| Author | Message | ||
| mgirouard3
Junior Username: mgirouard3 Post Number: 38 Registered: 5-2004 |
Thanks Mica and Dave for posting those FAQ'S. I was just reading the owners manual which stated: You will need to oil your fingerboard at least twice a year. We recommend using Jasco brand lemon oil, but any transparent lemon oil will do nicely. Avoid brands that are cloudy, their high wax content only leaves your fingerboard dirty and all that wax makes your strings go dead more quickly. I have been using boiled linseed oil. Is this OK or would I be better off using the lemon oil? Max | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 766 Registered: 3-2004 |
Well, it appears from their website that the Jasco Lemon Oil "Treatment" that is recommended isn't really lemon oil, or at least not pure lemon oil. I wonder how cooking-quality lemon oil would do? | ||
| groovelines
Advanced Member Username: groovelines Post Number: 226 Registered: 4-2003 |
An option to consider when looking for lemon oil - Health food stores, or shops that cater to massage therapists. 1 oz. bottle of 100% pure lemon oil for about $6. Easy to apply, no residue and smells great. | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 767 Registered: 3-2004 |
That's why I was asking - I am seeing various health and cooking websites that are offering pure lemon oil for less than that, at least until the shipping charges kick in. | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 2266 Registered: 6-2000 |
The Jasco brand used to be a widely available brand of oil. We've been using pure lemon oil (you'll see that in many search results) for some time at the factory. Be aware that many oils that claim to be "100%" pure contain pure lemon oil, along with other ingredients, so read the label carefully. Usually aromatheraphy oils are pure essential oils without additives, and talk about a great smell. The linseed oil will condition the board, but I find that it remains a little tacky to the touch for my personal taste. Lemon oil contains heavy turpines, large molecules which evaporate slowly from the wood. | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 497 Registered: 6-2002 |
The idea is not to use lemon-scented oil: it has to be essential lemon oil, which is a purified extract of lemon skins. I got funny looks in stores when I said it was for oiling wood - people heat it to scent a room. It is supposed to put you at ease, but I know my wife hates the smell and I can't say I disagree completely. I found that there are hip New Age brands costing easily 5 times as much as the boring homeopathic brands, but you're probably looking at 6 USD for a small bottle. Brother Paul the Gourmet One uses extra virgin olive oil with good results. | ||
| grateful
New Username: grateful Post Number: 8 Registered: 12-2004 |
Has any one tried hemp oil? | ||
| dadabass2001
Advanced Member Username: dadabass2001 Post Number: 323 Registered: 6-2002 |
"This will b e a GREAT gig! And after the show, we'll smoke your guitar neck!" LOL  Mike | ||
| bsee
Senior Member Username: bsee Post Number: 768 Registered: 3-2004 |
Thanks for the info. Can't I just buy a lemon and rub the peel up and down the guitar neck? | ||
| elzie
Advanced Member Username: elzie Post Number: 333 Registered: 8-2002 |
MMMMmm, smoked guitar neck.... Thanks Mike, now I'm hungry! Years ago, before I could find lemon oil, I used a light vegetable oil on my guitar necks. I thought about just going for broke and using Italian dressing, but the little bits of garlic would get stuck to the strings. But seriously, I did have a hard time finding lemon oil, and an even harder time trying to explain what I was using it for!. I tried a lot of "specialty" stores before I found it at a Wal-Mart superstore. Go figure...... Paul the now hungry one | ||
| palembic
Senior Member Username: palembic Post Number: 1929 Registered: 9-2002 |
Like my hungry and good brother I use Olive oil ...no kidding ...for 8 years. A brother in the club send me a couple of months ago a small bottle of "Guitar Honey" which I use now. And now breakfast. Paul the bad one Ta-ta-ta-taaaaaa-ta-ta-ta (hum the Indiana Jones team) the return of the Pauls!!!! | ||
| ajdover
Intermediate Member Username: ajdover Post Number: 177 Registered: 11-2003 |
