Question for Light and anyone else who's interested..

[TelePaul]

Fast fret...yay or nay? Restrung my Tele yesterday but I picked it up today and it still feels a little....grimey. What do you think of lubricants like Fast Fret, or is there some way to clean the neck thoroughly? I'm kinda yearning for that 'just bought' feel.

 

[Light]

Nay, for me.

First of all, it won't do anything for your fingerboard. It is supposed to "lubricate" your strings, but I never liked the feel of it.

If you want to clean your (rosewood or ebony) fingerboard, then get some OOOO steel wool (good quality oil free stuff, which you probably can't find at your local hardware - try a good woodworkers store like Rockler or Woodcraft). Use the steel wool to clean the board, and then get some mineral oil or lemon oil to condition the fingerboard. You don't need to do this very often, maybe 2-3 times a year.

If you mean that the back of your neck is grimy, get some GHS guitar polish, put it on a clean lint free rag (old clean tee shirts with no printing on them are perfect), and use that to clean it up. It's probably going to take some elbow grease to get it clean if it is going all gummy on you. (The GHS polish is a bit more abrasive than some guitar polishes, so it is good for more serious cleaning.)


Light

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

 

[danny.guitar]

I don't ever put anything on the strings, but I've used it on the back of the neck, which makes it easier to change between barre chords, etc.

I also use some Dunlop lemon oil every now & then to remove any grime that builds up on the fretboard. I do this when changing strings, but not very often.

 

[jpw23]

Nay.....don't like how it feels and I'm pretty sure it just kills strings quicker.

 

[TelePaul]

I might try around the back of th neck then thanks.

 

[muttley600]

Goddards silver cloth will do the same as 0000 wire wool. It will also polish the frets. It has a little non silicate oil added that will not hurt your fingerboard. All the repairers and makers I know use them. Back of the neck best done with a soft dry worn chamios leather and elbow grease.

 

[Codmate]

I use Dunlop Ultraglide 65 String Cleaner & Conditioner for cleaning the strings.

I find that my strings corrode and gather dirt and grime after a week or so of playing without it. They are then unplayable to me (although some skanky guitarists don't seem to mind playing jagged lines of rust ).
With it, I can make even a regularly-played set last well over a month. Sometimes it can even bring a set back to life for a bit when you think they're much too far gone.

Apparently grimy, nasty strings can pit, mark and generally damage your fingerboard. For this reason, whether you use string conditioner or not, you should wipe down the strings on-top and underneath before and after playing.

 

[Thurgood]

I fast fret after each session. Love the stuff. Also I wash my hands well prior to playing. OCD maybe, but it works for me. Or you could eat some nachos for that greasy slippery feel. Talk about Great Cheddar distortion.

 

[Zaphod B]

Sometimes I'll spray a touch of WD-40 on a cloth and wipe down the unwound strings to keep them slick. I never let that stuff touch any part of the guitar, though.

 

[travelin travis]

nay..............i don't like lube on my women or guitars.

 

[gcapel]

I'm not too cool to use fast fret. I just use it when I put on new strings. I like it to aid in stretching the strings. Wipe off the excess.

 

[Jouni]

This all is something that puzzles me..

I never change strigs before one snaps..then ofcourse the whole set..
Never on guitars or bass, have I cleaned the neck, or washed hands before playing. My fingerboards are black with grime. ..maybe once have I scraped it off with a pick on some instrument.

OK, I can see it could affect the tone more on guitar less on bass, But NEVER has it changed playability on those things I've played, nor pitted or rusted squat on the instrument...

You guys are playing some damn delicate and fine instruments!?

(Who's the first to say:"I can hear it in your tone!!")

 

[TelePaul]

(Who's the first to say:"I can hear it in your tone!!")

I can hear it in your tone

 

[noisedude]

I always like how smooth it makes the strings feel until I actually have to start playing them ... then my fingers tend to slip off whilst executing my soul-less Oasis-style bends.

I think there's a place for it but you have to be disciplined in remembering to use it, and vigorous in wiping as much of it back off as possible as soon as you apply.

 

[RandyW]

Dunlop

I use the Dunlop Ultraglide 65 String Cleaner & Conditioner.

I'm pushing about 2 dozen stringed instruments so I don't play some of them for months at a time. If I don't use it and forget to wipe down the strings they will be to corroded to play.

I also use their fretboard cleaner and condiioner on my non maple fret boards.

 

[cephus]

I used fast fret before - before my daddy got a job.

Actually, I remember using it when I had a guitar with a floyd rose. I usually broke strings at the bridge and would just unwind another quarter inch and clamp it back in there. That was when my strings would be nice and crusty. I had a fast fret thing that someone gave me and I had sawn lots of grooves in it scraping the crud off the bottom of the strings.

I have a can of it somewhere, but I can't remember the last time I used it. Maybe on an acoustic that was laying around too long. You do have to wipe all the residue off. I used it more as a solvent to soften the black crap up so I could get it off with a rag. Not like lubricant.

I thought the finger-ease can was funny the way the cartoon hand on it had little rays of light coming from the fingertips.