Fretboard conditioning

[moosesyr]

I have a 2006 J-45 Standard.  It’s in good condition.  It plays and sounds good.  Other than lowering the saddle myself, I’ve never had it setup or checked up.  After watching Jim Decola’s tutorial on Gibson.com I followed his method exactly. I even made a yoke out of old “pleather”.  Taped it off, got the scotch-brite pad and baggies.  Instead of Gibson oil I used Old English.  Followed Jim’s steps.

Wow, what a difference in look and feel.  It was definitely way overdue.  I had oiled the fretboard before with lemon oil but was wary of letting it soak in too much and the fretboard always looked a little dry and pale.  After following this method fretboard and frets look, feel and play better.  Thanks Jim.  My J-45 will now see more playing time to compete with my newer M-36.

[fortyearspickn]

What's an M-36? 

[Sgt. Pepper]

53 minutes ago, fortyearspickn said:

What's an M-36? 

A really fine rosewood back and sides guitar. It's basically a 0000 sized D-35 redesignated as M. Not as big as a Dread but just a little bigger than a 000 with a pinched waist. I have played only one. They have 3 peice backs like a 35. They don't suck. You don't see them much. People say it's one of Martin's best kept secrets.

rct has a pic of his in the Lounge under New Child Day.

Edited November 14, 2020 by Sgt. Pepper

[RBSinTo]

2 hours ago, fortyearspickn said:

What's an M-36? 

Here you go.

Check it out.

RBSinTo

https://www.martinguitar.com/guitars/standard-series/m-36/

[zombywoof]

I use Fret Doctor.  Basically high priced bore oil.

[Paul14]

6 minutes ago, zombywoof said:

I use Fret Doctor.  Basically high priced bore oil.

Me too. Would not recommend lemon oil.  My understanding is that the stuff actually dries out the fretboard.

[j45nick]

1 hour ago, zombywoof said:

I use Fret Doctor.  Basically high priced bore oil.

Me too.

[Sgt. Pepper]

2 hours ago, zombywoof said:

I use Fret Doctor.  Basically high priced bore oil.

I use bore oil. Bout $4 for a small eye drop size bottle.

[bobouz]

Fret Doctor (bore oil) here as well - the best!

Personally, I would stay away from Old English.  It contains petroleum products & other chemical goo that doesn’t need to be anywhere near a fingerboard.

Googling “boredoctor” will reveal a lot of comparative info regarding assorted oils often considered for fretboard treatment.

 

[Brucebubs]

Music Nomad F-One - made for guitars, not gun stocks or furniture.

[bobouz]

2 hours ago, Brucebubs said:

Music Nomad F-One - made for guitars, not gun stocks or furniture.

 

I switched to Fret Doctor after using F-One for quite some time.  F-One is good and contains only natural oils, but it tended to dry out rather quickly.

In my experience, fretboards treated with Fret Doctor (after previously using F-One) show a slightly more natural depth of color, a slightly darker hue, and retain their newly treated appearance well beyond what F-One delivers.

I’m not trying to totally trash F-One, as it is a good product, but it is clearly formulated differently from Fret Doctor.  I also do not know if all products sold as “bore oil” are created equally.  My guess is that there probably are differences in formulations from product to product.  The only bore oil product I’ve tried and can vouch for is Fret Doctor, and thus far it’s delivered the best results of any fretboard treatment I’ve come across.

And finally, an important note:  A dirty fretboard, or one layered with an assortment of various treatments over the years, will hinder optimal absorbing characteristics.  A used or vintage piece could be especially impacted from the action of previous owners.  In a simple two step process, I now thoroughly clean fretboards (& polish frets) with fine (or 0000) bronze wool, and then apply Fret Doctor.  Bronze wool is superior to steel wool in that it is not magnetic (great for electric guitars) and does not shed as profusely.  To date, the end results have been the best I’ve ever obtained.

 

Edited November 15, 2020 by bobouz

[Sgt. Pepper]

I used F-One for a while. Then changed to just Bore Oil.

[olie]

6 hours ago, bobouz said:

 

I switched to Fret Doctor after using F-One for quite some time.  F-One is good and contains only natural oils, but it tended to dry out rather quickly.

