The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
  1. #1

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    So I looked it up and found this.
    Roger’s Blog: Fingerboard Cleaning and Oiling: Everything You Could Ever Want to Know. – Sadowsky Guitars
    Probably old news for most.
    I don't tend to nurse my guitars but was interested in the Lemon Oil 'no no'.
    Glad I've never used it.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    I have enjoyed perfect success with rosewood finger boards using ChapStick. It is more a wax than an oil, and is very close to the natural stuff that comes from your hands (and very non-toxic - it's made for your lips). Oils tend to be penetrating, the result of which is that it takes a while for it to disappear from the rosewood, and because it also penetrates your finger tips, that makes the strings feel thin and tight. It can take a week of uncomfortable daily practice for all that to play out of the finger board. The waxy ChapStick does not soften the finger tips and what little is left after wiping off the finger board is fully played out after a couple of hours.
    The strings, finger board, and frets will stay clean if you scrub them with a small square of carpet sample (nylon medium cut pile); the fibers bend underneath the strings and clean the undersides, the wood gets rubbed, and the frets get softly polished. The strings will stay shiny, the wood will feel clean, and the frets will stay smooth with just a dozen slow strokes between bridge and neck after each playing session.
    If you apply ChapStick to the neck each string change, the carpet sample will eventually acquire some in its fibers and improve its effectiveness.

  4. #3

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    Windex for maple fretboards? I remember a few years ago the In the Blues guy trashed a guitar with Windex and ranted that Fender would not replace it under warranty. Having witnessed what Windex can to Plexiglas, I would not even experiment.

    For decades I have used the StewMac shields to protect the fretboard when polishing frets or touching them up with a fret file.

    I just got for Christmas Fender’s Fingerboard Remedy. This stuff is better than I expected. It darkens the fretboard and leaves a lovely satin sheen.

  5. #4

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    "My preferred product has always been boiled linseed oil"
    That's the only thing I've ever used for the neck. I use furniture polish on the rest. It's an acoustic, of course.

    I'd never heard of Fret Butter!-linseed2-jpg