Lemon oil on ebony fretboard?

**Revelation** · 09-02-2011, 10:04 PM

I just received my Carvin 575 and under maintenance it recommends lemon oil to be put in the fretboard every year. This will prevent excess moisture which could cause the neck to crack. I never heard about lemon oil ever to be put on a neck, have you?

**SamBooka** · 09-02-2011, 10:16 PM

yes.. but 2 things.

1) lemon oil is good but some things are better for instruments. I love Gerlitz guitar honey. Before that I used lemon oil and it was good for the wood but I didnt like the feel or smell. In a pinch woodwind bore oil works too (same idea but much more expensive). There are 1000 opinions on this so I wont go any further.. to number two

2) Rosewood should be oiled once a year (depending on the wood ) Ebony is not nearly as open grained. I have never seen an ebony board out there that needs regular oiling..

**edspyhill01** · 09-03-2011, 01:09 PM

Originally Posted by Revelation

I just received my Carvin 575 and under maintenance it recommends lemon oil to be put in the fretboard every year. This will prevent excess moisture which could cause the neck to crack. I never heard about lemon oil ever to be put on a neck, have you?

Try some "Fret Doctor" oil. The original recipe was for ebony wind instruments. Read about it here.

www.beafifer.com

**M-ster** · 09-03-2011, 01:21 PM

Originally Posted by Revelation

... under maintenance it recommends lemon oil to be put in the fretboard every year ...

I've heard about it, and I do it. More importantly, your guitar's manufacturer recommends it! Isn't that enough?

**Jabberwocky** · 09-03-2011, 01:24 PM

Lemon oil is fine on rosewood and ebony. Go lightly and just don't overdo it.

**mongrel** · 09-03-2011, 03:16 PM

I've used lemon oil on ebony for years and it appears to be fine. I still have on ebony board left on a 1962 ES 355 that mainly stays in its case. Every six months or so I open it up, tighten the strings a bit, play it for awhile and put it back in. Every time the board looks and feels wonderful with no signs of drying out. Last time I lemon oiled it was two years ago.

**cosmic gumbo** · 09-03-2011, 04:50 PM

I used fish oil once, and all the cats in the neighborhood got a whiff of it and tried to claw their way through my screen door!

**Kuz** · 09-03-2011, 08:08 PM

Originally Posted by edspyhill01

Try some "Fret Doctor" oil. The original recipe was for ebony wind instruments. Read about it here.

www.beafifer.com

Yep, do a search for "Fret Doctor", read the info (and he busts a few myths) and look at the results.

Willcutt's Guitar shop used to use the Guitar Honey, but when they were working on one of my guitars I asked that they try "Fret Doctor". Now that is all the Bill Willcutt sells and uses.

**SamBooka** · 09-03-2011, 09:28 PM

Originally Posted by Kuz

Yep, do a search for "Fret Doctor", read the info (and he busts a few myths) and look at the results.

Willcutt's Guitar shop used to use the Guitar Honey, but when they were working on one of my guitars I asked that they try "Fret Doctor". Now that is all the Bill Willcutt sells and uses.

Will check it out.. thanks

**Kojo27** · 09-03-2011, 09:56 PM

Originally Posted by Kuz

Yep, do a search for "Fret Doctor", read the info (and he busts a few myths) and look at the results.

Willcutt's Guitar shop used to use the Guitar Honey, but when they were working on one of my guitars I asked that they try "Fret Doctor". Now that is all the Bill Willcutt sells and uses.

Yep, Willcutt's introduced me to the fact that fretboards need oil. One of my very first guitars, an old Ibanez acoustic "lawsuit" guitar, was dried out and about to crumble to bits, but Willcutt and company brought it back to life.

Charged me $25 for lemon oil, and the strings were already off for other work - jeez, lemons must have been scarce that time of year.

kj

**SamBooka** · 09-03-2011, 09:59 PM

I will go back to my original statement that ebony and rosewood are different woods and you dont oil ebony anywhere near as often as rosewood

**Jabberwocky** · 09-04-2011, 01:03 AM

The Cockneys have a saying: You pays your money, you takes your choice.

Old English sells two other grades of mineral oils for those who find the smell of lemon oil offensive: there is a red-tinted oil and a dark-brown tinted oil for dark woods.

I have not tried Fret Doctor as I really cannot afford the product. So, for a poor plebeian like myself, lemon oil will have to do. I figured out that if it is good enough for Gibson, Taylor, Martin, and even Carvin, it must be good enough for me. But what do I know? I asked Joe Vinikow, he of archtop dot com, what he uses for the fretboards of the archtops which go through his hands and his answer: Lemon Oil. Come to think about it, what does Joe know?

