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Post subject: Strat Fretboard Maintenance
Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 9:13 am
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Hey all, I have an '06 American Standard Strat and over the couple of years I've owned it, I've trusted my local guitar dealer to maintain it. Though, this year I'd like to do it myself. So, how would I go about removing the fairly little but noticeable grime on my strat's rosewood fretboard? I've heard of using 0000 grit steel wool with boiled linseed oil but wouldn't the steel wool simply harm the fretboard?

Thanks

(and sorry if this question is asked frequently)


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Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 9:27 am
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I am sure this is not what the Fender manual suggests... But I just scrape it off with a guitar pick in the direction of the wood grain. Then I wipe the fret board with a damp cloth, then a dry one.


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Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 10:23 am
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01GT eibach wrote:
I am sure this is not what the Fender manual suggests... But I just scrape it off with a guitar pick in the direction of the wood grain. Then I wipe the fret board with a damp cloth, then a dry one.


Yeah, I do pretty much the same, just making sure you don't gouge the wood or scrape it up either.

On my rosewood and ebony necks - after I'm done with that, I'll put some Gibson Luthier oil, some Dunlop Fretboard conditioner, or some GHS Fast Fret on it. I'll take some time to rub it in well with my fingers so it penetrates. Then I'll wipe it clean and restring it. I'll do this maybe twice a year or so, it depends on how the neck is.

On maple necks, I'll just wipe it with a damp rag too since it's finished wood.


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Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2008 10:44 am
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I have been using 0000 Steel Wool on my Rosewood fretboards for years. Rub real light with the grain. Then I treat it with Gerlitz Guitar Honey.

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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 9:39 am
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Hello MettallicaRHCP,

I clean my fretboard every time
I change my strings,
all six off at one time.

So major grime buildup is never a factor.

Over the years I used all
types of cleaners,feeders,protectors,etc

Today I'm using
Pledge revitalizing orange oil,
seems ok, with a citrus scent.

Boiled linseed oil not for my guitars.

Cheers.


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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 10:56 am
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I use a stiff short nylon bristle brush to get the gunk off my fretboards, brushing in all directions to get the stuff parallel to the frets and out of the wood grain. I oil my rosewood fretboards twice a year with Dunlop 65 Lemon Oil. The before & after pics below are the same guitar, an '83 SQ Strat with an optical overhaul.

Before
Image

After
Image

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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 11:33 am
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Fingerboard gunk: eeeuuugh! [in the voice of Lisa Simpson].

If it's really bad then sometimes scraping just doesn't finish the job (spatulas cut from old credit cards make good scrapers). Then you need to loosen the gunk residue before wiping away. Naphtha is often used for that - or some people just use lighter fluid! After that, a light wipe down with methylated spirits is a well known method of degreasing, in industry.

All of that will dry out rosewood, so then you need to feed the wood with some lemon oil. Literally just a couple of drops for the entire 'board. And something's going wrong if you need to oil the neck more than a couple of times a year. One bottle of lemon oil should last your guitar most of its life...

Cheers - C


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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 12:50 pm
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Hello Ceri,

I bought a 2oz bottle of
lemon oil about 18 years ago.
still have most of it.
but he funny thing is
it doesn't smell like lemons ant more. :shock:

Cheers.


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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 1:01 pm
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dont people wipe their guitars after playing them anymore. i've 2 rosewood boards and neither of em require that much cleaning. I just wash my hands before playing, wipe the whole guitar(not just the neck) after im done and put it back in its case. I only oil em about once a year.

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Posted: Sun Aug 17, 2008 1:19 pm
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I use lemon oil and a microfiber cloth. The cloth doesn't really matter, but the lemon oil seems to give me good results. For something more major, I may use the steel wool extremely lightly, but for now, the lemon oil when I change strings keeps it in good shape.


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Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 3:15 pm
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nikininja wrote:
dont people wipe their guitars after playing them anymore. i've 2 rosewood boards and neither of em require that much cleaning. I just wash my hands before playing, wipe the whole guitar(not just the neck) after im done and put it back in its case. I only oil em about once a year.


I still wipe down my guitar. I also wash my hands before playing, and even after about an hour when my hands feel sticky.

When I'm done playing I usually wipe off any sweat on the strings and fingerboard with an old T-shirt, that I save, just for that purpose. When I change strings, I also use a fretboard conditioner and cleaner to wipe down the fingerboard. I've never had any "gunk" buildup on the fingerboard.

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Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 3:20 pm
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What I do:

Lint Free Cloth
Toothbrush
Pledge Lemon Furniture polish

I just spray the polish on the fretboard, take the nylon toothbrush and work in in the groves between the frets and right up next to em.

Keeps em clean and bending smooth!


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Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 3:35 pm
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Use the cheap whiskey someone got you for Christmas. You know you already drank the good stuff.
That $6.00 a quart rot gut will eat any fretboard scum right off.

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Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 3:43 pm
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DO NOT use anything on a fretboard that was not made for wood. Certain ingredients in things like WD40 and cheap whiskey will eat away at your fretboard. And they smell bad too.

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Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 3:48 pm
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CAFeathers wrote:
DO NOT use anything on a fretboard that was not made for wood. Certain ingredients in things like WD40 and cheap whiskey will eat away at your fretboard. And they smell bad too.


Rot gut definitly smells bad

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