Members wwyang76 Posted June 27, 2007 Members Share Posted June 27, 2007 I just noticed the fretboard of my gibson has been way too dry due to the heating in all the winters. The color of the rosewood has become very pale, and frets have come up a little bit. Any gurus here know how to cure it? Many thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Burningleaves Posted June 27, 2007 Members Share Posted June 27, 2007 I just noticed the fretboard of my gibson has been way too dry due to the heating in all the winters. The color of the rosewood has become very pale, and frets have come up a little bit. Any gurus here know how to cure it? Many thanks. You need to periodically "condition" rosewood boards with fretboard conditioner. I do mine like one or two times a year. I use Kyser...seems pretty good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jdjonsson Posted June 27, 2007 Members Share Posted June 27, 2007 1. Remove strings.2. Clean with Dunlop fretboard prep cleaner3. Oil with fretboard oil (Dunlop fretboard conditioner)4. Let dry5. remove excess oil with rag.6. re-string. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesway Posted June 27, 2007 Members Share Posted June 27, 2007 yup. what he said. it's a basic lemon oil treatment. it keeps the fretboard nice and soft and it gets the 'gunk' out from that little embedded spot right next to the frets. i do it a bit more than 1-2x a year, but that's just preference. i personally like KYSER's "Dr. Stringfellow lem-oil," but the truth is, they're really all the same. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Burningleaves Posted June 27, 2007 Members Share Posted June 27, 2007 I just noticed the fretboard of my gibson has been way too dry due to the heating in all the winters. The color of the rosewood has become very pale, and frets have come up a little bit. Any gurus here know how to cure it? Many thanks. BTW.....What do you mean when you say "frets have come up a little bit"? Are they "bowed" up at the ends or something? Got any pics? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Quarter Posted June 27, 2007 Members Share Posted June 27, 2007 The new fretboard conditioner from Ernie Ball kicks butt http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Ernie-Ball-Wonder-Wipes-Fretboard-Conditioner-Wipe?sku=421149 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mikejungle Posted June 27, 2007 Members Share Posted June 27, 2007 yup like these guys said, fretboard cleaner. i use guitar honey just cuz the guy at the store said it was good...specifically for darker woods like ebony and rosewood. works well. fretboard looks really nice afterward Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members darkest_fugue Posted June 27, 2007 Members Share Posted June 27, 2007 i use dr ducks ax wax and string lube, they threw it in for me when i bought an acoustic in new york, amazing stuff you can use it anywhere on the guitar not just the fretboard, does a great job on a dry fretboard though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Ratae Corieltauvorum Posted June 27, 2007 Moderators Share Posted June 27, 2007 There appears as usual to be the truth and the myth. So called lemon oil is NOT a conditioner but a cleaner. And if used too much it can eventually break down the glue that keeps the fret board on your neck. For the best conditioning oil use http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mikejungle Posted June 27, 2007 Members Share Posted June 27, 2007 ^that stuff sounds great...i want some Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Nephilim-777 Posted June 27, 2007 Members Share Posted June 27, 2007 Real lemon oil is very expensive and most lemon oil guitar products are petroleum based, and used as a cleaner as mentioned above. I use lemon oil to clean and olive oil to condition rosewood and ebony only if necessary. I don't oil any maple necks. Truth is that most necks get enough oil from our finger tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bgator Posted June 27, 2007 Members Share Posted June 27, 2007 I remember reading in Dan Erlewine's book that he uses raw linseed oil, which I think you can get pretty cheap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armitage Posted June 27, 2007 Members Share Posted June 27, 2007 Light Mineral Oil from the drug store is best, Lemon Oil if it's really grungy. Most preperations ARE just low grade mineral oil, so buy the good pure stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bbreaker Posted June 27, 2007 Members Share Posted June 27, 2007 Fretboard CareTo oil, or not to oil...One of the questions most often asked in the newsgroups is 'How do I take care of my guitar's wood?' It is also a discussion that is plagued with misinformation and half-truths. This article should clarify many of the misconceptions about fretboard care. The vast majority of guitar fretboards are made of rosewood, ebony or maple. These are dense woods with different characteristics. Maple fretboards are almost