Using a bit of water to clean fretboard?

[BigFurryWhale]

Is using a moist cloth to clean my fretboards a bad idea? My boards are all either rosewood or ebony.

[Alchemist]

use lemon oil

[Frankenstrat]

Water can warp a neck and or fretboard. Use lighter fluid. Just be careful and use ventilation.

[K3Fallout]

...crap..because after I took off my strings today I used a moisted paper towel.. I need to invest in some lemon oil then.Any ideas where to buy it?

[walt0915]

 

Originally posted by K3Fallout ...crap..because after I took off my strings today I used a moisted paper towel.. I need to invest in some lemon oil then.Any ideas where to buy it?

 

 

A damp rag one time isn't likely to hurt it - but its not a good idea. Rosewood is a rather oily wood, so you won't get much penetration with just a damp rag. You can get lemon oil at many hardware stores.

[BigFurryWhale]

Wow thanks. Luckily I've only done it a coupe times. I've heard saliva works well (?) any thoughts on this? Sounds like lighter fluid or some sort of oil should do the trick. What about something like rubbing alchohol?

[jerry_picker]

A damp cloth?

 

Come on, those of us with sweaty hands put corrosive salt water (sweat) onto fingerboards and grind it in with our fingers for hours at a time. A wipe-down afterwards, and no harm done.

 

A damp cloth shouldn't hurt a fingerboard at all. (Standing water or soaking is another issue and should be avoided.)

[K3Fallout]

Well I have maple so does the same thing apply?

[walt0915]

 

Originally posted by jerry_picker A damp cloth? Come on, those of us with sweaty hands put corrosive salt water (sweat) onto fingerboards and grind it in with our fingers for hours at a time. A wipe-down afterwards, and no harm done. A damp cloth shouldn't hurt a fingerboard at all. (Standing water or soaking is another issue and should be avoided.)

 

 

yeah, well, I pretty much agree, but figured it better not to recommend it lest a newbie go overboard.

[ThomasD]

Originally posted by walt0915 yeah, well, I pretty much agree, but figured it better not to recommend it lest a newbie go overboard.

 

Damp cloth: A.O.K.

 

Pressure Cleaner: Not so good.

[danolovesjesus]

 

Originally posted by BigFurryWhale Wow thanks. Luckily I've only done it a coupe times. I've heard saliva works well (?) any thoughts on this? Sounds like lighter fluid or some sort of oil should do the trick. What about something like rubbing alchohol?

 

 

While saliva works well for dissolving built up dirt around frets and what not, I wouldn't lick down my fret board for the sake of moistening it. Lemon Oil, Orange Oil, boiled linseed oil are great options. Use just enough, don't sop it on.

 

And don't let those ebony boards or bridges dry out: they do like to crack.

[Frankenstrat]

Originally posted by BigFurryWhale Wow thanks. Luckily I've only done it a coupe times. I've heard saliva works well (?) any thoughts on this? Sounds like lighter fluid or some sort of oil should do the trick. What about something like rubbing alchohol?

Never use alcohol on a guitar. And I don't like lemon oil because it can contain driers which can harm the wood. Tung oil would be better on an all maple neck. Just be careful because it's very flammable. Or you could use something specifically made for a guitar:

 

 

 

 

[TheDarxide]

Damp is okay, but never dripping. Lemon oil should only be applied to rosewood boards and only every few years.

 

Boards should clean up with clean lint free rag and a bit of elbow grease.

[PolyFmorf]

 

Originally posted by K3Fallout Well I have maple so does the same thing apply?

 

NO

[PolyFmorf]

A DAMP cloth will not hurt your fretboard. People dust very high end furniture with damp clothes all the time.

 

Better to clean with some naptha and then condition with lemon or orange oil. Personally, I condition my rosewood boards with Old English orange oil.

[orourke]

Originally posted by Frankenstrat Never use alcohol on a guitar. And I don't like lemon oil because it can contain driers which can harm the wood. Tung oil would be better on an all maple neck. Just be careful because it's very flammable. Or you could use something specifically made for a guitar:

 

+1

 

You don't want to risk screwing up your guitar just to save a few dollars. Spend a couple of bucks and use something that's made to clean fretboards.

 

My luthier/guitar tech uses Gibson fretboard cleaner to clean grimmy fretboards, I hang out at the shop and I see him do it all the time. Usually he just uses the Gibson Fretboard Cleaner and a guitar cloth. If the fretboard is particularly disgusting, he'll gently use a single edge razor blade to scrape of the gunk. Then he uses a bit of very fine steel wool (000 grade maybe I'm not sure), to gently rub it down. Finally he applies the fretboard cleaner and uses a guitar cloth, to clean and lubricate it the fretboard.

