# Oiling Fretboard



## Geeetar (Oct 25, 2015)

Hello!

I wanted to get some advice about maintaining the health of my guitar fretboards.

How often should I be oiling my guitar’s rosewood and ebony fretboards with lemon oil? Once or twice a year?

Furthermore, how do I identify a dry fretboard? Should I use the colour of my fretboard to indicate whether or not it is dry?

Thanks!


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## DaddyDog (Apr 21, 2017)

Twice a year won't hurt it (in my opinion). That's what I do. I feel it serves as a good general cleaning as well.

I suppose the worst case for realizing a dry fret board is seeing cracks. Don't let it come to that!


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

As needed, I go every other string change or every string change if it's been a while. You can tell when rosewood needs it because the pores open up. Ebony can be harder to tell. Clean the fretboard first (damp cloth and then 0000 steel wool to remove the grime or you'll just be working it in to those open pores along with the oil; always in the direction of the wood grain).

Also, lemon oil isn't - it's a petroleum product with lemon scent added. Some folks swear by it (that's what e.g. Gibson fretboard oil is - don't buy that, or anything else in a music store, because twice the price for half the amount - go to Home depot or Crappy Tire). It works, but personally, I believe wood wants wood oil - i use Tung becasue I have it around anyway, but linseed is good too.


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## Vally (Aug 18, 2016)

I use this, works really good and a little goes a long way. Twice a year seems to work just fine, clean the fretboard before application.


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

Granny Gremlin said:


> As needed, I go every other string change or every string change if it's been a while. You can tell when rosewood needs it because the pores open up. Ebony can be harder to tell. Clean the fretboard first (damp cloth and then 0000 steel wool to remove the grime or you'll just be working it in to those open pores along with the oil; always in the direction of the wood grain).
> 
> Also, lemon oil isn't - it's a petroleum product with lemon scent added. Some folks swear by it (that's what e.g. Gibson fretboard oil is - don't buy that, or anything else in a music store, because twice the price for half the amount - go to Home depot or Crappy Tire). It works, but personally, I believe wood wants wood oil - i use Tung becasue I have it around anyway, but linseed is good too.


You've sparked some questions:

How do wood pores open? Isn't the wood inert? What opens or closes them?

Isn't Tung oil a finish that forms a layer on wood? Wouldn't that sort of gum up the fretboard?


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## NorlinNorm (Dec 31, 2016)

Oh Boy, this is such an interesting & (contentious) topic, I personally have read hundreds of articles and talked to professional luthiers and still opinions vary. This is just the beginning and already some excellent comments!


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## Guest (Apr 6, 2018)

I clean every string change.
A fellow forumite sent me a sheet of Gorgomyte.
Cut a 2 x 2" swatch to clean/condition.
I used to do the store bought polish (with a toothbrush)/steel wool (if necessary)/lemon oil.
No more.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

jdto said:


> You've sparked some questions:
> 
> How do wood pores open? Isn't the wood inert? What opens or closes them?


The loss of moisture and commensurate shrinkage. They're not pores per se (as in skin) , but it's what they call them. Rosewood and Mahogany tend to have a tight grain like that, which , when really dry, has the appearance of pores opening up. Lumber is kiln dried so that it doesn't shrink later when the moisture evaporates (and also so the warping can be controlled vs naturally drying out). ... it's like you've never seen a dried out board before.



jdto said:


> Isn't Tung oil a finish that forms a layer on wood? Wouldn't that sort of gum up the fretboard?


Only if you use enough coats. I hate this debate because when I argue the virtues of tung oil as a finish they say that it doesn't form enough of a surface finish, and when I say use it as a wood conditioner the same people (not you, thinking of others before) will say exactly what you said.

When applying 1 (2 if reeeeeaally dry) coats of tung oil, the wood soaks it all up (work it in; friction/heat makes it less viscous and easier to absorb; if there's any excess to wipe off you're doing it wrong) then there will be no surface buildup. When finishing something you gotta use, like min 10 coats.



NorlinNorm said:


> Oh Boy, this is such an interesting & (contentious) topic, I personally have read hundreds of articles and talked to professional luthiers and still opinions vary. This is just the beginning and already some excellent comments!


That's why I didn't say don't use lemon oil, or only use tung oil. I expressed the options and stated my personal preference from experience. I have also talked to a lot of luthiers about this. 12th fret for example uses tung oil on every (non-laquered/maple) setup (or at l.east they used to; haven't been there in a long time).


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

@Granny Gremlin cool. That’s interesting and good to know. I’ve only used it as a finish, which is why I wondered, but I can see your application working well. Thanks for the reply.


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## NorlinNorm (Dec 31, 2016)

Oh boy. would love to see the comments on guitar humidification, another great guitar debate topic, perhaps a new thread but I think these topics fall into the "Guitar care" category. close enough!


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

Granny Gremlin said:


> When applying 1 (2 if reeeeeaally dry) coats of tung oil, the wood soaks it all up (work it in; friction/heat makes it less viscous and easier to absorb


Are you using polymerised tung oil?


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

Gorgomyte! Every string change.

One guitar tech I follow on YT uses boiled linseed oil.


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## blueshores_guy (Apr 8, 2007)

Personal preference is mineral oil. Clean the fretboard thoroughly first with a damp cloth, then with 0000 steel wool if necessary. Wipe on some oil, let it sit a few minutes, wipe it off. And I mean wipe it off completely--don't leave it wet anywhere. Treatment lasts me at least a year. Look in the drug store for mineral oil. A small bottle will last you about 200 years.