always sealed with a varnish or lacquer coating and require very little care other than cleaning. The sealant coat prevents dirt and grime from getting into the pores of the wood and accumulating. Rosewood and ebony are left untreated and the natural oils in the wood protect them. The cleaning products that can be safely used on maple are unsuited to these woods. The same care that is used for these would apply to other dense natural finish fretboards (unvarnished). General rule number one about fretboard care is to avoid any products that contain silicone. While silicone oils are inert substances, problems over the long term will be avoided by not using them. General rule number two is to avoid products that contain waxes. This includes carnauba, paraffin and silicone waxes. You do not want to apply a waxy residue to the fretboard, you merely want to clean it and leave a very thin oil protectant. What about furniture care products like "Lemon Pledge"? Aerosol furniture polishes contain waxes, petroleum distillates, emulsifiers (detergents), and lots and lots of water. A very light spray on maple to clean it is fine, but aerosol polishes ahould not be used on unvarnished fretbaords. We do not want to apply products containing water to the natural finish of a guitar neck and fretboard. A statement that is seen many times in the newsgroups is "use only 100% lemon oil". First, there are NO furniture care products that actually contain nothing but lemon oil, and even if there were, you would not want to use it on a wood finish. Pure cold-pressed lemon oil is very expensive and could not be marketed for $3 or $4 per bottle like the furniture oils you see in stores. "But Product XYZ says that it contains 100% lemon oil." Yes, I've seen products with that on the label, and I assure you it is a false and misleading statement. It is used in the context that the product contains 100% lemon oil conditioner as opposed to a cheaper steam-distilled citrus oil or synthetic duplicate made from pine tree wood. Typically 99% or more of the product is a mineral oil with less than 1% lemon oil. Pure lemon oil (or other citrus oils) is composed of d-limonene at an amount of 90% or more. There are other minor components that give each of the citrus oils its own unique flavors and fragrances. These ingredients include citral, linalool, geraniol, nerol, citronella, pinenes and other terpenes. Since d-limonene is the majority of lemon oil (or orange oil), we can look at its properties to determine why it is not suited for fretboard care. First, and most importantly, d-limonene is a very strong solvent. It is used to remove glue, paint, grease, oil and other substances. If an oil with a high percentage of d-limonene were applied to a fretboard, it might even begin to loosen the bindings, fret markers or other trim. Additionally, it could soften some varnishes or lacquers used on necks and bodies. Also the vapors of d-limonene are flammable with a flash point of about 124 degrees F. What are petroleum distillates? The type of petroleum distillates used in furniture cleaners is a very thin, purified and deodorized mineral oil. Normal paraffin and iso-paraffin oils are generally used since they are less agressive to finishes and have lower odors. They are also flammable but the flash points are usually above 200 degrees F. What to Use To clean a natural finish fretboard or neck, little is required in the way of chemical treatment. Basically you use a clean rag to remove as much of the dirt build-up as possible. Around the frets, grime often gets packed in and is very hard to remove. A plastic scrubbing pad is recommended since it will be softer and less likely to scratch, although very fine grades of steel wool (000 grade) may be used with care. Either type of scrubber should be plain; NO SOAP as is often in SOS pads or similar. Watch the steel wool because any fine bits of metal that are shed by the pad will be attracted by the magnets of guitar pickups. A furniture oil may be placed on a clean rag and wiped around the hard to clean spots to assist the pad in removing the dirt. Once the fretboard is clean, wipe the entire surface with the oil dampened cloth to seal it. The furniture oil that is left behind will replenish the oil lost from the surface of the wood and help retard further losses. Use as little as possible; you just want to put a slight gloss on the surface. Select a furniture oil that contains petroleum distillates. It is required by Federal law to have a child resistant cap and to state on the label: "Contains petroleum distillates. Harmful or fatal if swallowed". Lemon oil makes the product smell better and might add a little cleaning action due to its solvency, but is not required. Avoid silicones and waxes. Buy a good quality furniture oil. Since you use it sparingly and only clean once or twice per year, a typical bottle will last a lifetim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Vermintide Posted June 27, 2007 Members Share Posted June 27, 2007 There appears as usual to be the truth and the myth. So called lemon oil is NOT a conditioner but a cleaner. And if used too much it can eventually break down the glue that keeps the fret board on your neck. For the best conditioning oil use http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm Well that stuff looks a ripoff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitarcapo Posted June 27, 2007 Members Share Posted June 27, 2007 Walnut oil is what I use. