| Author | Message | ||
| tmoney61092
Advanced Member Username: tmoney61092 Post Number: 262 Registered: 9-2008 |
i know this has been discussed many times, but i need to what the best fret board cleaner is that i can buy at a store, i realized this when i was cleaning my brother's Univox Goldtop Les Paul copy(yes, he is very lazy) and notice a lot of gunk and stuff on the wood between the frets, so if anyone can help, this would be amazing ~Taylor Watterson | ||
| keith_h
Senior Member Username: keith_h Post Number: 1439 Registered: 2-2005 |
Pure lemon oil. Also called essential oil. You can find it in the aroma therapy section of your local health food store (such as Whole Foods). Do not use lemon scented mineral oils (such as Formsby's). Keith | ||
| slawie
Intermediate Member Username: slawie Post Number: 120 Registered: 8-2002 |
I concur with Keith, I have used pure lemon oil for years with great success. Last thing you would want to do is use a solvent that will dissolve the natural oils in the timber. slawie | ||
| peoplechipper
Intermediate Member Username: peoplechipper Post Number: 158 Registered: 2-2009 |
Scrape the majority of the crud off with a pick or plastic scraper(old credit card?) then use the lemon oil...works wonders...Tony | ||
| tmoney61092
Advanced Member Username: tmoney61092 Post Number: 265 Registered: 9-2008 |
thanks guys, looks like pure lemon oil it is, i'll have to pick some up next time i'm out, just wanted to make sure i wasn't going to destroy any wood on the guitars that i'm going to be cleaning, what about body cleaners? right now i'm using Martin Guitar Polish that works really well ~Taylor Watterson | ||
| elwoodblue
Senior Member Username: elwoodblue Post Number: 895 Registered: 6-2002 |
When you start to run low on the Martin guitar polish, consider trying the Alembic polish. It's good for cutting through gunk and leaving a nice shine with no abrasives. | ||
| lbpesq
Senior Member Username: lbpesq Post Number: 4158 Registered: 7-2004 |
The Alembic polish is also an excellent eyeglass cleaner! (Susan turned me on to that one). Bill, tgo | ||
| tmoney61092
Advanced Member Username: tmoney61092 Post Number: 266 Registered: 9-2008 |
alright i'll definetly check out the Alembic poilsh next, hahaha, thanks Bill, next time i get a scratch on my windshield i'll be sure to throw some Alembic polish on it, or my glasses, which ever happens first ~Taylor Watterson | ||
| gtrguy
Advanced Member Username: gtrguy Post Number: 257 Registered: 9-2004 |
I have also been using WD40 sprayed on a rag and then applied to the fretboard, for years. I have guitars that I have owned since the seventies I have been using this on with no ill results. Dave | ||
| jazzyvee
Senior Member Username: jazzyvee Post Number: 1769 Registered: 6-2002 |
I recall seeing a band called the Hamsters about 15 years ago and they do hendrix and ZZ top covers. Fantastic band actually. Their guitar player called Snails Pace Slim used to spray his fretboard liberally during the gig with WD40. I often wondered if that was a good idea although I refrained from trying it myself. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q3fBaXvxdlQ&feature=related Jazzyvee | ||
| gtrguy
Advanced Member Username: gtrguy Post Number: 258 Registered: 9-2004 |
I read an odd post about what is actually in WD-40 not too long ago. It was pretty interesting. I am careful to wipe it off after using it. | ||
| edwin
Senior Member Username: edwin Post Number: 473 Registered: 5-2002 |
I would hesitate to use WD40 on my instrument. Maybe I'm being overly cautious, but I think there are more appropriate things to use. I use aromatherapy grade lemon oil on my fingerboards (being married to a person who is a perfumer gives me access to all kinds of groovy oils. She's made a special oil for an upright player who wanted a certain vibe to emanate from the instrument as his playing warmed up the fingerboard as well along with the protection of the ebony) and Alembic polish on the rest of it. Truth be told, I don't do either very often. Edwin | ||
| sonicus
Senior Member Username: sonicus Post Number: 531 Registered: 5-2009 |
I would concur with you Edwin regarding the use of WD40 on a fingerboard. WD40 has contents that might not be appropriate . Who knows how it might effect the glue on the laminates of wood over time ? I use Aromatherapy grade lemon oil as well for the fingerboard on my Alembic's and my Guild Starfire.Perhaps the use of WD40 on a solid maple neck with out any laminated fingerboard is another topic .One must also consider WD40's effect on the finish. I LIKE to use WD40 on my TOOLS to keep the moving parts well lubricated. It works VERY well to keep the surface of my TABLE SAW from rusting and it keeps the fence on my TABLE SAW sliding nicely. My 2 cents worth ________ | ||
| rockbassist
Intermediate Member Username: rockbassist Post Number: 172 Registered: 8-2005 |
I use pure lemon oil. It can be found in aroma therapy and bath & body stores | ||
| gtrguy
Advanced Member Username: gtrguy Post Number: 261 Registered: 9-2004 |
