How do I clean the gunk on my fretboard?

[post.aux.fader]

I know I gotta take the strings off, what should I use to get that sea-green gunk outta my nice jumbo frets?


Thanks for your input

[mx_mx]

Theres some sort of guitar polish you can buy...cant remember the name of it though. Sorry

[IronFlippy]

I use my fingernails and this little brush with firm bristles.

[goldtopchas]

I just use my pick to scrape away any build-up, then a paper towel with some spit to cean the rest away. Dan Erlewine recommends this method too. A little lemon oil afterward. Don't use anything with wax in it.

I'm assuming this isn't a fretboard with any finish on it (like maple.)

[bongolation]

If it's a maple fingerboard, use nothing fluid. No oils, solvents, anything. It will discolor the wood and do no good. That's official from FMIC.

If the fingerboard is rosewood, clean it with naptha (per Erlewine) and re-oil with a non-gummy vegetable-based oil. Olive oil works as well as anything and should already be in any good kitchen.

Some experts (including, I believe, the Martin factory shop) say never use oil or anything on any fingerboards, ever.

Personally, I don't think it's a big deal. I've never seen a fingerboard dry out enough to split, even ones over a hundred years old. They look nice cleaned and re-oiled, but I don't think it makes any actual difference beyond that.

[Henry Mars]

Ihave had some of my guitars for 40 years and have never had to use any oils. I have used fine steel wool to clean the frets. A little lemon oil won't hurt anything.

[Tadpui]

I've always used lemon oil with good results. Just wipe off any excess after you're finished cleaning.

The oil makes the cleaning process easier, but I do think that it encourages even more accumulation of gunk as the residual oil mixes with dirt, dust and the oils from your own fingers.

[Paul881]

I always use lemon oil. It does not discolour any wood that I have used it on.

[0018G]

I use 0000 steel wool (as long as the board is not finished)-polishes the frets as well as the board. As far as lemon oil, I don't use it. I don't think taken in moderation that it will cause any harm-once a year would be a-plenty, and even then it's purely cosmetic.

I have seen a fingerboard or two dry out and split, but that's a humidity issue-if you keep it properly humidified and never use oil, I don't think you'll ever split a fretboard.

I wonder why Fender doesn't want people using naptha to clean a lacquer finished fingerboard? Maybe their worried it might run under a fret and discolor the wood beneath the finish? Naphtha is usually regarded as the best cleaner for lacquer- not that I would ever clean MY Strat, that dirty old whore...

[RideTheCrash]

I cleaned my acoustic using 0000 steel wool (very fine) to clean off all the gunk. Remember to rub with the grain and use some elbow grease if it's really bad (like mine was). I picked up some lemon oil from a music store, but most products are no good for using on your fretboard. I can't remember the name, but there is something in most products that you don't want to use on your fretboard.

And remember, if it's an electric you're cleaning, make sure you cover all your pickups in masking/painters tape...otherwise the steel wool filaments could get in your guitar and mess it up. Good luck.

[IronFlippy]

Originally Posted by RideTheCrash

I can't remember the name, but there is something in most products that you don't want to use on your fretboard.

Wax?
(with ten characters)

[punkin]

Tooth brush and lemon oil...wipe it down when you're finished, good as new.

[RideTheCrash]

Probably. Maybe I'm thinking of silicone. It had a long name though.

[jaykeMURD]

I use Fast-Fret religiously, and it seems to keep my fretboard and strings cleaner! Not to mention the nice "smooth" feel to the strings!

[philboyd studge]

It kind of depends on where you live. If there's lots of humidity you don't need to consider oils. In any event use a damp terrycloth rag to clean first and see where you're at. Then go to 0000 steel wool for cleaning and polishing. Like any other piece of woodwork in a dry climate a fretboard may need some treatment from time to time, personally I use boiled linseed oil over lemon oil....it's heavier viscosity and there's no acids. Use very little and wipe off excess with a damp terrycloth rag.

[MadAudio]

Originally Posted by goldtopchas

I just use my pick to scrape away any build-up, then a paper towel with some spit to cean the rest away.

That's exactly how I do it, though I use Q-Tips instead of paper towels.

[bongolation]

Originally Posted by 0018G

I wonder why Fender doesn't want people using naptha to clean a lacquer finished fingerboard?

Two reasons, for starters:

One, naptha is a strong solvent and surfactant. It will dissolve any dirt or grease and make it soak into the wood through any openings, making nasty discoloration -- the bane of maple fingerboards and the reason Leo eventually prohibited their use on his guitars. Maple fingerboards, which were originally nothing but a cost-cutting feature, were not reintroduced as an option until after Fender sold the company.

Secondly, as a strong solvent, it will loosen the already shoddy polyurethane coating on FMIC maple fingerboards, making it split and lift worse than it already does without any help at all.

[post.aux.fader]

Wow. Thanks for all the tips dudes.

[jesterscourt]

So wait, with a mahogany neck I CAN use lemon oil?

[Paul881]

Originally Posted by jesterscourt

So wait, with a mahogany neck I CAN use lemon oil?

Yes, without a doubt. Just use it sparingly, maybe with a toothbrush and it will lift off all that grease and dirt, make it look and feel like new.

[kahuna]

I have two Martin guitars and the Care and Feeding booklet says not to oil the fretboard.

Anybody know why not?

[Light]

For unfinished fingerboards (rosewood and ebony, mostly), use a good quality, oil free 0000 steel wool to clean it, and then lemon oil (I use Kyser Lem-oil, but then I get it cheaper than you can) or mineral oil (which is most of what is in any good lemon oil). Be careful with lemon oils, though, as some brands are mixed with other chemicals which can react badly with the guitar.


What you need to look out for in polish, by the way, is wax and silicon, either of which can cause serious long term problems. The best stuff on the market is called Powerchord (made by BioTerra Industries), though the GHS guitar polish is also just fine.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi

[flamin-gitaur]

I must admit, some of my guitars have become a little neglected, to the point where the grime between the frets is pretty thick, what I do, is I use the edge of a 6" scale, (metal rule), which allows me to get into the tight spots up against the fret wire really nice, then a little buffing with quad "0" steel wool. followed by a very light wipe down of lemon oil. By the way the all the necks on my guitars are either rosewood or ebony, so I don't have to worry about any "finish".