Speaking of Dan Erlewine, I have a couple of Dan Erlewine's books and here's his exact preference I looked up and quote this from his book "How To Make Your Electric Guitar Play Great!":

"My preferred fretboard treatment is pure raw linseed oil (not the "boiled" variety). Nothing gives the deep rich look to rosewood or ebony- or makes light, bland looking fretboards look dark and beautiful as linseed oil does."


Cheers,

Snowy

And page 4 of the his guitar repair manual says use lemon oil. In the end, who cares as long it's an oil that's good for the wood?

Cheers

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60th Anniversary AD Strat, Deluxe Nashville Tele, Player's P Bass. Mesa/Boogie Mk IV combo, Marshall JCM800, 1960A cab, Genz Benz El Diablo 60, Genz 2x12" cab, too many neat little practice amps and kit projects!

Yeah, no problem, just sharing what I've learn't, everyone can use their own preferences.

It's good to know all the options and be aware there can be issues with certain products, it's also good to be aware that some very knowledgeable manufacturers, like Martin on their FAQ page, also give advice to their customers on what products NOT to use on their guitars and in this case, they specifically list Lemon Oil.

The good thing about these forums is that we can all learn new things from each other and discuss.

Cheers,

Snowy

Well, my favorite treatment for my necks is



The name is a little politically incorrect, and the oil is a bit gooey, but it really gives the whole neck that vintage feel.
MULLY

That's the stuff!!

We don't need no stinkin' lemon scent.

I mean lemon scent?...that's for pussies!!


Cheers,

Snowy

Well, there's always strawberry.

Anything but salad dressing flavor.

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60th Anniversary AD Strat, Deluxe Nashville Tele, Player's P Bass. Mesa/Boogie Mk IV combo, Marshall JCM800, 1960A cab, Genz Benz El Diablo 60, Genz 2x12" cab, too many neat little practice amps and kit projects!

I use Linseed Oil, I find it cheaper than lemon oil. Ive been using it for 10+ years and I have had no issues with it at all.

I have no problem with lemon oil, its just music stores charge like a wounded bull for it. For the same price, I get linseed from my local hardware & timber supply store in a bottle easily 5 times the amount. Actually, the same can be said for guitar polishes too

Linseed I believe is just as good if not better It has a rather distinct aroma to it that smells 'guitar' like

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I use satin linseed oil on the back of my raw necks and it leaves a great, smooth, non-stick feel - just like finely sanded wood, only with some protection. IMO, it's the best thing to use on maple as it's maintainable and comes right off with some steel wool. 5-6 coats, hand rubbed into the wood with a light going-over with 0000 steel wool in between and it's as smooth as it's gonna get!


Cheers!

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60th Anniversary AD Strat, Deluxe Nashville Tele, Player's P Bass. Mesa/Boogie Mk IV combo, Marshall JCM800, 1960A cab, Genz Benz El Diablo 60, Genz 2x12" cab, too many neat little practice amps and kit projects!

I was doing some research on this since I just bought a used Strat that has tarnished frets. I bought a pack of this fret and string cleaning product here http://www.chromefretsusa.com/demo.php

Thanks for all the informative tips! I have a bottle of Fornbys Lemon Oil that I've used for about 25 years! Same bottle, never a problem. I first run a new 00000 steel wool up and down the fretboard (after taping off the headstock, body and electronics with blue painters tape) then I use soft brushes and blue painters tape and thoroughly clean all the metal particles.

Here is where my technique differs from the rest: I fold a paper towel twice and drench it in the Fornbys. Then I'll soak the fretboard thoroughly and let it soak in being careful not to touch any other parts of the guitar with the oil. After about 1/2 hour, the oil will soak in and then I'll wipe the lemon oil off and apply again. I'll do this about three times. Next, I'll vigorously buff the board with paper towels until it shines. The final step is fret polishing using about six different grades of 3M polishing papers from 800 (be very careful with the 800) to 2000 to polish each fret... all this can take the better part of an afternoon but the results are spectacular IMHO. The last strat I did was a 1998 Strat Plus that, by the looks of things, had never had anything done to the neck.