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Do Gibson oil their fretboards at the factory?


Pinch

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I've only ever oiled fretboards before winter. Since I bought the V in April (it was manufactured early this year), when the air wasn't as dry as during the winter months, I thought I'm probably just as well off waiting until it's annual oiling time in August or thereabout, rather than oil it now and then oil it again a few months later. Particularly if the fretboards are oiled at the plant. Are they? Anyone know?

 

And yes, I do have a lot of thinking time on my hands.

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You may have a lot of thinking time on your hands, but I don't think you are thinking about this the way you should.

I don't know the answer to your question. But it does not matter anyway. Getting the answer is not going to help you at all.

 

Let's say they do oil them at the factory. How long does it take to leave the factory? Days, weeks, months?

When it reaches a distributor do they take it right out of the box and sell it? NO! It may sit there for days, weeks, months, years!

 

So when you by a new Gibson, you don't know how long it has been since it left the factory.

So...does it really matter?

 

No, just look at it. I find it quite easy to tell if a rosewood fingerboard needs oil (I'm assuming it's rosewood, you didn't say).

Does it look dry? Do you see white streaks in the grain?

Usually the fretboard will appear lighter in color the drier it is. When it is well oiled it usually looks darker.

 

After doing this a number of times it becomes pretty easy to tell when it needs oil.

There are a number of videos on youtube that can also help you with this if you need more info.

Good luck, hope I helped. [biggrin]

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It's Grenadillo, which is naturally lighter in shade than regular rosewood.

 

But I suppose you're right. I doubt Gibson uses wood that has to be oiled within a couple of months after it leaves the factory and is up on the wall at the store, or it cracks ;)

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It's Grenadillo, which is naturally lighter in shade than regular rosewood.

 

But I suppose you're right. I doubt Gibson uses wood that has to be oiled within a couple of months after it leaves the factory and is up on the wall at the store, or it cracks ;)

Well I know nothing about Grenadillo. Sorry.

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NP. It was manufactured this year, so it's just a few months old. Should be okay until fall, particularly since summer with all its humidity is just around the corner.

 

Like you say, most brand new guitars sit on the wall in stores a lot longer than a couple months, and it's not like they remove the strings and oil the fretboards at the store after it's been on the wall for three months.

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I tend to use a small dab rosewood conditioner at least once a year on the guitars that have a rosewood fretboard. but as I think about this, in all the years I played before I started using conditioning oil, there was never a problem with any of the fingerboards in my guitars. I guess I just do it know cuz I have some oil to do it with????

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I oil my rosewood boards very occasionally if they look dried out, using very thin camera or sewing machine oil - though standard 3-in-1 will do.

Once every few years is quite enough. You don't really need to do it unless it feels rough or has friction.

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I've had a few Gibsons over the last 25 yrs or so.....:blink:

 

I would guess the 'old style' rosewood boards came out of the factory without oil

 

So again I am guessing my ES137 was oiled by the retailer during set-up....it was OK but a bit oily to my taste....

 

The newer part-synthetic composite boards are a different kettle of fish....IMO relatively impervious to moisture etc...

 

Many folks would leave an unoiled board as is.....natural skin oils would gradually penetrate the surface....

 

I have often used wax furniture polish to feed boards....cleans the surface well and looks good and shiny....dry.gif

 

V

 

:-({|=

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My Les Paul is 17 and has never been oiled.

 

rct

 

 

Dont any of you have oil in your skin? I've never oiled a fingerboard in 47 years of playing.

 

i am cheering for you guys, for seeing that the emperor has no clothes. you get a star on your paper today!

 

 

I've had a few Gibsons over the last 25 yrs or so.....:blink:

 

I would guess the 'old style' rosewood boards came out of the factory without oil

 

So again I am guessing my ES137 was oiled by the retailer during set-up....it was OK but a bit oily to my taste....

 

The newer part-synthetic composite boards are a different kettle of fish....IMO relatively impervious to moisture etc...

 

Many folks would leave an unoiled board as is.....natural skin oils would gradually penetrate the surface....

