i read the posts on the topic, "Taking care of your rosewood fretboard" and picked up probably all the info i need to keep my new guitar clean and conditioned.

but i have a question:

my new strat has a maple fretboard and the dunlop kit i picked up to clean my guitar & strings came with a "ultimate lemon oil" product though it states not to use on a maple fret.

the kit also came with a bottle of "guitar polish & cleaner" and "string cleaner"

what do you advise for maple frets?

want to get into good habits taking care of it

As most maple fretboards are clear-coated, you don't have to do anything special to keep them clean, you could use Formual 409 if you wanted. Just using the guitar cleaner and polisher that came with your kit should be good. No need for any special treatments like you might use on a rosewood board.

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'08 Fender Am. Std. Jazz bass, maple fretboard, charcoal frost metallic finish
'10 Squier VM Jazz bass, maple fretboard, natural finish
Ampeg BA115
'09 MIM standard Strat, maple fretboard, sunburst finish
Fender Super Champ XD

I use a tiny bit of pledge furniture polish to clean mine each time I change the strings to get all the build-up. In between string changes I just run a soft cloth under the strings every once in a while.

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I keep a little bottle of Murphy's Oil Soap (It's in the floor cleaner aisle), diluted to their directions (1:64), and just use that every now and then to clean the neck/fretboard. Have to be light in application though, if you can see water beads when you wipe it's probably too much (don't want water to mess with frets). But no residue or anything like that, just clean ^^ Then I polish the frets and put string cleaner on them with a Q-tip (helps to prevent corrosion and lubricates for easier bending). Obsessive maybe, but it works for me <_<

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Just about any furniture polish will work. The trick is to make sure you get as much of it off the fretboard after polishing...meaning do not leave a residue that will get on your strings. Spray the cloth, not the board and wipe on/off.

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thanks for all the help, really appreciate it.

for awhile there, i was wondering if anyone besides me had a maple fret, happy to see different.

I only use a dry cotton cloth!

Never thought of using anything to polish and lubricate the frets. That's a good idea. What kind of string cleaner do you use for that? I'm thinking a spray can of finger ease would last a long time just using it for the frets.

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I normally use the Dunlop stuff, because it's easy to put on a Q-tip and then do the frets. It also makes a heavier coating and lasts longer on strings (I don't like it on strings, but I do like it on frets strange enough <_<.) That being said, you could easily do the same with finger-ease, just spray the Q-tip and go to town. Dunlop also has a fret polishing cloth which is just a really fine abrasive that does a good job. After polishing the frets I put a towel under the strings and then use finger-ease on the strings as I don't like getting that stuff all over the fretboard, I just like the feel of it on strings. ^^

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I spit on a polishing cloth and wipe from 1st fret to end paying close attention to the frets and check their condition. Then I use a drop of lemon oil between the frets. Probably not the best way, but it's my way and has served me well for many years.

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Spit polishing yer axe are ya ?

guys remember when your cleaning your boards to NOT spray your
cleaner directly on the board. use a cloth and spray the cloth
and not the board.
when spraying the board you can push dirt and grime in up under the frets.
not a good idea. it can cause the frets to loosen up or make a refret job a nightmare.

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63supro
"The good thing is in a club situation, most of the patrons are trashed and really can't tell the difference."

I use the same Gibson spray pump polish that I use on my guitar bodies on my maple necks,I just spray it on the cloth first and wipe the fretboard and after over 30 years no ill effects or buildup.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

+1

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I started using Fast Fret awhile back on all my guitars to keep the strings clean,on my maple fret board I just wipe it down every once in awhile with Dunlop 65 polish.