Ebony fretboard slight cracks and frets/binding bulging.

[warlok]

I'm noticing some problems with the ebony fretboard on my RRTMG.. Every ebony board I've had winds up with some small lengthwise small cracks or very small defects. This board being so shiny makes them stand out and it's bugging me. But the bigger issue is - Maybe because of the location/weather changes, board seems to have shrunk a bit and the frets are pushing against the binding and bulging it at almost every fret. Like the sides of the board are scalloped. Anyone had this problem? Hoping a serious conditioning will help...

[Matt_B]

When's the last time you oiled the board? I see you live in AZ so you definitely have dry weather.

[Mudlark]

Sounds like the Arizona weather took it's toll?
My SL2HT had a couple tiny cracks near the serial number and between the 23-24th frets when I got it used a couple years ago. Really hard to notice.
My old house/music room usually has a high humidity level of 55-75%, which may be the reason the cracks haven't gotten worse.
My local luthier said he could fill he cracks with ebony shavings and glue quite easily if I choose. I no doubt will have them filled eventually.
Seems you'll need to gradually restore the moisture to the board one way or another.

[shreddermon]

It seems that ebony is especially prone to this. That's one of the reasons I prefer other woods.

Bottom line: buy a humidifier for your house.

[warlok]

I got it from somewhere over the rainbow less than 2 months ago and haven't really touched it much as I collected up parts to make it "mine".. Have everything now but now. I guess I'll try over the next 2 days to condition it and see how it goes. The Dunlop deep conditioner always worked good for normal maintenance so I'll go with that I guess. I'm honestly not as worried about the cracks as much as the edges of the board/fret ends/binding..

[Matt_B]

I've got 4 guitars with ebony boards and I "moisturize" them once a year with bore oil. A veteran tech friend of mine recommended it years ago. It's the same thing that's used to keep clarinets, which are made from ebony, from cracking.

[z1n]

That's a great tip Matt. Thanks for that. I always use lemon oil on my guitars but whats funny is I have some bore oil for my trumpet. Never thought about using it

[xenophobe]

As long as ebony isn't horribly neglected and treated at least every couple of years, you should never have issues with one.

[warlok]

Ha! I first saw bore oil and thought you meant Outers or Hoppes gun oil.. I'll stop at GC on way home from work and see if they have some bore oil. Thanks for the tip..

[toejam]

Jackson used to recommend Vaseline to condition the board (it was in their owners manual). Hell, you can use motor oil like acoustic guitar maker Jimmy D' Aquisto used to.

[warlok]

Just reading a bunch of googled sites.. Holy shit everyone has an opinion on what to use.. lol. I think I'm gonna go with old Dunlop 02 that's in my house right now..

[toejam]

Yeah, your Dunlop lemon oil/mineral oil stuff will be fine.

[Dog Boy]

I use a product called Gerlitz Guitar Honey. Works great.

[Matt_B]

Y'know, a funny thing about all these "specialized" fingerboard conditioners is that they all use common base oil that is significantly less expensive then said "specialized" fingerboard conditioners. That's why I stick with basic ol' bore oil.

[warlok]

Yeah, seems like they're mostly just mineral oil with "something" else added.. I've also been seeing alot that lemon oil is just naptha with lemon scented added, just a solvent, no conditioning function at all. I read in a few spots that the bore oil is more a surface protectant for clarinets and woodwinds from being rotted by saliva and it doesn't really condition the wood. Also read that ebony is naturally oiled enough that nothing needs to be done to it except clean once a year.. Clear as mud on what to use.. lol. I'll just use what I have here and hope for the best. I'll post a before pic to show what's happening.