Best Fretboard Cleaners - SAFE on Maple?

Re: Best Fretboard Cleaners - SAFE on Maple?

I always use Lemon Oil and especially like it on bare maple as I like the way it colors the wood and brings out detail in Flame and Birdseye.
 
Re: Charvel Neck Care and Feeding!

Re: Charvel Neck Care and Feeding!

Condemned soul; said:
So I need to know if I have to change my cleaning / care routine.

Am open to suggestions for this guitar.

Thanks.
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The standard finish on original Charvels (early ‘80’s) was tinted Watco danish oil. The reintroduced Charvels, Fender tried to mimic this feel with a sealer. You can use pretty much whatever on a sealed neck, or Watco “Golden Oak” is pretty close.
 
Re: Best Fretboard Cleaners - SAFE on Maple?

Darg1911 said:
Ballistol is a creeping "oil". It has been rumored to attack the copper underneath nickel plated firearms and lift the plating (makes sense because it is fairly decent at removing copper fouling even though it takes a while). I believe Ballistol even provides a warning not to use it on plated surfaces that have scratches as it may lift the plating. But that shouldn't be a problem with nickel frets.

However, it has also been know to soften adhesives. I don't know what type of adhesives it attacks but seeing how it acts as a "creeping oil" I would be wary of it working it's way down into the fret slots and possibly softening the adhesive used to help secure the frets ... assuming any adhesive was used. I don't know which manufacturers, if any, glue the frets in on new instruments. It's highly regarded among the black powder community though.
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I'd rather stay away from it then
 
Re: Best Fretboard Cleaners - SAFE on Maple?

devastone said:
If there is a finish on the maple, then the Dunlop 65 is a fine choice, it's just like cleaning any other finish.

The reason lemon oil works on rosewood and ebony is that they are not finished, so the oil is absorbed. Like I mentioned, if you put lemon oil on unfinished maple, it will get absorbed, like rosewood or ebony, although it might darken it slightly. If you put oil on a finished fretboard, it's just like putting oil on paint, it just makes a mess.
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Yeah makes total sense. What got me kind of hung up/paranoid about this maple fretboard treatment journey is what Charvel said in my guitar's manual "treat the fretboard with any of a variety of products on the market today...otherwise the board can start to crack if it dries out completely and that's not cool huh..."
So yeah that got me worried since lemon oil is all I have (and 65 cleaner but that's not a conditioner)
 
Re: Charvel Neck Care and Feeding!

Re: Charvel Neck Care and Feeding!

Condemned soul said:
Excuse me Folks,
Need to jump in with a related question.

Hate Fenders! Just saw a blue Tele style guitar reduced and on closeout to make room for Christmas stock - a 2018 Sam Dimas Charvel with a hard tail peice. The neck was freaking incredible and sounded great - 59/JB combo! immediately put it on lay-away for my Christmas present. Its neck has a light finish of some kind. I have zilch experience with these modern hot rod guitars and their upkeep.

Here is my question.

Can I use Gibson Pump Polish on the Charvel body and to wipe down the neck and finger board?



As a Gibson owner since my sophomore year in high school [ and that was over way 40 years ago ], all I have ever used has been Lemon oil with underwear for cleaning the fingerboards when I change strings. And when I get done playing, the guitar body, strings, and fingerboard get wiped down with Gibson Pump Polish and flannel. So I need to know if I have to change my cleaning / care routine.

Am open to suggestions for this guitar.

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Firstly congrats! You'll never go wrong with the original Hot Rod Super Strat by Charvie (pet name for Charvel) if you're any type of Rock player. I felt the JB/59 combo (especially the JB) did not suit my San Dimas with OFR 2000 well so I swapped the set out for a DiMarzio Breed bridge, Illuminator neck combo in chrome to match the chrome hardware.

Secondly what is the Gibson polish made out of? Pretty much any reputable guitar polish will suffice for cleaning the body but you don't want to rub just any kind of polish on the neck and fretboard. See the above recommendations. Since your Charvel has a maple fretboard don't use lemon oil. If it had a rosewood board then lemon oil is great (in small amounts!). I wipe my strings down (and by extension the fretboard) with a dry polish cloth after playing. When I change strings then I usually use a drop of lemon oil on my rosewood boards but not at every string change and it depends on whether the board needs any cleaning/conditioning at all by that point.
 
Re: Best Fretboard Cleaners - SAFE on Maple?

muttznmongrelz said:
I always use Lemon Oil and especially like it on bare maple as I like the way it colors the wood and brings out detail in Flame and Birdseye.
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I see. I don't really wanna darken my maple fretboards so I'll pass but glad to know its not harmful as such...
 
Re: Best Fretboard Cleaners - SAFE on Maple?

For cleaning a maple board, nothing beats a damp rag, followed by a drying terry cloth. The Gorgomyte cloth will remove any tarnish on the frets.

