosewood.

now i don't know of ANY deep cleaner whatevers. all i'm armed with here is:

• Dunlop 65 Fretboard Ultimate Lemon Oil
• Toothbrush

apply lemon oil on fretboard, then brush thoroughly with the toothbrush along the grain. do this fret space by fret space, do it lovingly. results are fantabulous.. barely any gunk present, period.

 

[fgl]

I prefer red English wood oil - only for orsewood fretboards though ..

For maple boards I use guitar polish GHS

 

[TidesOfBlood]

thanks for the input fgl i'm not too particular about different kinds of oil with different woods as i haven't been able to touch and condition that many.


oh and first post edited.

 

[live33]

Ever tried 00000 fine grade steel wool? It'll polish the frets, too. Only thingy is : you've gotta remove the neck from the body. The pickup magnets will attract steel wool. After that, apply your prefered oil sparingly to moisten the fingerboard.

 

[TidesOfBlood]

i've personally yet to try steel wool. any idea if it's suitable for brass frets though?

 

[nigellum]

sorry, dont really mean to hijack your thread but since the topic's on fretboard cleaning... i've been reading up on the proper procedure and fingerboard and fretboards are mentioned. aren't they both the same thing?

also, using the steel wool method, is it okay to rub it against the fret markers? will if scratch it? and would the magnetic attraction from the pickups be harmless if the guitar's not plugged in?

help somebody..

 

[subversion]

lemon oil is primarily a conditioning fluid, for cleansing, it's good to utilize mineral oil or its equivalent.

 

[hutkahn]

The pickups are magnetic by themselves..try holding a screwdriver near them without the guitar plugged in and see

 

[yuujin]

Hi Tides,
I use steel wool 0000. my frets are now shiny as hell.
I use it for my fretboard as well, gunk is gone.
I apply lemon oil after to moisten it.

I also use beeswax for my thumb's body. After its dry I use steel wool 0000 to wipe off the excess then buff it using a lint free cloth.

 

[opposite_youth]

Hi, where can get the steel wool 0000.

Could the steel wool scrath the fretboard shark fin inlays?

Any other ideas?

 

[ShadowchildCOBHC]

well id say its ok to used steel wool on the frets but not between the spaces especially when there are inlays..like shaks fin shaped ones or any to be honest,and for using the tooth brush with lemon oil id suggest using the dunlop01 taht naptha or alchohol thats in it cause thats a real cleaner the lemon oil is for conditioning after your done doing the cleaning,cause ive heard too many harsh stories with people who over use lemon oil on their fret boards,so this is my guide

1.Use a blunt pick which is also very thin then get that crap out from the edges of the frets
2.following No.1 use a clot trying to wipe of as much of the dirt as possible
3.now this is where the elbow grease comes in,
using steel wool--->try to tape up the fretboard leaving the frets clear thn polish to a shine
Using some of the available cloths-->like planet waves comes with a fret guide,jsut polish away
4.Once all thats done use that new tooth brush cause old ones have alot of chemicals on them,and try to get a soft bristle one to try as much to leave less of a mark on your job,
---->spray some dunlop 01 on the toothbrush and abit on the fret spaces and get all that crap out of the woods grain
follow that with wiping on the area with a cloth then carry on to the next fret spave,once all tahts done try to wait abit to let all the naptha evaporate
5.Use the Dunlop 01 or lemon oil conditioner and spread it on the spaces and let the wood soak up the oil then using a cloth wipe the excess of

Now the fretboards all preped

 

[Dongara]

Using steel wool will scratch the fretboard markers, so it's best to use only for polishing the frets themselves after putting masking tape on the fretboard itself. Masking tape and newspaper over the pickups will prevent the stray bits of steel wool from sticking to the pole pieces.

To clean the board itself, I have always used turpentine. Swab it on to a cotton cloth and rub the board to help soften any gunk. Then use an MRT card or plastic credit like card to scrape the majority of the gunk off the board and then polish the board back up. The turps tends to dry out the board less than lemon oil and you are not leaving it on the board for any length of time. Can be used for maple or other type boards.

cheers,

Mark.

 

[niteblade]

lemon oil is good for maintaining rosewood fretboards but doing it too often can cause the fretboard to become soggy and spoil

once or twice a year would be fine

 

[teokiatuan]

i suggest using bore oil, which is the oil used to treat the insides of woodwind instruments..

 

[0730666]

i dun understand this sentence [the problem of getting gunk stuck in the grains of your fretboard.. the whitish gunk lining the grains of the wenge fingerboard]

izzit those tinny line crack appearing on the fingerboard ?
those can be remove 1 ? =x


anw can i just apply lemon oil on cloth instead on a toothbrush ?

 

[theliverevolution]

what's the best way to clean and maintain a maplewood neck? my Fender Squier Strat needs some maintainence

 

[rayycnk]

guys. where to get those 0000 steel wools? this is my thread. my guitar really needs MAINTANENCE

http://soft.com.sg/forum/gear-guitar/93969-help-guys.html

 

[Rigel775]

guys. where to get those 0000 steel wools? this is my thread. my guitar really needs MAINTANENCE

http://soft.com.sg/forum/gear-guitar/93969-help-guys.html

They are available at most DIY stores in shopping malls. They come in a bunch and pretty costly too...
Word of caution: Don't use them on the inlays...