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HP 415 CEX Walnut Fret Board conditioner?


MHargis

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Probably any fretboard conditioner will do. All you are doing is rubbing oil on the surface, then wiping it off. None of it penetrates to any significant degree. It does seem to reduce fretboard dryness, which can be a concern in your environment, since the AC is probably running eight months a year. (I used to live in Scottsdale.)

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Whatever you decide to use (I'll leave my own personal preference or recommendation out of the discussion to avoid derailment of the thread), use is SPARINGLY. Whatever amount you think you need, use less, wipe it on, let it dry then do a really good job of wiping off the excess. Too much product will end up collecting gunk and do more harm than good in the long run. 

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I have a J-15 with a walnut board, and a J-45 with an ebony board. The J-45 is 16 years old.

I use the Gibson brand Premium Fretboard Conditioner less than once a year. In fact, the ebony has probably only been done 4 or 5 times. I only leave it on a few seconds, under a minute for sure.

Funny, when I lived in Mesa/Apache Jct., there was no internet and I never wiped a fretboard with anything except beer and my 1961 Melody Maker Rosewood board looks fine.

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1 hour ago, Murph said:

I have a J-15 with a walnut board, and a J-45 with an ebony board. The J-45 is 16 years old.

I use the Gibson brand Premium Fretboard Conditioner less than once a year. In fact, the ebony has probably only been done 4 or 5 times. I only leave it on a few seconds, under a minute for sure.

Funny, when I lived in Mesa/Apache Jct., there was no internet and I never wiped a fretboard with anything except beer and my 1961 Melody Maker Rosewood board looks fine.

 

I think we're onto something here...

I'm going to start marketing these as a fretboard conditioner and polish in a twin pack:

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10 hours ago, MHargis said:

Thank you, 

I read that Walnut was softer then rosewood and ebony? Thoughts?

Walnut is significantly softer than either rosewood or ebony. How it will hold up over time as a fretboard material remains to be seen.

As has been mentioned, it is important to rub off excess oil, which is just a magnet for dirt.  Most conditioners are non-drying oil. I generally rub them on with a rag,  then clean/polish with fine bronze wool (NOT steel wool) wiping across the grain to remove gunk and polish frets, wipe off, wipe on another coat, then wipe that off thoroughly with another clean rag. This can help keep a fretboard like new.

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