 

Personally I use the Fretboard cleaner and cloth, if the neck needs a real cleaning as mentioned above, I bring it to my friends shop and let the professional do it. For ten bucks, he'll clean it, tighten any loose nuts or screws on the headstock, and put on a new set of strings.

[k4df4l]

 

Originally posted by PolyFmorf A DAMP cloth will not hurt your fretboard. People dust very high end furniture with damp clothes all the time.

 

 

absofreakinglutly

 

A damp non-scratch cloth will not damage your fretboard or instrument and is prb part of one of the safest ways to clean it off....of course since it's free and not something marketed some folks are totally unaware.

[Prages]

First off, I agree that a damp cloth isn't going to do any damage. Secondly, if it's a finished maple fretboard, then you can probably use just about furniture cleaner.

 

On an unfinished maple board, lemon oil cleans the wood and also conditions it. I've been using lemon oil on my unfinished maple and rosewood boards for years with no harm.

[El Glom-o]

 

Originally posted by danolovesjesus ...I wouldn't lick down my fret board for the sake of moistening it.

 

 

 

If you lick the fretboard of someone else's guitar, it will curse the instrument and cause it to "reject" the player's fingers, rendering it unusable to that person.

[Gaf-Yag-A-Ton]

When i was in high school I worked a summer job. I owed my mom hundreds of dollars because I smashed something of hers in a rage.

 

I saved up my paychecks and instead of replacing the smashed item... I bought a squire strat and hid it outside in the bushes in a garbage bag (to protect it from rain) then told her I lost my money.

 

By the end of the year..... that neck was as warped as an arrow bow. You could SEE the curvature.

 

A moist rag is fine for basic cleaning......but humidity= DEATH UPON YOUR GUITAR.

[k4df4l]

 

Originally posted by Gaf-Yag-A-Ton By the end of the year..... that neck was as warped as an arrow bow. You could SEE the curvature. A moist rag is fine for basic cleaning......but humidity= DEATH UPON YOUR GUITAR.

 

 

Granted, that was really retarted but really not realted to the discussion at hand.

 

For moisture to effect the wood of your board in this case, you have to look at several different factors including the level of moisture the piece is exposed to, the length of exposure and the potential the piece has for absorbing moisture in the first place..with the concept of using a damp rag to clean off a piece of wood while not leaving a puddle of water behind, none of these conditions are really met to any degree as to have a negative effect.

[jerry_picker]

Originally posted by Gaf-Yag-A-Ton I bought a squire strat and hid it outside in the bushes in a garbage bag (to protect it from rain) then told her I lost my money. By the end of the year..... that neck was as warped as an arrow bow. You could SEE the curvature. A moist rag is fine for basic cleaning......but humidity= DEATH UPON YOUR GUITAR.

 

It seems that YOU are death on guitars.

 

Your (purported) abuse of that Strat is irrelevant to this thread. Nobody cleans a fingerboard by putting a guitar in a bag and leaving it outdoors for months at a time.

 

troll

[Gaf-Yag-A-Ton]

Originally posted by jerry_picker It seems that YOU are death on guitars. Your (purported) abuse of that Strat is irrelevant to this thread. Nobody cleans a fingerboard by putting a guitar in a bag and leaving it outdoors for months at a time. troll

 

Relax!!! I still played it warped!

I had no choice but to abuse that squire. I didn't WANT to leave it outdoors. I just didn't want my mom to ask the inevitable questions.

 

My point was..... humidty=moisture. Humidity=bad therefore moisture=bad therefore moist rag=bad. Moist rag= made moist by human. Therefore human with moist rag=bad human!

 

If you are cleaning the guitar neck with water....... you are BAD.

 

BAD HUMAN!!!!

[TheDarxide]

 

Originally posted by Gaf-Yag-A-Ton Relax!!! I still played it warped! I had no choice but to abuse that squire. I didn't WANT to leave it outdoors. I just didn't want my mom to ask the inevitable questions. My point was..... humidty=moisture. Humidity=bad therefore moisture=bad therefore moist rag=bad. Moist rag= made moist by human. Therefore human with moist rag=bad human! If you are cleaning the guitar neck with water....... you are BAD. BAd!!!!!!

 

 

As I said earlier:

 

Damp rag = fine

Dripping rag = bad

 

Providing you don't leave water behind, a wet rag will be all right.

[k4df4l]

 

Originally posted by Gaf-Yag-A-Ton My point was..... humidty=moisture. Humidity=bad therefore moisture=bad therefore moist rag=bad. Moist rag= made moist by human. Therefore human with moist rag=bad human! If you are cleaning the guitar neck with water....... you are BAD. BAD HUMAN!!!!

 

 

 

 

completly untrue