To protect an NCL finish, I use the Dunlop or Planet Waves Carnauba Wax. You can also do this to a poly finish, but you don't need to...they are much more durable than NCL.

Easy.

Bill
 
Re: Best Fretboard Cleaners - SAFE on Maple?

Boogie Bill said:
For cleaning a maple board, nothing beats a damp rag, followed by a drying terry cloth. The Gorgomyte cloth will remove any tarnish on the frets.

To protect an NCL finish, I use the Dunlop or Planet Waves Carnauba Wax. You can also do this to a poly finish, but you don't need to...they are much more durable than NCL.

Easy.

Bill
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I'll look into the Gorgomyte cloth. Thanks.
 
Re: Best Fretboard Cleaners - SAFE on Maple?

RolanTHUNDER said:
Yeah makes total sense. What got me kind of hung up/paranoid about this maple fretboard treatment journey is what Charvel said in my guitar's manual "treat the fretboard with any of a variety of products on the market today...otherwise the board can start to crack if it dries out completely and that's not cool huh..."
So yeah that got me worried since lemon oil is all I have (and 65 cleaner but that's not a conditioner)
Click to expand...

Remember that the manual could well cover rosewood and ebony fretboards too.
 
Re: Best Fretboard Cleaners - SAFE on Maple?

You don't have to worry about Maple drying out. Maple is quite stable (one reason it is so popular for necks).
 
Re: Best Fretboard Cleaners - SAFE on Maple?

I have the So Cal version in red. Yes the fretboard turns disgusting after a while especially if you don't wash your hands beforehand.

What I do to clean it is scrub it with steel scouring pad and laundry deterjent. Then splash some Pledge furniture oil all over it after it has dried off. No problem.
 
Re: Best Fretboard Cleaners - SAFE on Maple?

Obsessive Compulsive said:
I have the So Cal version in red. Yes the fretboard turns disgusting after a while especially if you don't wash your hands beforehand.

What I do to clean it is scrub it with steel scouring pad and laundry deterjent. Then splash some Pledge furniture oil all over it after it has dried off. No problem.
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Nice. My hands are clean before I play but inevitably some dust/dirt will get into the common areas near the fret wire. your cleaning method is...vigorous :D
I do not feel comfortable splashing furniture oil all over my beloved/s but if it works for you mate by all means :)
 
Re: Best Fretboard Cleaners - SAFE on Maple?

Ayrton said:
Is there a single topic in which you actually know something?

Isopropanol is generally safe, however, it can cloud some finishes (Gibson). Naphta is a better choice, which is why almost every well-known luthier/tech uses it.

Boiled Linseed Oil offers no benefits over say Bore oil on fretboards and as mentioned can be a serious fire hazard.

"Danish oil" has no real set formulation, but is most often some mix of Linseed Oil and polymers to make it a safe, easy to apply and hard finish. Watco has been a staple finish in guitars for decades.
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1) how rude

2) alcohol is literally used to take pictures of or sell bare figured maple, doesnt get any safer...and we werent talking Gibsons

3) watco danish has like 10 ingredients. But if the primary one is BLO, guess what, same fire hazard... justalso surgeon general suggests maybe not chewing gum or eating chips or smoking after lol. The added chemistry set ain't for fire safety or anything, but for color and quicker workpiece turnaround. Faster = cheaper = better for large scale commercial application....but not for a tiny high-value piece.

Also there's multiple watco products.... and a lot of things also get used underneath a clearcoat. Doesnt nean itll give you cancer, but wouldnt hurt to use their other, food-safe products on something that you hot your hands on so often,
 
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Re: Best Fretboard Cleaners - SAFE on Maple?

muttznmongrelz said:
I always use Lemon Oil and especially like it on bare maple as I like the way it colors the wood and brings out detail in Flame and Birdseye.
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Aint no such thing. Today's "lemon oil" is mineral oil + fragrance


It's also non-drying and can make a mess of scuffed up infinished wood surfaces, ask me how i know
 
Re: Best Fretboard Cleaners - SAFE on Maple?

As mentioned, Naptha is a good cleaner. Just be careful around the body if it has a Nitro finish.

Linseed Oil is good...but a little goes a LONG way. It will gum up if you use too much.

I use woodwind bore oil–found it is cheaper than oils marketed towards guitars.
 
Re: Best Fretboard Cleaners - SAFE on Maple?

I really like my Nomad-Tool, from MusicNomad, for wiping down the fretboard and strings. I also like their "Guitar One" fluid.
 
Re: Best Fretboard Cleaners - SAFE on Maple?

treyhaislip said:
As mentioned, Naptha is a good cleaner. Just be careful around the body if it has a Nitro finish.

Linseed Oil is good...but a little goes a LONG way. It will gum up if you use too much.

I use woodwind bore oil–found it is cheaper than oils marketed towards guitars.
Click to expand...

Thanks
 
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