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Post subject: Re: Fretborad clean
Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 1:47 pm
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Joined: Thu May 25, 2017 11:09 pm
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thank you for you answers maybe im going to find other luthier to check the bridge or neck...

by the way to clean my fretboard i prefer to use a fender product ´cause some people say to use zippo fluid and other say the opposite.

Can you recommend me one?

thx


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Post subject: Re: Fretborad clean
Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 2:40 pm
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Professional Musician
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Joined: Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:50 pm
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Location: Denver, CO, USA
The Fender "Fingerboard Remedy" won't hurt your neck. And the carnauba wax in it could make your fingerboard a bit more resistant to getting dirty, and a bit easier to clean in the future.

But mixing a cleaner and a wax makes it less effective as a cleaner, and also less effective as a wax.

First I'd try a slightly damp microfiber cloth. If that doesn't get the fretboard completely clean, then I'd use naphtha (lighter fluid) on a microfiber cloth.

Then I might wax the whole neck with carnauba wax. Some people like the feel, others don't. If you don't like it, naphtha will remove the wax.

Naphtha is widely recognized as 100% safe on all finishes. It's very effective at removing finger oil/grease/sticky stuff.

On bare rosewood it can strip some of the natural wood oil and may necessitate treating the wood (Fret Doctor, Gerlitz, Dr Duck's, lemon oil, similar). But it's safe for the rosewood. I've used it on filthy pre-owned rosewood boards before applying Fret Doctor.

I'm curious what/where you've read anything bad about naphtha/lighter fluid.


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Post subject: Re: Fretborad clean
Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 2:56 pm
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i read it on guitar forum (spain) and they told me that ´cause my neck is a maple Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish.


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Post subject: Re: Fretborad clean
Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 3:00 pm
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All products sold as "fretboard cleaners/conditioners" are primarily intended for bare wood, like rosewood or ebony.
Fender's maple fretboards are finished. Coated. Painted with clear paint. Just like the clear topcoat on a guitar body. Sometimes clear nitrocellulose, sometimes clear polyurethane (or with a light amber tint added).

Treat a Fender maple fretboard exactly the same way you treat a Fender body.

You can use anything that's safe for a nitro/poly body. If a Fender product reassures you, that's perfectly ok.

There's some chance the oils in fretboard cleaners/conditioners can seep under the finish around the frets and stain or even soften the maple underneath. Usually not, but no point in spending extra money on something that won't work as well, provides no extra benefit, and presents some risk.


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Post subject: Re: Fretborad clean
Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 3:17 pm
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Rexy wrote:
i read it on guitar forum (spain) and they told me that ´cause my neck is a maple Nitrocellulose Lacquer Finish.


Nitro, polyurethane, polyester, shellac, varnish, Tru-Oil, Danish Oil -- naphtha doesn't dissolve, soften, cloud or discolor any of them.

Many solvents are very bad for nitro, but not naphtha.
----------------
Of course I'm just another guy on the internet who may or may not know what he's talking about. All you can do is read a lot, and judge the balance of opinion. Put extra emphasis on what guitar companies and luthiers say. Don't take the opinion of one or two people, or even the shared opinion of one particular forum (because people with similar beliefs tend to flock together).


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Post subject: Re: Fretborad clean
Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2018 10:32 pm
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Location: SoCal, US
Bingo.
Maple fingerboards are as close to zero-maintenance as you can get.
Yes, they need to be cleaned every now and then, but washing your hands regularly, and wiping down the strings after playing go a long way toward keeping them clean. I honestly don't think I've ever (in 45 years) used anything other than regular guitar polish on any of my maple necks... Fender or G&L.

Rosewood? Ya, it takes some care, and it is VERY easy to be tempted to over-oil it. I had an Epiphone LP that had a fairly dry-looking neck, and I hit it with lemon oil just a bit too often... two of the trapezoid inlays began to loosen. Better would have been Naptha, and a LIGHT treatment of Tung oil, or even something like a butcher block conditioning oil.

_________________
-- Rich


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Post subject: Re: Fretborad clean
Posted: Wed Mar 14, 2018 9:55 am
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With a very dirty maple fretboard I have used a little naphtha on a rag over the years. I won't harm anything on your guitar. Maybe dry out your rosewood board a little, but then treat it mineral oil. But as others have said, best to just use a damp rag.


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