I've been able to purchase Lemon Oil at Whole Foods markets here in the states. It works well, and as far as I can tell it is pure. Whole foods does not sell anything that is processed, so my guess is that their lemon oil is pure as well. I bought several bottles, and they last a good while. Alan | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 498 Registered: 6-2002 |
Depends on what you call 'processed': there is no magical way of turning lemon peel into lemon oil without a physical process. But I'll accept that the process can be done without additives, and that that makes a difference. Then again I'm still amazed at the different grades they offer for homeopathic stuff - I thought the whole idea was to use infinitely diluted substances? About the additives ... I use essential lemon oil from an old-fashioned "homeopathic" brand, and there are no additives listed on the label. What I understood was that sometimes they put some wax in lemon oil, and the wax leaves white marks on the wood. So when I oiled the fingerboards on my pre-owned Spoiler and my very own Epic I was a little surprised that white marks came up on the Spoiler but not on the Epic. Does anyone know if a new dose of oil can bring out old residue? | ||
| goatfoot
Member Username: goatfoot Post Number: 56 Registered: 12-2003 |
Does anyone know whether Alembic recommends the use of lemon oil on the bodies of the Brown Bass model? I tried it the last time I oiled my fretboard and I thought the results were better than when I used the guitar polish I use on my glossy finished bass. Kevin | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 500 Registered: 6-2002 |
Kevin, I believe the regular guitar polishes are for wood with a lacquer finish (gloss or satin). Not sure if they do any harm to wood with an oil finish. And you haven't tried lemon oil on the glossy finished bass, have you? | ||
| elzie
Advanced Member Username: elzie Post Number: 334 Registered: 8-2002 |
As far as the body finish goes, I did try something recently and had excellent results. The finish on my Excel is a satin-like finish. I use Zaino Brother's card polish on my car and decided to try it on my Excel (in a small area). Well, it worked beautiful! So I polished the whole bass in steps and then buffed it out by hand and wow, does it look good! It really gave the maple top a 3D look. Paul TGO | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 501 Registered: 6-2002 |
Paul TGO, The satin-like finish on older Excels, Epics, Orions and Rogues is a polyurethane lacquer, not oil. | ||
| keith_h
New Username: keith_h Post Number: 2 Registered: 2-2005 |
I asked the same question about care of the body on my 2004 BB a couple of weeks ago. The response might be different for older basses. Maybe a good item to add to the FAQ. Keith Here is the response from Mica: You shouldn't need to reoil the body, as we use a polymerized oil finish. However, you may want to wax it from time to time. We supplied the bass with a buffed wax coating of Liberon Professionals Paste Wax. You can order the same stuff here: http://www.woodfinishsupply.com/Catalog.html The 500g tub should last you most of your life. We use a white (very fine) scotch brite to apply. The wax will get the little scratches, which you can buff out when you rewax. Of course, the wood is not as protected as with a hard polyester finish, so you need to be careful of course. | ||
| mica
Moderator Username: mica Post Number: 2267 Registered: 6-2000 |
Keith, that's an excellent suggestion. I'll add finish care section to the FAQ. The Eic/Orion/Rogue basses originally supplied with a thin polyurethane finish, which has the same care as the polyester. | ||
| elzie
Advanced Member Username: elzie Post Number: 336 Registered: 8-2002 |
Adriaan, I thought the finish was polyester. At any rate, I only posted that comment about the polish in this thread because the topic turned to finishes, and I was very excited to have such a shiny, deep look to my finish with just a little work ;) | ||
| musikill
Member Username: musikill Post Number: 56 Registered: 12-2003 |
