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Post subject: Fret Sprout
Posted: Mon Jan 04, 2010 11:46 pm
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I have a '08-'09 MIM Jazz Bass with a maple fingerboard and "satin urethane" finish. How do I care for the fingerboard (what oil should I apply, if any), and can I mitigate some of my winter fret sprout by using an in-case humidifier, and if so, which kind?


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Posted: Tue Jan 05, 2010 3:55 am
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Location: Albemarle, NC
Clean a maple fretboard with the same guitar polish you use on a painted body because it is basically painted with the same stuff just with no color or very little color. Do not use oil type furniture polish, but guitar polish is ok since it is made for poly paints. Oils will NOT soak into the wood through the poly but CAN actually damage or weaken the poly since lots of the oils contain mineral oils or spirits which can break down the poly over time.

Rosewood of course is different. Lemon oil type liquids are the way to go, sparingly on rosewood and guitar polish is NOT the answer.

The gunk that seems to collect around the frets is really stubborn to remove on all fretboards. USED fabric softener dryer sheets (Downy, Snuggle or similar) are great for getting this stuff out. They are very soft, lint free, disposable and you are probably just throwing them away after doing the laundry anyway. Most of the fragrance and softener is gone after they are used. Used fabric softener sheets are also great for buffing shoes and chrome! Double them up work both sides of the frets at once. It is surprising how much trash collects there and the longer it stays there the harder it is to get off.

Fret Sprout is actually neck shrinkage from the wood drying out when stored in very low humidity. Humidifying an electric instrument in the case is sort of inconvenient and might be risky to electric instruments since in-case humidification is hard to control.

Today's poly finishes seal the wood pretty good so they don't dry out like a nitro finish does.

The general rule of "if you are comfortable your guitar is comfortable" doesn't apply when the relative humidity in your home falls to bone dry due heating. The best solution is to use a humidifier in the room where vintage or nitro finished guitars are stored or have a humidified installed on your central heating system. That way you'll feel better too!

If an instrument does get "fret sprout" it isn't really that major a fix. A simple fret dressing will correct it. Any competent tech can quickly do it. If you are the courageous do-it-yourself type Stew-Mac sells fret dressing files. Finish with some ultra fine sandpaper and it is no longer a problem. COVER the pickups with a towel because they will attract metal filings. Metal filings on the windings are bad news. Too little filing is preferable over too much because you want to stay OFF the wood completely.

The dead of winter which is the peak of the heating season is actually the best time to do a fret dressing. I've only had the fret sprout issue on one instrument, a maple fretboard 54 P-bass in mid January here in NC. It cost me 21 bucks. He charged a dollar a fret I guess. Once the humidity of summer returned that was a tremendously smooth neck.


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Post subject: humidity control
Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 9:51 am
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You might try a product called Dampit. These should be easy to find in any store that sells violins and cellos. I would get the Cello model for a bass.

The Dampit is essentially a perforated rubber hose with a cylindrical sponge inside. To use it, you soak it in water and wring out the excess, and then just store it in the case along with the instrument. It comes with a card to show humidity levels, but I don't know if I'd swear by its accuracy. I've never bought a cello Dampit, but I used the string bass version for many years. They typically run about $10, so the cello should be about half that I would think.

Hope this helps.


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