How often oil/clean fretboard?

[cort]

Just curious how often do you do this? Is 4 times a year good?Thanks,Cort

[LesPaulCustom]

Re: How often oil/clean fretboard?

Depends on where you live and how much you play. Also, if you have a rosewood or ebony fingerboard.

Some people clean and oil at every string change others only do it 2 or 3 times a year.

Mrs LPC [img]images/icons/wink.gif[/img]

[Number Of The Priest]

Re: How often oil/clean fretboard?

So what is it with ebony boards getting dirty so quickly? I've had rosewood boards on all my guitars prior to my USA Jackson, and I've had them for a long time and they've NEVER gotten as dirty as the USA's ebony board has in the month that I've had her. [img]graemlins/scratchhead.gif[/img]

[sully]

Re: How often oil/clean fretboard?

i think that it's just easier to see gunk, etc. on an ebony board. you're right though, it does seem to show up a hell of a lot more on ebony.

as far as how often i oil boards, 2-3 times a year, or certainly after some fretwork and cleanup.

sully

[Chuckracer]

Re: How often oil/clean fretboard?

Cort, if you look at the top of these posts, fourth line down, you'll see a sticky topic entitled "Cleaning and polishing fretboards with your old pal Sully".

Now waddya suppose if you were to click on that it would explain in great prose and detail the answers to your questions?

[LesPaulCustom]

Re: How often oil/clean fretboard?

Originally posted by Chuckracer:
Now waddya suppose if you were to click on that it would explain in great prose and detail the answers to your questions?

<font size="2" face="Verdana, Helvetica, sans-serif">Come on Chuck...that would make too much sense and be too easy [img]graemlins/poke.gif[/img]

I think everybody has their personal preferences for guitar maintenance and their cleaning/polishing schedules.

[mm2002]

Re: How often oil/clean fretboard?

IMHO most guys here have a rather conservative maintanance schedule. My personal preference is to re-fret, re-level, and re-oil the board at every string change. It may seem a little anal but my guitars always play like new no matter how old they are.

[LesPaulCustom]

Re: How often oil/clean fretboard?

MM....lol....too funny [img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

Man...I'd go broke if I had to refret my Les Paul every YEAR let alone every string change....

I'm on #4 now for refret [img]images/icons/shocked.gif[/img] .....and this is the last one....

[lerxstcat]

Re: How often oil/clean fretboard?

MM didn't mention he only restrings every 5 years or when they break, individually.
[img]graemlins/laugh.gif[/img]

[cort]

Re: How often oil/clean fretboard?

Thanks for the info guys......Chuckracer..I did read the info Sully has.But I'm pretty sure there was no schedule for the info I asked about.Always someone on here to slap ya around.Maybe that's why I don't post often????.....I have Gibson Les Paul Customs(ebony boards) and Jacksons(ebony and rosewood)Say you have a guitar you are pretty much collecting(1992 Jackson LTD Rhoads pinstripe) What do you think.Once a year? Stays in the case.Never get played more than 10 minutes a few times a year...Then you have the guitars I play live. The Les Paul Customs.Strings get changed on them once a week.We play 3 hrs a night 2 times a week.Definately need a little more attention.3-4 times a year probably would probably be enough?Thanks for the help...Cort

[Chuckracer]

Re: How often oil/clean fretboard?

Yup, yer right. There is no schedule. Sorry for my having a bit of fun at your expense.
The schedule you said sounds right on the money to me. Once a year for the collector guitars in storage and three to four times a year on the nightly working ebony guitars.
As far as the Rosewood Jackson, Rosewood is a naturally oily wood, so maybe once a year if at all. Most people over oil their boards thinking if a little is good, more must be better. I have a friend with a Les Paul Standard who started reading all these threads about oiling boards and proceeded to oil his rosewood board once a week. Now it has so much oil in it the moisture has raised the grain to the point its like playing on sandpaper. You can't sand it out without refretting cause you'd be sanding across the grain. Its horrible!

[cort]

Re: How often oil/clean fretboard?

Chuckracer..It's cool....Cort

[Metalcop]

Re: How often oil/clean fretboard?

Once a year, unless you gig with the guitar on a daily basis, is fine. Anything more than that and you can actually cause damage, instead of protect against it. Things like unseated frets that pop up, loosened bindings etc.

[Twisteramps]

Re: How often oil/clean fretboard?

I do mine when the fingerboards start looking like crap... generally every six months. However, I use vaseline on the fingerboard, and it doesn't get everywhere like the more liquidy oils do. And yes, it works great... it's a petroleum product, and it doesn't smell or get everywhere either. After I clean my fingerboard, I put a light coat on it, let it set for a few minutes, then rub it off completely. fingerboard is clean and oiled and all that good stuff then.

Pete