I have used WD-40 on guitars for 40 years now with no ill effects. It cleans and helps get the frets shiny. I just make sure to wipe it off carefully when done. I use it on ebony and maple fretboards. | ||
| eligilam
Advanced Member Username: eligilam Post Number: 219 Registered: 2-2006 |
So what would be best to clean a laquered fretboard (such as Rickenbackers have)? Still use lemon oil or something else? Thanks... | ||
| elwoodblue
Senior Member Username: elwoodblue Post Number: 938 Registered: 6-2002 |
I would bet the Alembic polish would work well for a laquered board. With good buffing action it has a silky and clean feel (no sticky residue). Lemon oil wouldn't be absorbed so I wouldn't use that as the strings would pick up the residual oil. I'm guessing any polish that you like for a finished body would be a candidate as long as it didn't have any cutting agent (abrasives). | ||
| tomhug
Junior Username: tomhug Post Number: 44 Registered: 7-2008 |
There used to be a pure lemon oil called "Parkers". I bought a huge bottle back in the '80's and I am down to the last 1/2 inch. I've been trying to find a source for this for years. It's pure and I've used it on all my basses and guitars. Anyone aware that this can be purchased anywhere? | ||
| davehouck
Moderator Username: davehouck Post Number: 9054 Registered: 5-2002 |
This may be the company that is the "Parker's" you're looking for. If so, they apparently no longer sell pure lemon oil. | ||
| jeffbass4
Junior Username: jeffbass4 Post Number: 34 Registered: 2-2003 |
I wanted to add another option. A friend of mine who is a guitar tech for several big bands turned me on to a fret and fretboard cleaner called Gorgomyte. You can find it at Guitar Centers. It is a treated cloth that you cut up into small squares. I watched him use this and it was amazing! It did a great job cleaning and conditioning the fretboard,cleaning the frets and the brass hardware and it is really quick and easy. Afterwards I bought some and went over all my basses. I highly recommend this as my bass necks look like new again. He told me this is the product of choice for a lot of guitar techs these days. | ||
| chuckc
Member Username: chuckc Post Number: 62 Registered: 7-2004 |
Has anyone been using extra virgin olive oil? I seem to recall a post on here that referenced using it instead of lemon oil but it's been a while. | ||
| u14steelgtr
Intermediate Member Username: u14steelgtr Post Number: 105 Registered: 7-2003 |
For cleaning fret boards I use a ScotchBrite pad. These pads will remove all the dust/crud that attaches itself to the oils there-on, and it will polish the frets nicely (even on ancient corroded frets). I can not vouch for Olive oil but I can tellyou that it can go rancid so I have NEVER been tempted to experiment with it. | ||
| keith_h
Senior Member Username: keith_h Post Number: 1468 Registered: 2-2005 |
Paul TBO used olive oil on his fret boards as I recall. I also remember him saying it worked well in salad dressings. :-) Keith | ||
| tomhug
Junior Username: tomhug Post Number: 47 Registered: 7-2008 |
I did some more research. Apparently the company that made the "Parkers" was sold and is out of business. Too bad. If anyone finds unused stock of this polish, I recommend it highly.  The companies address is/was C.W. Parker, 1415 - 2nd Avenue, Des Moines Iowa 50314 (Message edited by TomHug on January 02, 2010) | ||
| poor_nigel
Junior Username: poor_nigel Post Number: 31 Registered: 11-2009 |
I have been using "Pure Lemon Oil" for a long time. I buy it off the internet at what ever the lowest price is at the time I need more. The last bottle I bought is by Boyajian and I believe I paid $11 for a five ounce bottle and shipping was about $3.00. The bottle I bought three years ago was about $6. This is 100% lemon oil used in cooking. However, I do not keep it in the fridge and it does not spoil or go rancid. As far as logic goes, 100% lemon oil is about as pure of lemon oil as one can get? A rose by any other name, perhaps? As for using other things to treat my fretboards twice a year, I like the results I get from lemon oil, so to each their own. | ||
| chalieholmes
Junior Username: chalieholmes Post Number: 21 Registered: 11-2009 |
I started using Citrus Limonum (Pure Essential oil)From the HEalth Food Store for like 5.00 | ||
| xlrogue6
Intermediate Member Username: xlrogue6 Post Number: 160 Registered: 8-2002 |
While lemon oil can soften up fingerboard crud, on instruments with heavy deposits I usually use it just to condition the fingerboard after cleaning the gunk off with naptha and a white Scotchbrite pad. The naptha will cut the crud much faster and more effectively than the lemon oil--just be sure to wipe the board thoroughly before applying the lemon oil. BTW, Dunlop sells lemon oil ( www.jimdunlop.com/index.php?page=products/pip&id=222 ) in a bottle with an applicator that I've been happy with. If your local shop doesn't carry it (and I suspect most of them don't!), Dunlop sells direct, at least for US customers. | ||
| alembickoa
Member Username: alembickoa Post Number: 79 Registered: 5-2002 |
Dr. Ducks Ax Wax...works on everything. Been using it for years. |
