How often do you guys oil your fretboards, generally?

Probably something like every other year, when I do a setup with fret leveling, more often if I've been playing a lot and have to touch up something. Then the oil (just plain mineral oil) is really just a lubricant for final cleaning and polishing. I get it all off when I'm done, as best I can, then apply a good quality paste wax (Minwax dark walnut floor wax - had the same can for 30+ years :)) and that's what keeps the fingerboard clean and not dried out. And, again, very infrequently. Most of what you put on evaporates, and what's left is not what you want there, IMO.
 
Hey ashcat.......not sure what model Ric you have but my 325 and my friends Ric bass both have a clear coat of some sort on the fret board. I can see cleaning it now and then but why would the guy tell you it needs oil? What am I missing?
 
Mickster said:
Hey ashcat.......not sure what model Ric you have but my 325 and my friends Ric bass both have a clear coat of some sort on the fret board. I can see cleaning it now and then but why would the guy tell you it needs oil? What am I missing?
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Don’t think you’re missing anything. I think dude was misinformed and sounded like he knew what he was talking about so I went with it and ended up with years of waxy buildup from the oil itself.
 
Generally every 2 to 3 years. I use Dunlop 65. It's around $5 a bottle and should last the rest of your life. I have 14 guitars (9 with rosewood fretboards) and have barely used a tenth of the bottle.
 
ashcat_lt said:
Don’t think you’re missing anything. I think dude was misinformed and sounded like he knew what he was talking about so I went with it and ended up with years of waxy buildup from the oil itself.
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You know, Pledge doesn't give you that waxy build up :)
 
FWIW, if you are using commercial "lemon oil" for wood, you are getting 95+% mineral oil and kerosene with a dash of lemon essence oil added as a cleaning agent and to make it smell good. You would never use pure lemon essential oil on a fretboard.
 
Depends on the type of rosewood and how much you play. I have some guitars I don't clean for years, others every year. I use beeswax/orange oil, if I do a new build then or take off the strings I at least clean it.
 
Lemon oil every time I change strings. My Fenders have maple boards though- so I just clean around the frets with a cloth and a little methylated spirit. I thought everybody did that- so this thread is enlightening.
 
I never oil my fretboards ..... I change strings when the intonation goes bad which is usually before they get rusty or rough.
I gig nightly though, so that's prolly a factor.
I'll also change strings when one breaks ..... I usually get a couple of weeks out of a set of strings.
 
Hey Lt ! How you doing ?

I must admit, I have never oiled any of my fretboards and I've had instruments since 1981 although my oldest current instrument, my 6 string electro~acoustic is from 1990 [the others being from 1991 {mandolin}, 1994 {elec guitar}, 1999 {12 string elec~acoustic}, 2004 {5 string bass guitar}, before 2009 {acoustic fretless bass guitar} and 2012 {double bass}]. All cheap and cheerful {except the 12 string}. I have vague memories of cleaning fretboards with Mr Sheen or Pledge on those very rare occasions when I've done a complete string change {like converting the basses to flatwounds} but I think that was more because I liked the smell which was counterproductive in the end as the smell was gone in a day ! I've had the drums since 2005 or 6 and I've never cleaned them. I don't recall ever cleaning the congas {got them in 1990 just before the guitar, now I come to think of it}, bongos or timbales but none of them seem to attract dust. I rather like my stuff looking a bit beat up. I only change the strings when one breaks. I've had a set of mandolin strings in the draw for about 2 decades !!
 
Lt. Bob said:
before they get rusty or rough.
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Around 2009 or 10, my neighbour gave me a 12 string guitar as he was ill and couldn't play it anymore. He told me it wasn't tuned to standard tuning, but much higher. Anyway, the thing I remember about it most was the strings were really rusty and pretty rough. I'd not seen that on a stringed instrument before. I already had a 12 so I swapped it for a bass at the instrument exchange and gave it a friend that used to babysit who wanted to learn bass. She took it back to Zambia if I recall.
Lt. Bob said:
I'll also change strings when one breaks ..... I usually get a couple of weeks out of a set of strings.
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In my unemployed days of poverty, if a string broke, depending on where it broke, I'd not change it but uncoil it and rewind it on if I could. If it broke at the bottom, I'd uncoil from the top, tie a knot and just put the pin as per usual. If it broke from the top most of the time I'd be screwed although on occasion, I could just manage to thread it through if it was lowerdown the headstock. I went through a phase where I was forever breaking G strings. Every 3 or 4 months, I'd empty all the bits of broken string out of the soundhole. At times the guitar would rattle like a percussion instrument !
 
Well, I don't oil boards to clean them (I clean them first), or to make them look pretty, I do it to help keep them from drying out. I know I should have them in a humidified room, but the closest I come to that is I keep them in the basement. But the humidity here in the winter is almost a negative number, and I'm trying to avoid fretboard shrinkage (tell them about the shrinkage, Jerry!). I do however, like the way it makes it feel. And I do use the stuff that's specifically made for fretboards (maybe that makes me a sucker, idk).
 
I used to break my G strings all the time too, but I just started buying a bigger size and not putting them in the dryer.

(Come on, you knew I had to do it.)
 
Well.........just don't put them in the pool and you'll avoid shrinkage. (Now.....you knew someone HAD to do that)
 
Breaking all those G strings netted me 12 string guitar in the end. My friend just gave me a load of money and said "go and buy a decent guitar !" So I bought a 12 string. This was in '99. I still have and frequently use both ~ and if a string ever does break, it's rarely a G.
 
Best way to know is to wipe a bit on and see how fast it soaks in, if at all. Just use a thin wipe. If it soaks in in less than a minute then I will do the whole board that way. If its really dry you can watch it disappear.
 
The only reason to oil a fingerboard is for cosmetics. If you like the way it looks, do it sparingly.

Maple fingerboards have finishes on them. There is no need to oil them. It just makes a mess.

Rickenbackers finished in gloss have finishes on them. There is no need to oil them. It just makes a mess.

It is possible (likely) to damage a fingerboard by oiling too often. Once a year is plenty. Twice a year is pushing it.
 
I've oiled my vintage Hagstrom guitars that have real rosewood fretboards. The one I've had since '75, maybe a handful of times since...the others 1-2 times because I've not had them as long, and only when doing full setups if they looked dry.
Many of my newer guitars, which are Hagstrom reissues...all come with their "Resinator" fretboard, which is resin impregnated wood...so it's pointless to try and oil it, as it will not absorb anything at all. They other newer guitars, I have not bothered since some have maple necks, and the rest don't look like they are in need of any.

Oh...in case anyone doesn't know..."lemon oil" is really a silicon based product with just some lemon scent in it. There is no real oil of lemon in it at all.
It's good at keeping moisture and hand sweat from getting into the wood...but not sure how good it is for the wood. There's probably better stuff that will "feed" the wood more naturally than silicone...but I don't think it's all that critical unless you live in a very dry climate where the wood can dry out substantially.
Look at the fretboard...if you see any fine cracks in it, then maybe it is drying out too much.
I think simply keeping your guitars in a favorable environment with the right amount of humidity is all that is needed AFA any "treatment"...other than regularly wiping them down after use, and occasionally using a basic guitar polish/cleaner...like the Dunlop stuff.
 
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