I hope that my guitars find richer owners in the future who can afford the proper care that they deserve.

**Drifter** · 09-04-2011, 02:32 AM

Originally Posted by Kuz

Yep, do a search for "Fret Doctor", read the info (and he busts a few myths) and look at the results.

Willcutt's Guitar shop used to use the Guitar Honey, but when they were working on one of my guitars I asked that they try "Fret Doctor". Now that is all the Bill Willcutt sells and uses.

Thanks, I've just ordered a vial to check it out.

**oldane** · 09-04-2011, 03:56 AM

Originally Posted by SamBooka

In a pinch woodwind bore oil works too (same idea but much more expensive).

Thanks for the tip. I actually played clarinet years ago and have a bottle of bore oil lying around which should be enough for my fretboards for the rest of my life. (Why didn't I think of it myself? Clarinets are made of Grenadilla = an ebony species).

**Kuz** · 09-04-2011, 09:03 AM

Originally Posted by Jabberwocky

The Cockneys have a saying: You pays your money, you takes your choice.

Old English sells two other grades of mineral oils for those who find the smell of lemon oil offensive: there is a red-tinted oil and a dark-brown tinted oil for dark woods.

I have not tried Fret Doctor as I really cannot afford the product. So, for a poor plebeian like myself, lemon oil will have to do. I figured out that if it is good enough for Gibson, Taylor, Martin, and even Carvin, it must be good enough for me. But what do I know? I asked Joe Vinikow, he of archtop dot com, what he uses for the fretboards of the archtops which go through his hands and his answer: Lemon Oil. Come to think about it, what does Joe know?

I hope that my guitars find richer owners in the future who can afford the proper care that they deserve.

I was just trying to be helpful.
-Gibson offers it's own fretboard oil that is not lemon oil
-I have used lemon oil before, for years, and it never worked as well as Fret Doctor
-I have no affiliation with Fret Doctor
-If you can afford a set of strings, you can afford a bottle of Fret Doctor ($12.95) that will probably last you 10+ years. Dunlop Fretboard lemon oil is selling for $5. So Yes, Fret Doctor is a little more, but I have gotten results that is worth the extra price.
-Here is the site which is worth reading to address a few myths about other fretboard oils
Bore Oil for the Fife and Fret Doctor

**taxman** · 09-04-2011, 10:17 AM

I bought a guitar with an ebony fingerboard and the fret ends were exposed. I spent a lot of time researching what oil to use to recondition the fret board. I called CF Martin and Taylor. Neither recommended lemon oil. It is highly acidic and with repeated use the acid builds up. Some products sold as lemon oil are mineral oil with lemon scent.

Martin and Taylor both recommended linseed oil. The Taylor website has a video of a guy applying linseed oil. I don't remember wether it was Taylor or Martin, but they recommended raw linseed oil, not boiled. The boiled dries faster, but is no longer really boiled, but treated with other chemicals to speed drying. Boiled linseed oil is all that is available at hardware or paint stores. Raw linseed oil is used by fine art oil painters. I picked up a small 2 or 3 ounce bottle that will last a life time at an artists supply store. The longer drying time is not an issue, as the oil is used sparingly and the excess is immediately wiped off.

Once a year on ebony or rosewood is more than sufficient, and thats if you use the instrument. If it is a collector piece that sits in a case, much less frequently would suffice. A maple strat or tele neck is sealed and should not be oiled. If you look at clarinet web sites, you will see the same debate going on. Clarinets are recommended to be oiled no more than annually, and they are subject to much more moisture abuse than fret boards.

As to Fret Doctor. I think it is marketing hype. All I can find are adds that say it is a wonderful mix of expensive and exotic oils. That doesn't tell you what is in it. I think it is snake oil. If you want to put that on your guitar, get a snake.

As to the fret ends on my guitar, the oil conditioning did not swell the fret board and I ended up getting the fret ends filed. My guitar is an American Deluxe Telecaster that came with a stock ebony fretboard and dual humbuckers. A great jazz tele.

**loydb** · 09-04-2011, 10:35 AM

I've used lemon oil for 20+ years. Maybe twice a year on average?

