Fast Fret vs. 3-in-1 oil... the same?

[Joey Joe Joe]

Yo dudes!! Anyone here use Fast Fret or another string condition... do you know if you can just use 3-in-1 oil as a substitute? They

[bassthumpintwin]

hmmm... that's a good question.

 

I have a can of "strike hold" that not only penetrates to clean, but also acts as a dry lube, and I've often wondered how this would effect a fretboard/work on strings.

 

Supposedely the "strike hold" product is safe on wood, and it doesn't leave an oily residue.

 

I'm not sure about 3 in 1 oil though. If I were you, I'd find some scrap hard wood and rub it down with the oil. See how it affects that first.

[Rowka]

I thought Fast-Fret was simple mineral oil.

Don't remember where I heard that.

[t3ch]

 

I thought Fast-Fret was simple mineral oil. Don't remember where I heard that.

 

 

Correct

[Rowka]

From Fast-Fret MSDS

Severely hydroprocessed paraffinic white mineral oil

[Joey Joe Joe]

From Fast-Fret MSDS Severely hydroprocessed paraffinic white mineral oil

 

And from the 3 in One oil MSDS: Severely Hydrotreated Heavy Naphthenic Oil

 

Not the same. Hmmm, so where could I find mineral oil? I'm just cheap and don't want to spend the $8 on Fast Fret.

[Rowka]

Just about any drug store or grocery store.

[Thumper]

My concern with oil is it can attract dirt, dust and grime and gum up the strings.

[Joey Joe Joe]

Over the weekend I put some 3-in-1 Oil on a cloth and wiped it on the strings, then wiped with a dry cloth. At the gig, the strings sounded bright and my fingers could easily slide over them... felt good. This lasted about 20 minutes into the show though and my sweat soon took over. By the end of the 45 min set, the strings were back to normal (these strings are about 4 months old, getting pretty dead). I liked the slick feel, but want that to last a little longer on the gig.

 

At the gig, one of the other bassists said he knows a guy who soaks his strings in anti-freeze (engine coolant) over night.

 

I

[mrcrow]

on a fret board...i dont like oil...it will pick up dust etc and form gooooo

cleanliness is next to toneliness

for stopping the zing as fast fret is supposed to do...i think

i got over it by using nickel strings and mainly TI jazz rounds

an old trick used by clarinettists is to rub the fingers on the side of your nose and pick up some organic lube

[wades_keys]

Yo dudes!! Anyone here use Fast Fret or another string condition... do you know if you can just use 3-in-1 oil as a substitute? They

[mrcrow]

I use Fast Fret - works for me and I get no gunk or goo on the strings or fretboard. It comes with a cloth that you're supposed to use to wipe off the excess.

its not quite the same as 3 in 1 oil though is it?

[One Bad Monkey]

I use Dr. Stringfellow Lemon Oil, which isn't that far from regular lemon oil (I think my guitarist uses Pledge). A couple sprays on a cloth, rub the fingerboard and strings down, flip it and wipe it with a dry side works just fine. 4-5 sprays on a rag will keep that rag saturated enough for about a month (that's with wiping it down about every day).

[wades_keys]

its not quite the same as 3 in 1 oil though is it?

Right.

 

No way I'd use 3 in 1 oil.

[MikeHalloran]

Martin and Gibson use 3-in-1 oil to darken fretboards. A couple of drops on a cloth does an entire board and lasts for years. If your fretboard gets scuffed, a drop on a cloth will restore the color. The effect is cosmetic only.

 

I don't like vegetable oils on fretboards as they can invite bacteria that can, in severe cases, rot the fretboard.

[ToeJamFootball]

No point paying for any of those things when you've got nose grease!

 

[Perfessor]

For me the Fast Fret does the 20 minutes and out routine. I use a few drops of 3-in-1 on my hand and it lasts hours. My strings last forever, too. I have a set that's over 5 years old.

[bnyswonger]

I've never felt compelled to put any sort of lubricating product on my strings...other than sweat of course.

[SA Rios]

I've never felt compelled to put any sort of lubricating product on my strings...other than sweat of course.

 

Me neither. I hate greasy strings. I've never put any kind of oil or lube on my strings or fretboard. I actually take a micro-fiber cloth and dab it in rubbing alcohol and wipe down my strings with that after I'm done playing. Works really good at getting the oil and dirt off them and keeps them new sounding longer.

[Bernie P.]

FF seems to work pretty well.I haven't been using it much lately since I'm using flats and the banjo has only one wound string but it still see's some use on the acoustic git.

[Edward goldsmith]

3 in one oil is a old truck they used for years it works that's what Eddie Peabody used on his strings it works great

 

[WRGKMC]

That's a really BAD idea.  First off, any kind of oil like that is made from Petroleum. 

3 in 1 is a petroleum oil which can be toxic.  Getting it on the skin then washing it off probably wont do much but leaving it on the strings and fretboard?  Don't think so.   Having been a mechanic most of my life and forced to read the directions on it proper you get to know how lubricants' should and shouldn't be used.  Many of which they are just finding out produce cancer when absorbed through the skin. 

Second, machine oil leaches into the wood and stains it permanently just like wood stain does. If it leaches under the frets you can even wind up having frets pop up. This applies to maple or rosewood necks.  I used some grease under the string tree on one guitar. The grease eventually liquified and worked its way down the crew into the neck and created an ugly stain around the screw. 

I'm not a huge opponent of Fret ease either given the fact its a silicone paste.  Silicone can contaminate wood worse then petroleum does and make it impossible to refret. 

What I recommend using is wax, preferably Carnauba wax.  It will be just as slick and last a very long time. It can also be stripped with straight ammonia in case you ever need to do some woodworking. 

On unfinished necks I have used lemon oils designed to pernitrate the wood.  Most of them labeled lemon or orange oil but most are 99% mineral oil with some fragrance added. These are thin oils that pernitrate and clean well and also evaporate quickly without causing stains.  Mineral oil is a Petroleum by product which is one of the safest. Baby oil,  cosmetics and even laxatives' can contain mineral oil. A thicker version produces paraffin wax used in everything from Candles, to sealing waxes and furniture waxes.   Cottonseed, Vegetable,  Olive oils can also be used on wood but how safe they might be is questionable.  I'd think they might allows the growth of germs and I know olive oil can become rancid.  You'd be better off using something like thinned linseed or cotton oil.   Thinned Linseed oil has been used on antiques for centuries.  

My advice is simply play more till your callouses build up as hard as leather. Then you wont have to use anything because they will slip over the frets without a problem.   make sure your hands stay dry, stay cool and don't get so nervous so your hands sweat.  

Cleaning can be done using a 50/50% solution of alcohol and WD40. (same company that makes 3 in 1)    The WD is mostly mineral oil and the alcohol will cut through anything oil based. 

If you haven't got either of those just use furniture polish. I've used pledge on guitars for 50+ years and its never caused an issue.