Cleaning Dirty Frets.

[White]

Hello.

I have a Charvel Model 1A on reserve at a local shop, I think I may finally pick it up tomorrow.

Its in pretty good condition, The pickguard is scratched up (some beginner was probably not the precision strummer), but the paint is pretty good. It has a nice yellowed maple neck and fingerboard.

Problem is, its DIRTY!! Its a dirty little store. Everything's got a layer of sticky crud on it.

The frets are nickel as far as I can tell, Jumbo, in very good shape. But they are dirty and crusty.


What would be the best way to clean them?

My idea was goo gone and q-tips.

Thanks [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: Cleaning Dirty Frets.

Take the strings off, take some fine grade steel wool to the frets a la Sully's "Cleaning fretboards with your ol' pal Sully" topic at the top of this forum. I tried it recently on three of my guitars... dang, I have never seen such shiny and smooth-feeling frets.

Strangely enough, the scouring/rough green half of a kitchen sponge didn't work when I experimented with it on the frets. I ended up roughing up the frets, so I just went back over them with steel wool and got 'em super-shiny and ultra-smooth again.

Might as well clean the rest of the fretboard while you're at it.

[etaeniura]

Re: Cleaning Dirty Frets.

take a business card and cut a slot in it about the size of a fret with an exacto blade. Remove all the strings, and lay the card over each fret and polish them with a good metal polish (i use gunmetal polish available at K mart). You might also try a really fine steel wool if they are crusty. that should shine thewm up real nice! If there is a layer of crud on the fretboard, use a piece of plastic (a pick works) to scrape off the gunk, and then oil it up with your fretboard oil of choice (lemon, linseed, so forth) and let it sit for a few minutes, them rub it off good with a clean rag or paper towel. Repeat if necessary.

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: Cleaning Dirty Frets.

That business card idea is GENIUS! Great way to protect the board if all you want to do is to polish the frets. [img]/images/graemlins/notworthy.gif[/img]

[MetalMedal II]

Re: Cleaning Dirty Frets.

I get great results using Brasso and polishing with rags to get the frets to a mirror-shine. Makes sense since most fretwire is made mostly of brass with a little nickel mixed in to give em that silver color.

[etaeniura]

Re: Cleaning Dirty Frets.

the metal polish i use is a pasty type stuff, it turns black like brasso does-i suppose if you had chrome polish from an auto parts store, it would work just as well.

NOTP-I think stewmac sells metal fretguards for filing edges-they would be a little more durable. I forgot to mention that the business card will only last for a few frets, so make 4-5 of them beforehand! that metal polish is tough to get out of the woodgrain on a fingerboard!

[MetalMedal II]

Re: Cleaning Dirty Frets.

Or you can use an old credit card which'll last longer than a paper card.

[toejam]

Re: Cleaning Dirty Frets.

Lemon oil and a toothbrush.

[toejam]

Re: Cleaning Dirty Frets.

[ QUOTE ]
The pickguard is scratched up (some beginner was probably not the precision strummer

[/ QUOTE ]
That's what pickguards are for. [img]/images/graemlins/rolleyes.gif[/img]

[White]

Re: Cleaning Dirty Frets.

Not a couple of scrapes, it looks like its been dragged over concrete.

Thanks for the tips, thats just the kind of thing I was asking for [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[White]

Re: Cleaning Dirty Frets.

[ QUOTE ]
Or you can use an old credit card which'll last longer than a paper card.

[/ QUOTE ]

It would be too thick wouldn't it? It would be about as tall as the frets.

[Lauri]

Re: Cleaning Dirty Frets.

[ QUOTE ]
Lemon oil and a toothbrush.

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeap [img]/images/graemlins/idea2.gif[/img]

[Grandturk]

Re: Cleaning Dirty Frets.

[ QUOTE ]
Lemon oil and a toothbrush.

[/ QUOTE ]

Well, the 1A is a maple board with a poly finish, so lemon oil isn't going to do you any good.

Stick with the fret guard and polish idea.

Alternatively, if you're not a huge fan of the finish on the board, use 0000 steel wool on the whole fingerboard, which will clean up your frets and dull the finish to satin, which feels more like unfinished wood.

[sully]

Re: Cleaning Dirty Frets.

nice idea with the business cards. what i do is mask the board off with blue 3M painters tape (that stuff rules), and use my patented "liquid chrome" polishing technique! (yeah, it involves a buffer!)

if you need to scrape gunk off, use a brand new razor and scrape GENTLY! (unless you're workin on a finished fretboard!)

sully

[pro-fusion]

Re: Cleaning Dirty Frets.

#0000 steel wool works perfectly. I've also tried the auto chrome polish--it works, too, but not as well.

I've had no problems with the steel wool on the fretboard. The key is to polish in the same direction as the wood grain. But make sure not to get any steel wool fibers in your pickup cavities etc.