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Burningleaves Posted June 27, 2007 Members Share Posted June 27, 2007 So is that Kyser stuff bad then or something? Been using the same bottle for years now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armitage Posted June 28, 2007 Members Share Posted June 28, 2007 That boredoctor stuff scares the crap out of me. Once again some Smow who wants to make money doesn't get it. You don't want to something to soak deep into the wood... you could imagine how much would be soaked into a '59 Les Pauls neck by now if someone used it once or twice a year... for 50 years. You think a Les Paul is heavy now! And it still kills me how many people here, sharp people too, who don't get it that Lemon Oil is the correct name for a product made of light mineral oil and a solvent (usually naptha). It's yellow and has a tart smell. People expect it to smell of lemons so manufacturers put a lemon scent in it. Sure it's a misleading name, but it always has been. Kind'a like orange paint doesn't have any oranges in it. There is a lemon oil made from lemons... but it's a harsh product for a different use. But of course when you deal with minimum wage unskilled workers, they'll go "Lemon oil... yeah for wood... this is it." Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Armitage Posted June 28, 2007 Members Share Posted June 28, 2007 Here's what the Tox Health Data Base lists for ingredients for a few "name" Lemon Oils. Note: No Lemons involved. ========Ingredients ======== Cas: 8042-47-5 RTECS #: PY8047000 Name: WHITE MINERAL OIL % by Wt: 99.0 Other REC Limits: NONE RECOMMENDED OSHA PEL: 5 MG/M3 ACGIH TLV: 5 MG/M3 Ozone Depleting Chemical: N ------------------------------ Name: VOC = 13 G/L % by Wt: NA Other REC Limits: NONE RECOMMENDED OSHA PEL: NOT RELEVANT ACGIH TLV: NOT RELEVANT And another... ======== Ingredients ======== Cas: 64475-85-0 RTECS #: PY8240000 Name: MINERAL SPIRITS; (ODORLESS MINERAL SPIRITS (HEAVY NAPHTHA)) OSHA PEL: N/K (FP N) ACGIH TLV: N/K (FP N) Ozone Depleting Chemical: N ------------------------------ Cas: 64741-88-4 RTECS #: PY8040501 Name: MINERAL OIL, PETROLEUM DISTILLATES, SOLVENT-REFINED (SEVERE) HEAVY PARAFFINIC; (HEAVY PARAFFINIC PETROLEUM OIL) OSHA PEL: N/K (FP N) ACGIH TLV: N/K (FP N) Ozone Depleting Chemical: N And another... ======== Ingredients ======== Cas: 75-28-5 RTECS #: TZ4300000 Name: ISO BUTANE, 2-METHYLPROPANE Other REC Limits: 1000 PPM OSHA PEL: 1800 MG/CUM ACGIH TLV: 800 PPM Ozone Depleting Chemical: N ------------------------------ Cas: 74-98-6 RTECS #: TX2275000 Name: PROPANE Other REC Limits: 1800 MG/CUM OSHA PEL: 1000 PPM ACGIH TLV: SIMPLE ASPHYXIANT Ozone Depleting Chemical: N ------------------------------ Cas: 64742-48-9 Name: ISOPARAFFINIC HYDROCARBONS (NAPHTHA PETROLEUM), HYDROTREATED HEAVY, NON AROMATIC HEAVY NAPHTHA) ISOPAR G *93-3* Ozone Depleting Chemical: N Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members reaganomic6 Posted June 28, 2007 Members Share Posted June 28, 2007 No lemons were harmed in the making of this oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wwyang76 Posted June 28, 2007 Author Members Share Posted June 28, 2007 BTW.....What do you mean when you say "frets have come up a little bit"? Are they "bowed" up at the ends or something? Got any pics? They are not really protruding at the ends, but seem to me a little higher above the board than they should be. It may be just my hallucination, and maybe that's just the way Gibson frets are. Dunno. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wwyang76 Posted June 28, 2007 Author Members Share Posted June 28, 2007 Hey, guys, those are very, very informative replies. Learned a lot. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mnhhngbfs Posted June 28, 2007 Members Share Posted June 28, 2007 The new fretboard conditioner from Ernie Ball kicks butt http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Ernie-Ball-Wonder-Wipes-Fretboard-Conditioner-Wipe?sku=421149 yup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members go cat go Posted June 28, 2007 Members Share Posted June 28, 2007 Guitar Honey: Regarding the beafifer product, the guys on the SD and Gear Page forums swear by it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ILikeGuitar Posted July 8, 2007 Members Share Posted July 8, 2007 local luthier told me that you should use naptha/lighter fluid to clean it, and then put a tiny bit of lemon oil on it Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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