 

I have often used wax furniture polish to feed boards....cleans the surface well and looks good and shiny....dry.gif

 

V

 

:-({|=

 

if you ever decide to refinish that guitar, you will regret using furniture polish. all furniture polish contains silicone. it's nearly impossible to completely remove, and makes refinishing a nitemare

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Regardless of who does what at whatever factory, the first thing I do with a new (to me) guitar is this:

Immediately change strings, oil fretboard, do basic setup things. Then I have a "starting point".

 

YMMV, but that's my approach and I'm sticking with it LOL.

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1494887536[/url]' post='1855537']

You may have a lot of thinking time on your hands, but I don't think you are thinking about this the way you should.

I don't know the answer to your question. But it does not matter anyway. Getting the answer is not going to help you at all.

 

Let's say they do oil them at the factory. How long does it take to leave the factory? Days, weeks, months?

When it reaches a distributor do they take it right out of the box and sell it? NO! It may sit there for days, weeks, months, years!

 

So when you by a new Gibson, you don't know how long it has been since it left the factory.

So...does it really matter?

 

No, just look at it. I find it quite easy to tell if a rosewood fingerboard needs oil (I'm assuming it's rosewood, you didn't say).

Does it look dry? Do you see white streaks in the grain?

Usually the fretboard will appear lighter in color the drier it is. When it is well oiled it usually looks darker.

 

After doing this a number of times it becomes pretty easy to tell when it needs oil.

There are a number of videos on youtube that can also help you with this if you need more info.

Good luck, hope I helped. [biggrin]

So true! My Gibson Gold Top was made in 2007 and I bought it first brand new in 2013. So sat high up on the wall for 6 years and doubtful they did anything to it.

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BBP: thanks!

 

Kidblast: I know, right? I once had a guitar on a stand for ten years in an apt. that went very cold and dry in the winter. No oil, no humidifier, no... problem!

 

They say the time you sweat the small stuff is time spent not living... But pop psychologists say a lot of things.

 

It's funny, though... Maybe I'm projecting, but us guitar folk have more than our fair share of OCD, don't we?

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I have some fingerboard oil. I've never used it. I don't think I've ever oiled a fingerboard either. I suppose if I had it in rough environments and it looked or felt dry, I would consider it. My 81 V hasn't been oiled in the 33 years I've had it. It's had lots of playing and oily sweaty fingers though. And, I use Finger Ease spray on the strings before each session of playing, wiping the strings and subsequently the fretboard and I've used that stuff almost 40 years and it's great for keeping strings clean and safe for fretboards. I've had no dryness or damage from using it and maybe that's why mine's never needed oiled. Or maybe I just got lucky all these years.

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BBP: thanks!

 

Kidblast: I know, right? I once had a guitar on a stand for ten years in an apt. that went very cold and dry in the winter. No oil, no humidifier, no... problem!

 

They say the time you sweat the small stuff is time spent not living... But pop psychologists say a lot of things.

 

It's funny, though... Maybe I'm projecting, but us guitar folk have more than our fair share of OCD, don't we?

 

I know Pinch, I will say, you can see what the hydration does to the wood tho. brings up a bit of luster that would otherwise just be sort of a dry looking slab of wood. Does it matter that much? I can't really say one way or another.

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Martin uses Dr. Duck's Axe Wax on the fret board but I've got a lifetime supply size bottle of Olde English Lemon Oil so that gets used on all of them.

I hit the fret board every string change or once every six months, whichever comes first. The wood seems to appreciate it.

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I oil annually, in the fall or thereabout. Which is why I asked, because if it was oiled at the factory early this year, oiling it again just a few months later would - in my book, YMMV - be overdoing it. The Grenadillo 'board looks drier than rosewood since it's naturally lighter, so I thought I'd ask.

 

I don't know about the horror stories about frets coming loose from over-oiling, though. I don't think there's much solvent in guitar "lemon" oil (aka mineral oil). Maybe someone used ACTUAL lemon oil. I've just found that once a year appears to be enough. Again, YMMV.

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