Members J.Paul Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 Anyone ever use "Pledge: to clean their fretboard?Is it ok/safe? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 Quite often. It's mostly lemon oil. If it won't damage 4000 dollar dining tables, it hurt a thing on your guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ggm1960 Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 Anyone ever use "Pledge: to clean their fretboard?Is it ok/safe? Frankly I never really anything else Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ggm1960 Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 used, that is^ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Blackbelt1 Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 I only use Lemon Oil. A bottle of Formby's will probably last you a lifetime. ~Blackbelt Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 Quite often. It's mostly lemon oil. If it won't damage 4000 dollar dining tables, it hurt a thing on your guitar. It works pretty good for getting the bugs off your scooter ...... honda wipe smells a whole lot like pledge. Speaking of scooters ,,,,, my glide fired right up today. Its been parked since last oct when i rode it on its last run of the season to NC and back to michigan ,,, Its going to be nice tomorrow ,, i am going to go for a little putt and change the fluids ... i should have done it last fall but didnt get around to it .... oh well its a HD ,, basically farm equipment tech ,,,,,lol. rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members liko Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 Quite often. It's mostly lemon oil. If it won't damage 4000 dollar dining tables, it hurt a thing on your guitar. I disagree. Pledge contains waxes and other stuff that forms a buildup on your fretboard. It also has petroleum distillates meant to keep the stuff from evaporating. The distillates are not necessarily a bad thing; you do not want to use essential oil of lemon because it will evaporate and dry your fretboard even more, but petrol-based oil is not natural wood or plant oil and can actually change the tone of an unfinished fretboard or even a finished one. It's used on $4000 coffee tables because you don't care how it sounds; you want it to start shiny and stay shiny, and a few extra layers of wax on top is just fine; protects the wood and gives a "healthy" wood glow. Formby's (or Liquid Gold or a host of other lemon oil polishes) do have the petroleum distillates, but not nearly to the level of Pledge, and they don't have the waxes. These polishes get gunk OFF the wood and leave behind new oils that won't harden into wax buildup. This of course means you have to do it more often (hence the allure of Pledge as a furniture polish), but it's better for the wood, especially unfinished or open-grain surfaces. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sharkbait Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 Question: What works to get rid of the gunge that builds up on the neck? It's a problem on my old Fender Musicmaster II. I'm a newbie when it comes to taking care of a nice guitar. A newbie, with sweaty mitts... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BlueStrat Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 I disagree. Pledge contains waxes and other stuff that forms a buildup on your fretboard. It also has petroleum distillates meant to keep the stuff from evaporating. The distillates are not necessarily a bad thing; you do not want to use essential oil of lemon because it will evaporate and dry your fretboard even more, but petrol-based oil is not natural wood or plant oil and can actually change the tone of an unfinished fretboard or even a finished one. It's used on $4000 coffee tables because you don't care how it sounds; you want it to start shiny and stay shiny, and a few extra layers of wax on top is just fine; protects the wood and gives a "healthy" wood glow. Formby's (or Liquid Gold or a host of other lemon oil polishes) do have the petroleum distillates, but not nearly to the level of Pledge, and they don't have the waxes. These polishes get gunk OFF the wood and leave behind new oils that won't harden into wax buildup. This of course means you have to do it more often (hence the allure of Pledge as a furniture polish), but it's better for the wood, especially unfinished or open-grain surfaces. Well, I'll be danged. I've used pledge for 31 years. I'll have to let my acoustic guitar know I've ruined it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jackcheez Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 Well, I'll be danged. I've used pledge for 31 years. I'll have to let my acoustic guitar know I've ruined it. I must have quite a few ruined guitars sitting around too ! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Raypd Ayp Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 I use Stewmac Fretboard Finishing oil (not on maple necks though)... although I think it's called something else now. Better than anything else I've ever used. The bottle I bought 5 years ago is still more than half full and still good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members crossways Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 Hmmmmm..... I pledge allegiance to the fretboard of the guitar of my choosingand to the frets on which my fingers shred, one piece of maple or ash, a single truss, with proper radius and fret heighth for all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members RupertB Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 Pledge "safe"? Yes. A little Pledge won't damage your fretboard. The best thing to put on your fretboard: As little as possible. A little lemon oil on a cloth will help you remove built up gunk but washing your hands before you play and wiping your guitar down after will help avoid it in the first place. A few drops of Danish oil on a cloth will condition the wood and give dry fretboard a little more luster but the oil from your hands from regular playing should do just as well. The two nevers are: Never use silicone products & NEVER soak your fretboard with anything. FWIW, its been years since I put products of any kind on my fretboards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members M-1 Fan Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 I use Endust. It just seems cleaner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rhat Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 Well, I'll be danged. I've used pledge for 31 years. I'll have to let my acoustic guitar know I've ruined it. LOL>...from what i have heard of your guitar playing ,,,,lack of tone isnt exactly a problem. Maybe you just practiced enough over the years you can overcome all the dastardly things you do to your equipment. rat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Jimi Ray Halen Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 I clean mine every time I change the strings by using my breath, which is about once a week depending on my gig schedule. Take 3 off at a time and then go fret by fret using the moisture from my breath. Works really well and you aren't putting a lot of chemicals and/or waxes that you don't need on there. Looks weird when you're doing it but it works well - and it's free. About twice a year (or if it starts to look dry) I'll put some linseed oil on it. Just a tiny bit. The less of anything you put on there the better. This also works for getting most gunk off the body too. Most of the stuff that's really hard to get off is just built up crud, in which case you may have to resort to chemicals. I can't stand cruddy fretboards or old strings. I wouldn't want to apply a cleaner once a week. Might get that dreaded "Pledge Buildup". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Scafeets Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 I used to be a Pledge Guy until I read Dan Erlewine's books on guitar maintenance and repair. He's not a fan of the stuff. Lemon oil is just mineral oil with a lemon scent. According to Dan, lemon oil is good for cleaning, because it will soften the caked on dirt and clean the fretboard. But he recommends linseed oil for lubrication and stain enhancement. Lately, I've been using the Dunlop products, including the Lemon Oil which comes in an applicator bottle. (Sorry Dan.) But for dry fretboards, you can't beat the linseed oil. Whatever you use, make sure you wipe it down throroughly with a clean dry towel. If you use linseed and buff it, you will get a silky-smooth finish on even the roughest boards and it will last a long time. The most important thing, though, is wiping your fretboard down after every use. Your strings will last a lot longer and your frets won't get gunked up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bigfatmonkeyboy Posted May 7, 2007 Members Share Posted May 7, 2007 i decided i like gunk on my fretboards - although since i got my tele, i'm rethinking that somewhat.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cortfan Posted May 8, 2007 Members Share Posted May 8, 2007 Lemon Favor used lightly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guitar Centaur Posted May 8, 2007 Members Share Posted May 8, 2007 I only use fresh lemon squeezings that were extracted from the thighs of nepalese virgins and stored in an earthen ware container sealed with beeswax. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J.Paul Posted May 8, 2007 Author Members Share Posted May 8, 2007 lolI didn't realize this would be such a vital thread.I've been playing a long time and somewhere along the line I forgot to keep cleaning my fretboard. I noticed within the past year or two my strings started feeling sticky within the first couple of hours playing.I started using "fingerease" to help with this (w/ mixed results), and then (for some reason) remembered to start cleaning my fretboard (a week or two ago) and it seemed to completely alleviate my sticky issues. the end Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Scafeets Posted May 8, 2007 Members Share Posted May 8, 2007 I only use fresh lemon squeezings that were extracted from the thighs of nepalese virgins and stored in an earthen ware container sealed with beeswax. Yeah! Me too! And my picks are made from Aged Peruvian Yak Dung molded by Aymara virgins in an ancient ceremony involving incantations of the spirit Ayahuasca................................ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.