cleaning green gunk in crevices?

[guitorture]

Hey guys I've traditionally been a Jackson guy but I recently acquired a used Ibanez JEM7V and the fretboard looks pretty good BUT I noticed most of the frets have green gunk in the crevices. Any tips on how to clean this stuff up? I've included a few pics for reference:

[pianoguyy]

The same stuff you normally clean a board with. Just with extra attention paid to that particular area.


If that doesn't work, or you don't clean boards -
A tooth brush. Especially if it is one of those electric ones.
Maybe an SOS Pad ~~~~ i don't know if that is the correct word (SOS Pad). But some sort of dollar store scrub rag for the dishes.
How do you clean/crown the frets. Maybe that same "scraper" can be gently used to scrape the gunk.

[guitorture]

The same stuff you normally clean a board with. Just with extra attention paid to that particular area.


If that doesn't work, or you don't clean boards -
A tooth brush. Especially if it is one of those electric ones.
Maybe an SOS Pad ~~~~ i don't know if that is the correct word (SOS Pad). But some sort of dollar store scrub rag for the dishes.
How do you clean/crown the frets. Maybe that same "scraper" can be gently used to scrape the gunk.

Yeah I have a safety pin that I use on one of my cheaper guitars to clean the fret crevices, I have scratched the rosewood with it by accident in the past though so just thought I would see what other ideas are out there for cleaning fret crevices on a higher end instrument. The only other "tool" i have is an old walmart giftcard but I usually just use that to clean the middle of the rosewood, not the crevices.

[etepbbb]

I hate green gunk in the crevice!

[metalhobo]

brushes and other soft/flexible materials won't get right up next to the edge. what you want is something rigid and thin. if you can find a really thin plastic putty knife that could do the trick, but I've used xacto blades or razor blades, making sure to use an extremely light and careful touch. I also have those foam-backed polishing pads from stew mac which can get right up next to the fret to remove any markings or dullness that results.

of course, the best prescription is to prevent that level of buildup from occurring in the first place.

[Number Of The Priest]

0000 steel wool. I rub rather vigorously on frets and fretboards that are particularly disgusting. Do this outdoors.

I've rescued plenty of dirty neglected guitars over the years that had ebony, rosewood, and unfinished maple fretboards, and I've never ruined any fretboards or inlays with the amount of pressure I use.

On ebony and rosewood fretboards, follow up with lemon oil (or mineral oil) brushed with a soft toothbrush which simultaneously dissolves residual finger oils (oil dissolves oil) and hydrates the wood. Wipe/scrub off with a soft cloth. Do not use oil on maple fretboards.

End result: Beautifully clean fretboards and slick frets.

I agree with metalhobo. Prevention is the best medicine. I wash my hands with soap and water before playing. Reduces finger oils that can accumulate on the fretboard, leading to less frequent cleaning/maintenance.

[guitorture]

Thanks guys! Some great advice so far!

[Startingline]

For really bad Rosewood and Ebony fretboards i use Murphy's Oil Soap and a toothbrush with a little bit of water.It works really well, but does strip a lot of oils out of the wood. I completely dry the wood after cleaning and do a couple applications of lemon oil.

[Startingline]

[eighthnotetone]

Congrats on you new Jem. I've always like those guitars. The green gunk can come from several different things. It's most likely a combination of fret oxidation and dirt from players' hands. In either case, I'd use some #0000 steel wool and some Murphy's oil soap to clean up the fretboard as well as the frets. This will not only remove the gunk, it will also condition the fretboard. If you can't get the steel wool right up to the fret, you can always just use a toothbrush or a nonabrasive pipe cleaner to get in there with the oil soap.