As for Lemon oil, I have been all over this issue for a few years and the ONLY lemon oil to use (as was stated in this thread) is a pure essential oil/extract. These contain no additives or waxes or silicones (silicones are the worst). You can use this sparingly every other string change if you change your bass strings less than 6 weeks apart. Don't oil too frequently as it will saturate and that will affect your new strings. just a drop for every 2-3 frets, let sit for a few minutes and buff to a luster. This will clean the fret board very nicely and leaves a great smell with no residue. Linseed oil is to be avoided - do not use linseed oil as it does not provide the right type of oil the wood needs in this case and it never soaks in completely nor does it dry. It will deaden your strings very quickly and can do more harm than good. Besides, the pure lemon oil is cheaper. As for rubbing a lemon on the fret board - I suppose if you only rub the skin (that is where lemon oil comes from) you wouldn't hurt anything but you won't be placing enough oil on the wood to do any good. Plus you'll end up with lemon skin shavings all over the bass and floor. Spend the $3.50 - $6.00 (Los Angeles prices) and get an ounce of pure lemon extract - it will last a couple of years. | ||
| s_wood
Intermediate Member Username: s_wood Post Number: 115 Registered: 5-2002 |
Musikill is right on: linseed oil sucks! It dries to a tacky mess the feels like dried maple syrup. I have never been able to find Jasco Lemon Oil anywhere, so I've never used it. Instead, my oil of choice for fingerboards is ColorTone Fretboard Finishing Oil, which is available from the Stewart-McDonald, the luthier supply house. (www.stewmac.com) I have no idea what kind of oil it is, but it isn't linseed oil as the stuff dries really hard in about 24 hours. Whatever kind of oil you use it will gunk up your strings, making them sound like 10 year-old flatwounds. So, unless that's the tone you want, make sure that you oil your board just before you change strings. | ||
| beelee
Junior Username: beelee Post Number: 50 Registered: 11-2004 |
I don't know if anyone has tried this yet: I did a google search on Jasco Lemon Oil and Jasco has a website here is the link: http://www.jasco-help.com/cgi/store_locator.pl?code=4301-4&state=all I've looked at number of stores by me, they do not have it......I did find Old English, Halloway House and Formby's Lemon Oils, but was hesitant to try any of them, as NONE of them list any ingredients. Ace Hardware was listed on Jasco's website, they had two Jasco products but no lemon oil and they looked it up on their computer for me and said it they don't stock it. I have not checked all the info on the Jasco site tho. The funny thing is many years ago before I owned an Alembic or really knew anything about them, my parents had a bottle of Jasco lemon oil in the house and I tried it on the fretboards while cleaning my basses and it worked really well. If Alembic still uses it, you have to be able to find it somewhere. if I get more info, I'll let ya'll know B. | ||
| tbrannon
New Username: tbrannon Post Number: 9 Registered: 11-2004 |
Jasco makes really nice wood products. I've done quite a bit of wood restoration work and have used Jasco paint removers, wood conditioners and the Lemon Oil (they make a really nice Tung oil as well) frequently in the past. Ace hardware carries it sporadically. I moved overseas, but my local Ace Hardware was a Crown-Ace and they carried it. Believe it or not, I used to be able to find the Lemon Oil at Home Depot and OSH. I have a large (1 pint?) container of the Lemon oil and use it on my G&L. Seems to work fine! | ||
| keith_h
New Username: keith_h Post Number: 3 Registered: 2-2005 |
I had no problem finding pure lemon oil (100% pure essential oil) at my local Whole Foods Market. They are a natural/organic supermarket chain. It is carried in the health and beauty aids area for aroma therapy. They had a couple of brands to choose from. The prices are in the $3-5 range for 0.5 oz. (15 ml). I found it does not take much to oil the neck and I guess the bottle will last me a couple of years (2 basses every six months). As other people have reported I did get a strange look when I told the clerk it was for oiling the neck of my bass guitar. Keith | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 1432 Registered: 5-2002 |
