Oil finish guitar. Maintenance?

[Tho]

Hi guys!

I'm the proud owner of a Jackson SL2H-V Oil. It's mahogany with an oil finish. They say it's rubbed with "gunstock oil".

So I'd like to know what oil I have to use to keep it beautiful, how frequent, and how to rub it in!

Thanks :-)

[j2379]

keeping an oiled mahogany guitar beautiful.....WASH your hands thoroughly before you touch it and keep it in a glass case at all times and don't play it. Mah is full of pores no matter what you do dirt will get into these pores and over time look grungy. you can use gunstock, danish, boiled linseed, or any number of oils used for guitars or high end furniture. I almost always use the NON guitar stuff, its cheaper and IMHO as good or better. how often depends on where you live and whether you have humidity or a lack of. be careful, many of those oils WILL spontaneously combust so dispose of the rags properly.

[Hellbat]

I believe what you are looking for is Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil.

https://www.birchwoodcasey.com/Refinishing/Wood-Finishing/Tru-Oil®-Stock-Finish.aspx

[Predator1]

They also ding and nick very easily.

[leftykingv2]

keeping an oiled mahogany guitar beautiful.....WASH your hands thoroughly before you touch it and keep it in a glass case at all times and don't play it. Mah is full of pores no matter what you do dirt will get into these pores and over time look grungy. you can use gunstock, danish, boiled linseed, or any number of oils used for guitars or high end furniture. I almost always use the NON guitar stuff, its cheaper and IMHO as good or better. how often depends on where you live and whether you have humidity or a lack of. be careful, many of those oils WILL spontaneously combust so dispose of the rags properly.

+1 It's going to get darker over time pretty much no matter what you do. Like J2379 said mahogany is really really porous and if it doesn't have a poly or urethane finish it's destined to darken. The best thing you can do is to wash your hands before you touch it and try to keep it well oiled. It would also be a "Case Queen" if I owned it because I wouldn't want it exposed to the elements unless it's being played for any amount of unnecessary time.

[xenophobe]

Hi guys!

I'm the proud owner of a Jackson SL2H-V Oil. It's mahogany with an oil finish. They say it's rubbed with "gunstock oil".

So I'd like to know what oil I have to use to keep it beautiful, how frequent, and how to rub it in!

Thanks :-)

DO NOT USE FINISHING OIL! Your guitar already has a finish on it. You may possibly permanently discolor or alter the color of your guitar.

You don't really need to wash your hands before touching, but don't touch your guitar if your hands are obviously dirty.

Use a good wax... any type of carnauba or beeswax or a combination of both... avoid stuff with paraffin. It will both clean and protect an oil finish.

You can use lemon oil or orange oil for regular cleaning... however, you'll want to apply wax probably once a month, or more frequently depending on how much you actually play your instrument.

Try this, it's well recommended for oil finishes:

http://www.howardproducts.com/prod-feed-n-wax.php

This is what I use on my custom Warwick:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Warwick-Surface-Finisher-Brand-New-Keeps-Your-Warwick-Bass-Looking-Beautiful-/121221674529?pt=Guitar_Accessories&hash=item1c395ff621

It's over a decade old... it's not mahogany, it's another open grain wood called Ovankol, very similar to mahogany. After applying, you see all the dirt come off on the cloth... then use another to buff it out. My bass is over a decade old, it still looks the same as it was when it was brand new. No dirt stains, no age stains, just a lovely brownish honey color with some light figuring.

Mah is full of pores no matter what you do dirt will get into these pores and over time look grungy.

Sorry, I'm going to have to disagree with you. Not if you use good wax. If you use any number of oil finishes, you're absolutely correct... you will trap dirt into your oil finish by applying more oil finish. A good wood wax designed for oil finishes will clean that dirt out and protect it.

[j2379]

very cool, dumb? does it feel waxy or slick?

[xenophobe]

Once you apply a good wax, you can buff it out with a microfiber or one of those yellow cotton cloths a bunch of times before needing to reapply. It will feel a little sticky. Not like a sticky/tacky fresh application of linseed or tung oil, just slightly filmy, but that goes away relatively quickly. The friction of using the microfiber or cotton cloth will reactivate it... so will a very warm day. lol

If you properly maintain an oil finish you should never need to reapply. If you do, apply it, when it dries, go over the body with 0000 steel wool, then you'll need to wax and hand buff it anyway. If you have any nice hardwood furniture with an oil finish, care and maintenance are identical. I don't, but I spent nearly $2k on my Warwick, so I made sure to research the topic fully.

To get rid of light pick scratches and wear and tear after years of abuse, I just used that beeswax/carnauba and 0000 steel wool. I might have used lemon oil before the wax, I don't remember. Lemon oil or orange oil are perfectly safe to use as well.


It's like your dining room table or your car... if it gets a little dirty, you don't use another finish coat. You clean/condition/wax.

[Tho]

Thanks for all your reactions. Lot's of different views here I see.

I know that it's a very fragile guitar since it's only oiled. I think I'm gonna contact Mark @ The Music Zoo for their advice also.

[xenophobe]

One thing to note, many WW1-WW2 USGI rifle stocks were finished with boiled linseed oil. Even with rough treatment, that oil finish will last for decades. Of course, those stocks were actually soaked in it and guitars just have enough applied to sink a millimeter or so into the surface, but gunstock oil finishes are much more durable than you might think. They just don't like direct contact with moisture. Finger oils and lemon/orange oils are fine.

Oh, and don't trust what a music salesman will tell you. I wouldn't trust them to set up my guitar, I certainly wouldn't trust one to give you advice on wood oil finishes. I don't care if it's TMZ or not. If you want real advice, go to a high end furniture store and talk to their service guy.

[j2379]

Funny you should say that, i used to treat my guitars much differently until talking with a high end mill worker on a job i was doing. he was the guy that told me go grab some of that shit in the big white jug, try it on one of your guitars. don't think i bought a "guitar" oil after that. he also told me anything from 30%-45% relative humidity is GREAT.

[xenophobe]

Humidity = good. Direct contact with moisure = bad.

Humidity keeps the wood from drying out, which can shrink the wood causing cracks or checking in laquer, varnish, and other painted finishes.

This is why people with nice oil finished furniture will freak out if they see you put a glass or coke can on their table tops. A few minutes of condensation can leave permanent marks. You see them all the time... look at someone's table and see if you can see visible rings. That's damage caused by direct contact with moisure.

Dunno what that big white jug has, but yeah, the best advice for taking care of wood is someone who actually deals in high end wood... custom cabinet makers, high end mill work, finish carpenter, high end furniture service guy, etc...