Rosewood Fingerboard Maintenance

Tom Olson · From: Spokane, WA

On fretted instruments (guitars, basses, etc.) is it advisable to put some sort of oil or whatever on rosewood fingerboards to keep them from getting too dried out? If so, what should be used? Thanks.

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

Pure lemon oil if you can find some.

Tom Olson · From: Spokane, WA

Hi Bill -- thanks for the reply. Would lemon oil be something that a music store would carry? Or would one look elsewhere for it? Thanks.

Brian Wetzstein · From: Billings, MT, USA

Hi Tom!
On all my rosewood necks I use Old English wood treatment. You can usually find it near all the cleaners and furniture polish. I wipe it on wet and let it soak in for five minutes or so and then wipe off any excess. it keeps all my guitars very happy. One bottle will last you ages...
brian

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

The lemon oil is hard to find.
Whatever you do, look on the label of whatever you buy and if the ingredients contain "Petroleum distilates" DO NOT use it.

There use to be a company called Tres Amigos that made a lemon oil fingerboard treatment.

Jay Fagerlie · From: Lotus, California, USA

Bill,
What's the harm if the product has Petroleum distilates?

Jay

David Doggett · Posted 3 Sep 2004 8:45 am

I think the point is you want light to heavy oils that do not evaporate. Thinner "distillates," like kerosene, paint thinner and cleaning fluids, will dissolve the heavier oils, evaporate, and dry out the wood.

[This message was edited by David Doggett on 03 September 2004 at 09:45 AM.]

Bill Terry · From: Bastrop, TX

Stephen Gambrell · From: Over there

I know a banjo player, puts WD-40 on the fingerboard, strings, whatever, of his '30-something Gibson. In 40+ years of playing, I've never put anything, except new frets, on a rosewood OR ebony fingerboard.

Rick McDuffie · From: Benson, North Carolina, USA

What Bill Hatcher said. Tell your local dealer to try and order the lemon oil from Musicorp. They have been selling it under the "Harmony" name, but I heard they were going to drop it.

Rick

Bill Terry · From: Bastrop, TX

Jim Smith · From: Midlothian, TX, USA

Larry Allen · From: Kapaa, Kauai,Hawaii

Back in the 60's Don Teeter(Oklahoma City martin repairman) taught me to mix lemon oil and alcohol 50%-50% in a small container and use with cotton balls to clean my trings every nite after the gig. The alcohol cleans the strings and the lemon oil keeps the fingerboard from drying out.I've been doing this to all my guitars ever since. You'd be amazed at the black stuff that comes off your strings. Do it every time you've played for hours and the next time you pick up your guitar the strings are like new.LA

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Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

What Doggett said.

I have refretted guitars whose fingerboards have been treated with all kinds of witch doctor crap, 3in1, Scotts liquid Gold, that oily mess your Mom uses for furniture, whatever. You would not believe what happens to the oils in the rosewood or ebony. When you pull a fret out, even after heating it up, the wood around the fret slot just crumbles away from having the oils leached out of the board and it becoming so brittle. Personally I think it is better to never put anything on a fingerboard than to put any petrol based crap on it.

Just speaking from my experience with hundreds of refrets. You put whatever you want to on YOUR guitar.

Rick McDuffie · From: Benson, North Carolina, USA

Tell us how you REALLY feel, Bill!

[This message was edited by Rick McDuffie on 04 September 2004 at 05:40 AM.]

Bill Terry · From: Bastrop, TX

Tom Olson · From: Spokane, WA

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

Sorry Mr. Terry about the hard rant on the 3n1 oil. Just look around the top of the can of 3 and 1. See all that hardened up mess?? That's what I mean.

Anybody find some good safe lemon oil treatment let me know. I need some too.

Larry Clark · From: Herndon, VA.

Woodwind Bore Oil.

Rick McDuffie · From: Benson, North Carolina, USA

Larry's right about bore oil. It's used to preserve the grenadilla wood on clarinets, oboes, bassoons... to keep them from cracking due to dryness, which they inevitably will do without it. Wood is wood, whether it's on a guitar or clarinet.