Bruce; based on what Mica said near the top of this thread, I think it is the case that the Alembic shop no longer uses the Jasco but instead uses pure lemon oil. If you haven't done so already, you may want to go here and read the two other threads on this subject that are referenced there. | ||
| beelee
Member Username: beelee Post Number: 51 Registered: 11-2004 |
thanks for the heads up Dave I missed that..... | ||
| mpisanek
New Username: mpisanek Post Number: 7 Registered: 1-2005 |
In Europe there is a brand of aromatherapy oils called Tissarand. They are available at almost every drugstore. Their essential lemon oil is excellent and is cheap as well. | ||
| lbpesq
Advanced Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 342 Registered: 7-2004 |
All of these discussions about lemon oil have been concerning ebony fretboards. Does anyone know if lemon oil is equally applicable to rosewood fingerboards? Until I read these threads I never thought about oiling fretboards. My Strat has not had its rosewood board oiled for at least 30 years (as long as I've owned it), and maybe not for 44 years (its lifetime!). I haven't noticed any problems, but now you all have me worried. I feel a lemon oil hunt coming on. Bill, tgo (Message edited by lbpesq on February 25, 2005) | ||
| adriaan
Senior Member Username: adriaan Post Number: 508 Registered: 6-2002 |
Bill, Good point. I wonder if it's something you only really need to do when you're in a dry climate - say <60% humidity. There was a thread recently where someone mentioned having trouble keeping the humidity in his studio over 35% - yikes. Airconditioning probably plays a big part in that. Here in Holland, humidity never seems to get below 60%, and no one has airconditioning in the house - we stick to central heating. Anyway, our old upright piano seems to respond more strongly to those changes than either of my Alembics: keys start to wiggle a little more than they do in the wet season. | ||
| rogertvr
Advanced Member Username: rogertvr Post Number: 307 Registered: 1-2003 |
I use Culpeper Essential Lemon Oil on The Dragon's Wing fretboard. For the value of the board (it's inlaid for the benefit of the new members in here) relative to the cost of the lemon oil and my time, I'm not taking any chances! The UK is very humid most of the time, but the wood gladly soaks up the lemon oil. It works a treat on my Westone fretless too, which hadn't been lemon oiled in 18 years but had never given any trouble either. It has benefited too. I would say (for what this is worth) - you have nothing to lose by lemon oiling with a high quality oil, and everything to lose by NOT doing it. Rog P.S. The Culpeper Lemon Oil is 100% pure, made only from the peel of the fruit www.culpeper.co.uk and search on product code 137238 (Message edited by rogertvr on February 25, 2005) | ||
| gtrguy
Junior Username: gtrguy Post Number: 12 Registered: 9-2004 |
You know, years ago a guitar repair guy got me started using WD-40 on fretboards, which I have done ever since with no problems. You spray some on a cloth and rub it on the fretboard till it is dry. Anyone know more about this? Bye, Dave | ||
| keith_h
New Username: keith_h Post Number: 4 Registered: 2-2005 |
Well for comparison sake, I have a Hagstrom 8 string with a rosewood finger board and I have not had any trouble with it. On the other hand I have a Vox MkIV about the same age with an ebony finger board that has shown some cracking (but not enough to effect playability). Neither have been oiled, however I do plan on oiling the Vox from this point forward in hopes of stabilizing it. I don't think a constant humidity either dry or wet will cause problems. I would expect the wood to stabilize at some point. Where I think problems occur and oiling helps is when you have wide swings in humidity. As an example here in North Carolina the summer humidity in my house is 50-70% (with the A/C running). In the winter with the furnace it drops to 20-30%. This results in a lot of expansion and contraction of wooden items. I've had similar results in the mid-western states going from summer to winter. Keith | ||
| jazzyvee
Intermediate Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 195 Registered: 6-2002 |
I have seen a band in the UK called The Hamsters, they are absolutely brilliant. Well their guitar player ( Snail Pace Slim ) sprays WD-40 direcntly on his guitars fretboard numerous times during his set. |
