Oil for fretboard?

[Matt_B]

Does anybody know if this bore doctor / fret doctor stuff or anything similar exists in Germany?

You guys have to have plain ol' bore oil over there. I'd just get that because that's all Fret Doctor is.

[DonP]

right or wrong, this is what I do ...

strings off
spray Dunlop Lemon oil over the fretboard, and wipe with a soft cloth to get even coverage.
Leave to soak for about an hour
lots of rubbing with a soft cloth to lift the dirt, then more rubbing with another, clean cloth to 'dry' the fretboard
re-string, tune, and enjoy the wonderful slippery clean feeling

I don't know the reason why, but I've been told more than once NEVER to use lemon oil on maple fingerboards, but that it's ok on rosewood and ebony .. anyone know more about this ?

The "Leave to soak for about an hour" part worries me. If the fretboard absorbs moisture, frets can lift out, then you have a mess.

Everyone should get Dan Erlewine's book. He suggest startinging lightly with cleaning and work up to harshest stuff only as a last resort.

[Tim_B]

The "Leave to soak for about an hour" part worries me. If the fretboard absorbs moisture, frets can lift out, then you have a mess.

Everyone should get Dan Erlewine's book. He suggest startinging lightly with cleaning and work up to harshest stuff only as a last resort.

thanks for the tip
What I'm trying to do is 're-wet' a neck I got from the USA recently where the fingerboard has just about dried out .. it's obviously been short of love over the years; the wood's changed colour, it was filthy, the grain is far more obvious than my other Charvel neck etc etc
I'm trying to give it some care and attention, I don't soak the wood in oil, just give it a light even coating, say 3 or 4 'sprays' of the oil for the whole fingerboard, then work it round evenly with a soft cloth.
I'm thinking it's going to take about a dozen cycles like this to get the fingerboard feeling good and slippery again, so I am taking it fairly slowly.

And demonstrating my UK based ignorance ... what's 'Bore Oil'?
I guess it's a very light machine oil, the type you might use on a sewing machine or hair clippers, right ?
*EDIT*
I did my own research, it's Clarinet/Oboe etc bores, not machine bores that get bore oil!
Serves me right for playing brass instruments that needed their valves oiling instead of woodwind :-)

[toejam]

I do believe the biggest reason why people say not use Lemon oil on a Maple board is that it will discolor it... I don't know... Lemon oil is the only thing I've used on a Maple board :think::think: So maybe I've been going about it the wrong way for the past 15 years :think: Can't really say that I have noticed any discoloring though
Maybe someone else can shed a little light on the subject.

No, lemon oil won't discolor it. It's a good cleaner and will actually take away some of the dirt/grime and string discoloration that unfinished maple boards tend to get.

[SEEGERMANY]

For rosewood and ebony necks, I use Hoppe's Gun Oil. One drop per fret and then smear it around with a Q-Tip. Let the oil stay on for about 5 minutes, then wipe oil and light grunge from the fretboard. Hoppe's Gun Oil can be found at any Wal-Mart in the sporting goods section. In a pinch, 3 in 1 oil works just as well.

[Cleveland Metal]

Hmmm... For some reason, I just have a problem with putting petroleum distillates on my fretboard, especially with large glued in inlays like a Jackson.

[Spivonious]

I did my own research, it's Clarinet/Oboe etc bores, not machine bores that get bore oil!
Serves me right for playing brass instruments that needed their valves oiling instead of woodwind :-)

Although I always heard it did wonders for valves on brass instruments too. Being a trombone player, I always stuck to the slide cream as it was 1000x better than oil.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

i just tried Fret Doctor for the first time... I'm very impressed. i will be using this from now on.

[Nazgul]

Does anybody know if this bore doctor / fret doctor stuff or anything similar exists in Germany?

Just order it directly from the site, he ships internationally. I have and it's really the best . Much better than that Dunlop conditioner that I was using before.

[Spivonious]

I'd just like to add that I got Dr. Stringfellows Lem-Oil. It did a great job on my Kelly, but caused my Predator fretboard to get really dried out (both rosewood boards). Odd.

[elysianfield]

Isn't Old English like Pledge? If so, DO NOT PUT IT ON YOUR GUITAR NECK. It will severely dry it out and put a wax buildup that is very hard to get off.

just out of interest, how would you remove a buildup of wax?

[Spivonious]

just out of interest, how would you remove a buildup of wax?

Lots of lemon/bore oil and elbow grease.

[elysianfield]

Lots of lemon/bore oil and elbow grease.

nice one, i ran out of lem oil last string change, and used beeswax, now i wish i hadn't, because its the left the fingerboard in a bad way with a horrible build up of wax

[leevan_lee]

what about GHS fast fret? i dont even get the purpose of this thing

[Da' Melta']

what about GHS fast fret? i dont even get the purpose of this thing

You run the applicator stick up and down the strings over the fretboard. It applies a slick film to the strings and board. Wipe the excess off with a cloth. I always used it to quickly clean strings and board when putting my guitars away after a show. That helped minimize the buildup of crud on the strings. GHS also claims that it will help you play faster because there's less friction between your fingers and the strings/board with the stuff applied. Yes there is less friction, but it just makes things a bit slippery while playing.

My two cents!