**kris** · 09-04-2011, 11:13 AM

I put oil after polishing frets...:-)

**stevedenver** · 09-04-2011, 07:21 PM

i used lemon oil for about 20 years on my martins ebony board and bridge-it works fine-this was before fret board oil was offered-it leaves no residue and there are no ill effects-i used commerical furniture type that my mom had -i still have three instruments that i used this on-including my braz martin-no issues
IMHO
a better option is bore oil -and its cheap-fast penetrating and pretty clean as far as residue-this is why i use it

ive used fret doctor too-nice product-pricey-darkens the board well-you can over do this stuff

as for rosewood v ebony

it is Ebony that needs oiling, as it is more brittle and more prone to cracking if dried excessively-that is why one oils ebony-to prevent cracking -this is particularly the case with expsoed end grain such as at the end of a finger board where its rounded-and shaped bridges

rosewood is less prone to cracking-and it will absorb oil to where it can be softened in extreme cases-

both benefit from a bit of regular LIGHT oiling-and
keep oil away from glue points on bridges-and away from checking cracks, as it can creep in

i have found , here in Colorado, that i allow oil to work in for about10-15 mintues then i wipe off the residue-

i simply clean the board first -sometimes with fine steel wool-but keep it away from pick ups-another great thing to claen a board with is the new Mr clean sponges -they are white and fall aprat, but they are an ultral lgith abrasive that will actually nicely and safely polish a dirty board-will smooth rough grain a tiny bit-toothpicks will work fine for grunge behind the frets, and across the grunge, if you dont want to mess with steel wool , 600 sandpaper etc-at 50 my hands are far less toxic than they were in my teens and 20's-has to do with sweat and metabolism im sure

i no longer use lemon oil as its very oily and leaves a residue-but its fine-
my preference is for bore oil-its easily obtained at any orchestral store-bore oil is light

fret doctor is nice-to me its main advantage is that it seem to darken rosewood a bit more than anything else -it seems heavier too-which i dont think is a plus

as i understand oils on board they serve at least a couple of purposes -that is to reduce moisture changes in teh wood and to keep frets seated adn teh board flush with fret ends -ie reduce shrinkage of the wood-it also make the board look great

personally i dont particularly care for the feel of freshly oiled board-and this is why i prefere bore oil as it seems to penetrate and wipes off well

you get about an ounce-which is actually a good deal-for about 3-5 dollars

raw linseed oil is ok-its heavy and i dont care for the odor-but it is ok for wood

maple does not need oil as its 'closed pored' if you will

the real thing is do not over oil-theres no magic interval imho-i actually oil guitars i play a lot LESS because of my fingers- be it oil or moisture or whatever-guitars that sit seem to need it a bit more frequently BY COMPARISION

if i had to estimate-and it would onl be that-i think i oil about every 7-9 months or so here in Colorado-which is quite dry

thin and every so often is better than thick -

btw oil seesm to mess up new strings -so if you do the q tip under the strings -use older ones-otherwise-i tend to oil before a string change-and i wipe off all the residue

**Loobs** · 09-04-2011, 07:31 PM

I use olive oil on rosewood. Every couple of months or so. Brings up the grain something beautiful. Nothing worse than dry looking rosewood.

**Revelation** · 09-04-2011, 08:57 PM

So the bore oil for my clarinet is a great option for my guitar?

**Jabberwocky** · 09-04-2011, 10:50 PM

Originally Posted by Revelation

So the bore oil for my clarinet is a great option for my guitar?

What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander. So, yeah.

**Revelation** · 09-05-2011, 07:31 AM

I put the wood bore oil on my 1989 Les Paul fret board for the first time. Wish I knew about this maintenance for the fret board a lot sooner.

**Kuz** · 09-05-2011, 09:23 AM

Originally Posted by stevedenver

as for rosewood v ebony

it is Ebony that needs oiling, as it is more brittle and more prone to cracking if dried excessively-that is why one oils ebony-to prevent cracking

rosewood is less prone to cracking-and it will absorb oil

both benefit from a bit of regular LIGHT oiling

i no longer use lemon oil as its very oily and leaves a residue-but its fine-
my preference is for bore oil-its easily obtained at any orchestral store-bore oil is light

These are the same experiences I have read and been taught years ago, especially that ebony is the wood that REALLY NEEDS to be oiled to prevent cracking.

**loydb** · 09-05-2011, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by stevedenver

i actually oil guitars i play a lot LESS because of my fingers- be it oil or moisture or whatever-guitars that sit seem to need it a bit more frequently BY COMPARISION

This.

The fingerboard that has been mostly untouched for months -- especially if it's been out of the case (hey, I might feel like playing that resonator today, you never know...) -- seems to be the one that needs more care.