Members StratAttackJack Posted December 6, 2006 Members Share Posted December 6, 2006 Sorry this probably gets asked a lot, but since I can't search, well you know... I bought a martin d-15 mahagony back/sides spruce top version about a year ago. I mainly play electric and admit I haven't been taking good care of my acoustic (due to my habits of not taking good care of my electrics either) but I've noticed my fretboard looks like its starting to dry out higher up where I can't reach, and was wondering what I could put on it to make it look "healthier?" Thanks for the help. I've noticed the price on these have gone up some so I'm gonna baby it a little more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Muddslide Posted December 6, 2006 Members Share Posted December 6, 2006 I'm sure there are people here who will chime in with better responses, but I've heard the best thing for a rosewood fingerboard is a light application of almond oil. I don't believe this is the same thing as almond extract. You should be able to get it at a health food store. My wife has some and I used just a few drops on an old t-shirt and rubbed it into the rosewood board of an old Gibson ukulele that seemed really dried out and it worked real well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members conway Posted December 6, 2006 Members Share Posted December 6, 2006 A very reliable source told me to use a lemen oil and never use any silicone based products. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Queequeg Posted December 6, 2006 Members Share Posted December 6, 2006 CF Martin does not recommend the use of lemon oil on their fretboards.this, from their website... "Can I use lemon oil on my fingerboard? We do not recommend using lemon oil on our fingerboards. The acids in lemon oil break down the finish of our guitars. It may also aid the corrosion of the frets and lessen the life of the strings." If you fail to care for your acoustic guitar properly it will self-destruct. It doesn't take a lot of work, and you don't need to baby them. Just a few simple guidelines.It bears little resemblance to an electric guitar in terms of care and feeding.Here's some recommended reading to help you protect your investment.CF Martin Care and Feeding Good luck, StratAttackJack! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StratAttackJack Posted December 6, 2006 Author Members Share Posted December 6, 2006 Thanks for replies! I have heard about the lemon oil not being good for fretboards, and unfortunately the website doesn't say much in the way of what I should use instead I may try the almond oil but since I've never heard of that I'm a little apprehenisve, has anyone else done this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Treborklow Posted December 6, 2006 Members Share Posted December 6, 2006 Martin may not like lemon oil, but I've never heard of using anything else on any guitar. I've always used lemon oil and most guitar shops sell that as a fretboard cleaner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members conway Posted December 6, 2006 Members Share Posted December 6, 2006 Lets ask Riif, He seems to be up on most everything. Hey Riff, What do you think we should use on our fret boards and bridges? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DeepEnd Posted December 6, 2006 Members Share Posted December 6, 2006 I've used gun stock oil on a couple of older (30 yrs. or so) acoustics with good results. You should be able to get it at just about any sporting goods store. Linseed oil is supposed to be good too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StratAttackJack Posted December 6, 2006 Author Members Share Posted December 6, 2006 Originally posted by Treborklow Martin may not like lemon oil, but I've never heard of using anything else on any guitar. I've always used lemon oil and most guitar shops sell that as a fretboard cleaner. Martin must know something they don't, Lol, hell I dunno. I'm not trying to clean my fretboard, I'm just trying to "rehydrate" it as its looking dryed out in some areas. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted December 6, 2006 Members Share Posted December 6, 2006 The issue with Martin and lemon type oils is that it CAN react with the finish. It has nothing to do with the fingerboard itself. Other guitars with catalyzed or UV finishes PROBABLY will not have the problems. Many people, including Frank Ford, do use mineral oil http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/GenMaint/Cleaning/cleaning02.html All I ever do is clean the fretboard with a moist cloth when I restring and once in a very great while take some 0000 steel wool to it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Preacher Will Posted December 6, 2006 Members Share Posted December 6, 2006 Originally posted by Freeman Keller The issue with Martin and lemon type oils is that it CAN react with the finish. It has nothing to do with the fingerboard itself. Other guitars with catalyzed or UV finishes PROBABLY will not have the problems.Many people, including Frank Ford, do use mineral oilhttp://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/GenMaint/Cleaning/cleaning02.htmlAll I ever do is clean the fretboard with a moist cloth when I restring and once in a very great while take some 0000 steel wool to it. Mineral oil (basically baby oil) is my recommendation, though clearly Frank has far better credentials for this than I do! I've been using it for decades without any observable negative effects. I strongly discourage the use of vegetable oils (linseed being a prime example) because they can begin to decompose over time. Mineral oil, lemon oil, baby oil--all of them are distallates of petroleum with various additives. The more pure, the better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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