Fret Board Oil...Good/Bad/?

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GARAGERAT

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I have a bottle of G!BS*N fretboard oil that I have used on other guitars without any bad results. These were all less expensive instruments. Some old Harmonys etc. that probablly were a bit easier on the fingers as a result. Also a pretty nice 70's Japanese made Crestwood ES 335 custom copy for purley asthetic reasons. It does make the fretboard look good and I've heard it protects the wood but can't say I know that is a fact. I was going to put some on my new Love Rock but thought I would listen to some other folks thoughts on the stuff. It doesn't really need it because it plays beautifully but if their are protective benefits maybe it's worth applying once and awhile. Thanks for any input.
 
You'll read all kinds of stuff on the web about oiling your rosewood/ebony (bare wood) fretboards.

I recently bought a guitar with a fretboard that I thought looked dry, so I too went to the web for answers. I looked at the Fender and Martin web sites for guidance but found little: at Martin it said NOT to use lemon oil because of the acidity, but there was no guidance on what TO use.

Some of the more rational suggestions on the web suggested the use of Bore Oil (but sparingly and infrequently, like once a year, perhaps). Bore Oil is used by clarinet players to treat the inside of their clarinets. This made sense to me so I bought a small bottle and used it. It did a nice job (and it was inexpensive, that is, not sold at Miracle Product pricing).

Is that Gibson Fretboard oil labeled (to know what it is)?
 
Along with my infinite wisdom came the forgetfullness of old age. It seems, in the last hour or so, I have misplaced the bottle. It came in a Gibson: Vintage Reissue Restoration Kit. So you can make your reissue of an old guitar look new. Right. Anyway, the kit has all this stuff:

Low Abrasion Metal Cleaner.
Premium Fretboard Conditioner.
Restoration Finish Cream.
Gibson Polish Cloths.
Metal Cleaner Application Brush

My room mate left it here when he moved out a few months ago. A pretty nice kit really. Ahaa, I have found it. It says nothing except that it's "specially formulated to restore the natural oils to your guitars fretboard", no ingrediants. It reminds me of teak wood oil that is used on boats to protect the wood from the elements.
 
I have two guitars with Ebony fingerboards and I use LemOil on them 3 or 4 times a year. I would use the LemOil to clean the fretbaord then wipe off the excess and let it dry overnight. Restring the next day and its a pleasure to play. I have not noticed any adverse reactions to it. I haven't used it on the ES100 though as this has a rosewood fretboard which is dry but remains clean. It just doesn't seem to need it yet!
 
I was fairly sure at one point I stumbled accross some information on the gibson site specific to that kit, but at the moment this is the closest I can find.
 
I recall reading that there are different varities of lemon oil - some natural and some synthetic (i know there a thread on here somewhere that covers it).

I've used D'addario in the past and it's worked well (I had a jackson that had very dry and faded board and it brought that back to life very well - using light applications over a course of a few weeks).

I think someone recommended the use of walnut oil - might be worth searching for that thread.
 
orvilleowner said:
I read something like that too: some "lemon oil" is just artificially scented mineral oil.

Here's the Martin Link, BTW:

http://www.mguitar.com/services/faq.html#q14
Click to expand...

Yes, it is mineral oil and some people think it can harm the fretboard (I was tempted but I never tried because in my country it's difficult to find);

http://www.mguitar.com/services/faq.html#q14

Can I use lemon oil on my fingerboard?
We do not recommend using lemon oil on our fingerboards. The acids in lemon oil break down the finish of our guitars. It may also aid the corrosion of the frets and lessen the life of the strings.
Click to expand...
 
I have a deluxe Fender guitar care kit made by Meguiar's, A big car care and wax company. It has a wonderful fretboard conditioner that I have used on all of my guitars for a couple of years. So far, so good.

Mark
 
TUNAFREAK said:
I have a deluxe Fender guitar care kit made by Meguiar's, A big car care and wax company. It has a wonderful fretboard conditioner that I have used on all of my guitars for a couple of years. So far, so good.
Click to expand...

In my post above, I suppose I should have said that Fender and Gibson would recommend use of the product they sell (I'm not sure that Martin sells anything, but you'd hope that's what they'd recommend). I would love to know what those are.

Let me throw this link into the mix:
http://www.muzique.com/schem/fret.htm
The guy rails against Lemon Oil, but when he says what to use, he's not too specific about what type of "furniture oil" to use, and seems to suggest a little lemon oil in it would be okay! See what I mean about confusing messages to be found on the web?

The good people at Fret Doctor seem to recommend Bore Oil, the version of which they sell, of course.
 
Be careful using oils if your guitar has been ever refretted. Somtimes Luthiers will have to use epoxy to repair damaged fretting slots and the oils could loosen up these repairs and possibly unseat the frets.
 
I forgot to mention, I use this fender product one time: when I buy the guitar. I guess I will use it when it looks dry, that could be a while. Get this kit at musicians friend.
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/home/navigation?q=guitar+care
Fender? Ultimate Guitar Care Collection by Meguiar s

Hope this helps. I have found the kit to be of a very high quallity, just like thier car care product line is. It comes with everything a man needs to keep his axe sharp!

Mark :wink:
 
..........also, be careful not to use too much oil on bound necks, it could possibly react with the glue that holds the binding in place.
 
Dunlop Fretboard 65 Ultimate Lemon Oil is the choice of several pro guitar techs I know. It works fine for me as well. If it's available there I would give it a try. I use it on my Tokais and vintage Epiphones with rosewood fretboards but my Fenders are maple so they don't need it.
 
TUNAFREAK said:
I have a deluxe Fender guitar care kit made by Meguiar's, A big car care and wax company. It has a wonderful fretboard conditioner that I have used on all of my guitars for a couple of years. So far, so good.

Mark
Click to expand...

I've heard some good reports about Meguiar's products TF. I'm gonna have to get some. I have a Micromesh kit that Stewmac sells and that's awesome for polishing guitars, let alone cars!
 

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