Micko Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 Hi, Can anyone recommend what to use to feed a rosewood fretboard on a Les Paul standard 2004 Many thanks micko
LPguitarman Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 If you mean keep it conditioned, use Fret Doctor every time you change strings.
rocketman Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 Fret Doctor for me. But I don't think you need to do it every time you change the strings. Ed Boyle, owner of Fret Doctor, has a great article. He knows his stuff. After I bought it we had an email conversation and now we email each other on a near daily basis. You can read it here. He does say that some stuff is OK in his opinion.
milod Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 I'm with Rocketman... OTOH... Ain't put a thing on any fretboards of mine since the '70s. Hmmmm. Ain't spilt any beer or pizza on 'em either. m
kidblast Posted June 9, 2014 Posted June 9, 2014 Everyone has the favorites this is mine.. Good stuff: (a few times a year for any of these products on rosewood is all that you need.) http://www.amazon.com/Gerlitz-GEGHO-Guitar-Honey-Fingerboard/dp/B000EEJF4O
Dennis G Posted June 10, 2014 Posted June 10, 2014 I use Guitar Honey, but only about once a year, not at every string change. That said, I live in a pretty consistent humidity climate. I seem to recall reading that too much is worse than not enough. YMMV.
Riffster Posted June 10, 2014 Posted June 10, 2014 I use Fret Doctor, it is expensive but worth it (to me) before that I used Lemon Oil (Dunlop branded) The reason I prefer Fret Doctor is that it does not seem to build up. Coincidentally I just used it on my Dobro, if I knew the difference it would made I would have taken "before" pictures. This is a Hound Dog Dobro, the import version, this is really well made but the fingerboard was dyed and for a few years now it looked chalky/grey, after Capmaster a member here mentioned he stripped the dye on one of his guitars I decided to try it and it worked! I wiped the fingerboard with denatured alcohol and it took off the excess dye, then 10 minutes later I applied Fret Doctor in two light passes. I am very pleased with the result.
SteveFord Posted June 10, 2014 Posted June 10, 2014 Lemon Oil either every string change or once every 3-4 months.
surfpup Posted June 10, 2014 Posted June 10, 2014 Been using lemon oil for 30 years. My boards are fine. But you Fret Doctor devotees have finally convinced me to give it a try. Seems like he knows is stuff, so I ordered some.
rocketman Posted June 10, 2014 Posted June 10, 2014 Been using lemon oil for 30 years. My boards are fine. But you Fret Doctor devotees have finally convinced me to give it a try. Seems like he knows is stuff, so I ordered some. I'll tell Ed that you did! Send him an email too if you want more information. He's extremely intelligent and sends really funny stuff once you get to know him.
Jon S. Posted June 10, 2014 Posted June 10, 2014 I use lemon oil or Gibson fretboard conditioner(whichever bottle I find first) once or twice a year if needed. My Rosewood board guitars that I play a lot typically don't need it at all.
Micko Posted June 10, 2014 Author Posted June 10, 2014 MANY THANKS TO ALL THE USERS THAT POSTED A REPLY All the best Micko
badbluesplayer Posted June 10, 2014 Posted June 10, 2014 I use mineral oil but it's not very exciting. I read Ed Boyle's article and it seems like he really knows bore oils but most or all his information about fretboard treatments is anecdotal and conjecture. Certainly no expertise there. Like where he says that mineral oil based products don't penetrate the surface of the fretboard. That's garbage. Where did mine go? Into another universe? Funny! I thought chemists were supposed to learn about conservation of matter - at least at some point. In fact, I just used some on my brand new tele and I hope it doesn't come jumping back out of the fretboard. Like all the little oil thingies are clinging to the surface of the board saying "No, I don't want to go in there!! " I'm sure his stuff works fine. But I like mine better. Then again, I'm a stubborn know-it-all!
Karloff Posted June 10, 2014 Posted June 10, 2014 I use lemon oil or Gibson fretboard conditioner(whichever bottle I find first) once or twice a year if needed. My Rosewood board guitars that I play a lot typically don't need it at all. thats just what I do. Planet Waves Lemon oil & Gibson Fretboard Conditioner, usually do it every other string change. which ever one i happen to grab when i reach into the drawer.
Riffster Posted June 10, 2014 Posted June 10, 2014 I'm sure his stuff works fine. But I like mine better. Then again, I'm a stubborn know-it-all! But how would you know you like yours better if you have not tried the other product? Frankly, when I bought my bottle I did not buy it based on Boyle's description, I mean he is selling the product, I figure there'd be a conflict of interest. I bought it simply because Tim (R9) recommended it and he is not a hype kind of guy. In the end it is a matter of preference, I prefer the "eggshell" sheen of this product over the "semi-gloss" sheen that I was getting with lemon oil. That's my analogy.
Sitedrifter Posted June 10, 2014 Posted June 10, 2014 This stuff is superb! Music Nomad Fretboard F-ONE Oil
quapman Posted June 10, 2014 Posted June 10, 2014 I actually oiled a fretboard once. I used the conditioner that came with my Les Paul. It sure looked purdy. Other than that I have never done it. And my 27 yr old guitars are just fine.
badbluesplayer Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 But how would you know you like yours better if you have not tried the other product? I just "like mine better" 'cause I'm stubborn and jealous and now I've got like a thousand years of mineral oil and I'll have to use all that up before I can buy something else. :( It's probably great - if I had bought that I'd probably be humping that stuff (Boyle's Glorified Mazola Oil). I wonder what Gibson uses at the factory? I'm sure they don't use little bottles of Gibson Fretboard Conditioner. No?
cjsinla Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 I'm with Rocketman... OTOH... Ain't put a thing on any fretboards of mine since the '70s. Hmmmm. Ain't spilt any beer or pizza on 'em either. m I actually oiled a fretboard once. I used the conditioner that came with my Les Paul. It sure looked purdy. Other than that I have never done it. And my 27 yr old guitars are just fine. What these guys said. Have a number of 30+ year old guitars that I've never oiled. Not even sure why anyone does it other than to darken the wood maybe.
Sitedrifter Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 If your guitars are well humidified then there should be no need for oiling the fretboard. However, if your guitars are in a dry climate then it is highly recommended oiling them to keep them from drying out.
cjsinla Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 If your guitars are well humidified then there should be no need for oiling the fretboard. However, if your guitars are in a dry climate then it is highly recommended oiling them to keep them from drying out. What happens when a fretboard dries out? How can you tell if it is dried out?
Riffster Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 What these guys said. Have a number of 30+ year old guitars that I've never oiled. Not even sure why anyone does it other than to darken the wood maybe. I guess every piece of wood is different but it does happen that if the fingerboard shrinks the fret wire starts poking out, if there is binding it starts to show small cracks. Also in extreme cases some frets may get a little high. (this is what happened to the Epiphone ES-335 I just bought according to the guy that fixed it). On the other hand you don't want to put too much oil since the fret glue could fail. Oiling the fretboard maybe a case of better safe than sorry I guess.
Riffster Posted June 11, 2014 Posted June 11, 2014 My Firebird 70's Tribute has the baked maple board and that thing had some drag before I oiled it.
ReGuitar Posted June 24, 2014 Posted June 24, 2014 Hello everyone, I have some questions about rosewood fretboard cleaning. Don't wanna open a new topic. I'd be grateful if you could explain this to me. 1 - How long do I have to wait between using the cleaner and the conditioner? 2 - Do I really have to use both? Or can I choose one? Which one? 3 - Can I use it directly on the fingerboard? Regards.
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