# Conditioning a rosewood fretboard - What to you use?



## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

The fretboard on my $75 special feels dry and seems to have a little more 'drag' when I move my fingers on it. I've never had to condition any of the other guitars I've owned with rosewood boards. so I wonder what you have used? I've read about this in the past and lemon oil seems to be a common remedy.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

I use plain mineral oil. It is the base ingredient of commercially available lemon oil (they add scent) and bore oil (for wood winds). Just wet your finger with it and dab it on, spread it, then wipe off. Others have used BLO (boiled linseed oil) with success. You only need it about once a year. If done too often the wood will start to get soft and fret problems may occur.

If you think about it, lemon, or any citrus oil (juice) is a good cleaner and is more apt to strip the oil from the fretboard. Lemon oil is kind of a misnomer. Like I mentioned, it is mineral oil with some scent added to it.

I just posted this a few days ago:
Tutorial - 2004 Crafted in Japan Tele


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## Jamdog (Mar 9, 2016)

Mineral oil... You mean the lubricating laxative stuff they sell at the drugstore?


Your Guitar on Laxatives: Fretboard Mineral Oil | Pick Roar


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

I use Dunlop 65 Ultimate Lemon Oil on my rosewood. I use it almost every string change for a couple of years now and have had no issues.


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

Guitar Honey. Use once or twice a year and no further need to use steel wool for cleaning. I've been using it for 15 years and it makes cleaning and conditioning a fretboard 100x easier. Only use a few drops per treatment (a bottle will last a long time).

Gerlitz Guitar Honey Fretboard Treatment


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## Adcandour (Apr 21, 2013)

Ernie ball wonder wipes. Very seldom though


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## keto (May 23, 2006)

JBFairthorne said:


> I use Dunlop 65 Ultimate Lemon Oil on my rosewood. I use it almost every string change for a couple of years now and have had no issues.


Same here, the bottle has a cotton applicator in the top/neck so it's easy to use, no mess no drips. The only thing is that part is pretty worn out by the time a bottle's 1/4 used, but that's a LOT of use so I don't care just buy another. Or cut off the top and use a rag I suppose.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

I'm about 1/3 through my bottle and while the pad is dirty, it's not worn out. I don't really use it to scrub with it though, I just use it to apply (gently) and then scrub with a piece of an old t-shirt, which I throw away afterwards. I've heard stories from people saying not to use lemon oil because it can colour the fret markers but I've never had any issue with this at all.


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## nnieman (Jun 19, 2013)

Another vote for mineral oil.
Super cheap at the drug store in the relief of constipation isle....I usually get my wife to pick it up for me 

Nathan

Oh linseed oil and tung oil are fine but they will build a bit of a film finish....not big deal, rickenbacher has been finishing rosewood boards for a long time.
Plus you shouldn't be putting that much on, rosewood is naturally oily and you should not be doing that more than once a year.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

Jamdog said:


> Mineral oil... You mean the lubricating laxative stuff they sell at the drugstore?
> 
> 
> Your Guitar on Laxatives: Fretboard Mineral Oil | Pick Roar



Yup, that's it.

One note on BLO. Modern day Boiled linseed oil is more than just flax seed oil that has been heated up (polymerized). Most now contain metallic dryers that can be harmful if absorbed through the skin. No problem with it after it has cured, but wear gloves to apply it. Of course there are a few makers who do it the old fashion way without the metallic drying compounds and they are safe to use without gloves.


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## sulphur (Jun 2, 2011)

I've used Gorgomyte for years now, @ $10 a pack and it lasts a long time.

Gorgomyte Fret And Fingerboard Conditioner


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## Robert1950 (Jan 21, 2006)

Mineral oil it is.


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## Tarbender (Apr 7, 2006)

For the last 15 years I've been using Bore Oil with great results. Prior to that I was using Lemon Oil. It worked well, I was just a little unsure about the additives. Mineral oil doesn't sound like a bad alternate.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

I have these two products at the moment: Dunlop 65 Ultimate Lemon Oil, and Music Nomad F-One Oil. They both work, but I always pre-clean the wood, then rub in the oil, then wipe away any excess.

Personally, I rarely feel the need more than maybe once a year as my body oil seems enough, but customers sure need the stuff.


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## Woof (Jan 13, 2010)

Fret Doctor which I think might be bore oil?


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

Fret Doctor, which is bore oil


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## fernieite (Oct 30, 2006)

Raw linseed oil - but applied sparingly with a Q-tip and wiped off and buffed with a clean cotton rag. Got this idea from one of Dan Erlewine's books.


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## davetcan (Feb 27, 2006)

I've used Fret Doctor for years, awesome stuff. A little goes a long way and I've still got over half of the small bottle I bought about 10 years ago.


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## buyusfear (Nov 18, 2009)

I also recommend Fret Doctor. 
I actually just purchased my second bottle after like 6 years. 
If you wanna understand why its better, Read this link: Bore Oil for the Fife and Fret Doctor

I've used many different oils and conditioners and Fret Doctor is the shit.
Most Lemon oils are really just lemon-scented mineral oil. According to the fretdoctor site, real lemon oil is steam distilled from lemon peel, and is quite acidic, with a pH of 3.7 to 4.2. It is an effective cleaner, but not something to condition a fretboard with. 

Here are some examples of when I've used it. 
This is an inlay swap i did which required heavy sanding and scraping the fretboard. 








And after
















And an ebony board before and after


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## Davestp1 (Apr 25, 2006)

Bought this in the early 80's, have about 1/5 of the bottle left. Very thick liquid, I have used it sparingly (about once a year, rarely twice) after a very very light buff with triple zero steel wool of the rosewood or ebony boards. A very small dab on a cloth gets spread over the entire board.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

This topic always creates a long, deep, *oily* rabbit hole of discussion.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

Unfortunately, most "research" is anecdotal and comes from people trying to sell you something.


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## Davestp1 (Apr 25, 2006)

I've had my 82 JV Strat since 1983 and have used the gibson oil/triple zero steel wool treatment on it since I bought it around 1985? or so. 

The rosewood on this strat looks as good as new, mind you I use very, very little of the oil on it when I treat it. Lots of problems can crop up no matter what kind of fretboard oil is used if you use too much of it. Index finger in a cloth, tip the bottle onto end of my index finger in the cloth and just a dab of the oil goes on the cloth and I can get the first 12 frets done in one pass, do a second dab from the 13th fret up. Once a year, twice if it gets played a lot....


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