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## Chitmo (Sep 2, 2013)

sulphur said:


> Gorgomyte! Every string change.
> 
> One guitar tech I follow on YT uses boiled linseed oil.


Plus one for Gorgo!


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Jim DaddyO said:


> Are you using polymerised tung oil?


IMHO warning.

Yes. There is no point to use pure on anything other than food-safe surfaces (cutting boards; butcher blocks and salad bowls) - it's just more work the rest of the time. You'd just have to prep/thin it; save yourself the trouble. It still does not build up any surface layer with just one coat on a thirsty wood surface. The whole pure thing is a just a baseless recent fad (when it comes to guitar finishing).

That said, if you have pure around anyway, and since we don't want surface buildup in this case (it doesn't as much as polymerized), oiling fretboards would be a good application for it (be prepared for using twice the elbow grease to rub it in though). Just don't go out to buy it special for this purpose; chances are you have an appropriate product already.



sulphur said:


> One guitar tech I follow on YT uses boiled linseed oil.


That would be my second choice (only because I don't have any on hand for any other reason).


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## Geeetar (Oct 25, 2015)

laristotle said:


> I clean every string change.
> A fellow forumite sent me a sheet of Gorgomyte.
> Cut a 2 x 2" swatch to clean/condition.
> I used to do the store bought polish (with a toothbrush)/steel wool (if necessary)/lemon oil.
> No more.


Is there any risk of a toothbrush scratching my rosewood, or am I fine to scrub away?


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## cdntac (Oct 11, 2017)

Geeetar said:


> Is there any risk of a toothbrush scratching my rosewood, or am I fine to scrub away?


No, there's no risk but unless you've got a bunch of sweaty gunk built up against your frets, a toothbrush isn't of much use. 

0000 steel wool works great for getting rid of grime. Buff your fretboard with a piece of it and then polish your frets with Gorgomyte.


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## Geeetar (Oct 25, 2015)

cdntac said:


> No, there's no risk but unless you've got a bunch of sweaty gunk built up against your frets, a toothbrush isn't of much use.
> 
> 0000 steel wool works great for getting rid of grime. Buff your fretboard with a piece of it and then polish your frets with Gorgomyte.


Ive just been cleaning with a cloth dampened with water, then conditioning the board with lemon oil.

Ill check out steel wool.


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## cdntac (Oct 11, 2017)

Geeetar said:


> Ive just been cleaning with a cloth dampened with water, then conditioning the board with lemon oil.
> 
> Ill check out steel wool.


Just make sure it's the 0000 steel wool. It's great for buffing frets too. 

Be aware of the steel dust residue being magnetically attracted to the pickups. Just cover the pickups with a cloth. I also use a paint brush to swish the steel dust away when I'm done buffing the fretboard and frets.


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## Guest (Apr 8, 2018)

You can use a credit card to scrape the gunk off.


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## Lord-Humongous (Jun 5, 2014)

I use the white scotchbrite 0000 alternative. Got it at Akland Grainger. It makes less mess than steel wool. And then mineral oil, which is the main ingredient in the guitar specific lemon oil apparently.


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## Geeetar (Oct 25, 2015)

Lord-Humongous said:


> I use the white scotchbrite 0000 alternative. Got it at Akland Grainger. It makes less mess than steel wool. And then mineral oil, which is the main ingredient in the guitar specific lemon oil apparently.


Just a follow up question - - Is there any risk to cleaning with a damp cloth? I know water can warp wood, but it is not as though I am soaking my fretboard. 

Ive heard mixed opinions about using a damp cloth. Although the gibson website reccomends it.


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## Guest (Apr 8, 2018)

Geeetar said:


> Is there any risk of a toothbrush scratching my rosewood, or am I fine to scrub away?





cdntac said:


> No, there's no risk but unless you've got a bunch of sweaty gunk built up against your frets


I use it to get at the fret edges.
I once bought a guitar with so much gunk build up that I needed a utility blade to scrape the board.


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## Greg Ellis (Oct 1, 2007)

I had a small bottle of lemon oil that I thought was going to last my whole life, and then somebody "borrowed" it for a home cleaning task and gave it back to me empty, lol.

I recently picked up a little bottle of D'Addario Lemon Oil Cleaner and Conditioner while I was at the music store, and it's working well. $7 or $8 if I remember right.

I tend to spread some on the fretboard and let it soak in for a few minutes to loosen up the gunk. Then I use the steel wool while the oil is still wet. I'll come back after that and use a bit more oil on a fresh cloth to clean up the last bits of goop from the cleaning step and then buff it with a dry bit of cloth to finish the process.

You definitely want to protect your pickups anytime you use steel wool. I use painter's tape to mask them off, and a vacuum cleaner afterwards to remove all the little bits of metal.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

I use mineral oil. It's pretty benign and does not go rancid. Which is pretty much what commercial "lemon oil" is. Mineral oil with a bit of scent. If you think about it, a citrus oil would be a cleaner and actually take the oils out of the finger board and dry it out further.

My heaviest duty cleaner would be Naptha (lighter fluid, camp stove fuel) as it is finish safe and does the job well. I never use steel wool because of the shavings from it and "Scotch Brite" type pads can be found in the same grits and safer (I get the Norton brand from NAPA).


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