In my experience, fretboards treated with Fret Doctor (after previously using F-One) show a slightly more natural depth of color, a slightly darker hue, and retain their newly treated appearance well beyond what F-One delivers.

I’m not trying to totally trash F-One, as it is a good product, but it is clearly formulated differently from Fret Doctor.  I also do not know if all products sold as “bore oil” are created equally.  My guess is that there probably are differences in formulations from product to product.  The only bore oil product I’ve tried and can vouch for is Fret Doctor, and thus far it’s delivered the best results of any fretboard treatment I’ve come across.

And finally, an important note:  A dirty fretboard, or one layered with an assortment of various treatments over the years, will hinder optimal absorbing characteristics.  A used or vintage piece could be especially impacted from the action of previous owners.  In a simple two step process, I now thoroughly clean fretboards (& polish frets) with fine (or 0000) bronze wool, and then apply Fret Doctor.  Bronze wool is superior to steel wool in that it is not magnetic (great for electric guitars) and does not shed as profusely.  To date, the end results have been the best I’ve ever obtained.

 

Thanks for the "bronze wool" hint. I have not heard of it until now, and it makes a lot of sense around pick-ups and other magnetic items. 

[zombywoof]

13 hours ago, Sgt. Pepper said:

I use bore oil. Bout $4 for a small eye drop size bottle.

 

But, but it does not have the word "Fret" in it so can't be as good for guitars,

[Sgt. Pepper]

2 minutes ago, zombywoof said:

 

But, but it does not have the word "Fret" in it so can't be as good for guitars,

I use it on my bore. It's bore oil.

[zombywoof]

15 hours ago, Paul14 said:

Me too. Would not recommend lemon oil.  My understanding is that the stuff actually dries out the fretboard.

 

Guitar cleaning products which say "lemon oil" actually have only a trace amount of it so are safe to use.  It is the pure/stronger lemon oil products you want to avoid.

[BigKahune]

Fret Doctor.  👍 😎

.

[RBSinTo]

This guy says use this product, and that guy recommends something different. My standard answer to these sorts of questions is to ask a reputable Luthier.

If I cared enough to oil my fret boards, I'd phone the guys at the Twelfth Fret and find out what THEY use or recommend. A good guitar player is not necessarily a good Luthier, so I always feel better getting advice on maintaining guitars from the latter, not the former.

RBSinTo

 

[uncle fester]

1 hour ago, RBSinTo said:

A good guitar player is not necessarily a good Luthier, 

 

Good point, but there's some knowledgeable folks on this forum I'd trust as much as a call to my luthier...  wealth of knowledge here.

[Paul14]

7 minutes ago, uncle fester said:

Good point, but there's some knowledgeable folks on this forum I'd trust as much as a call to my luthier...  wealth of knowledge here.

Absolutely. I haven’t talked with a luthier in over a year. Not something I do on a regular basis. 

[RBSinTo]

5 minutes ago, uncle fester said:

Good point, but there's some knowledgeable folks on this forum I'd trust as much as a call to my luthier...  wealth of knowledge here.

Well,  between you and me, that makes one of us. I don't have personal knowledge of the folks who post here, so on important issues regarding the care and feeding of my guitars, I'll stick with people whose advice I trust.

RBSinTo

 

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

Well if a manufacturer makes it, and its for a guitar it must be good, what do you think they just want to sell it to make money?

[j45nick]

1 hour ago, Sgt. Pepper said:

Well if a manufacturer makes it, and its for a guitar it must be good, what do you think they just want to sell it to make money?

Chance in a million.....

[MorrisrownSal]

Years ago I had work done on a J50 at Brothers Music in PA. Those guys are ex Martin factory and do quite a bit of involved repairs and restoration. They are good.

anyways, Rich used 4-1 oil on my fretboard when he was cleaning it up.

[Dave F]

On 11/14/2020 at 11:01 AM, Sgt. Pepper said:

A really fine rosewood back and sides guitar. It's basically a 0000 sized D-35 redesignated as M. Not as big as a Dread but just a little bigger than a 000 with a pinched waist. I have played only one. They have 3 peice backs like a 35. They don't suck. You don't see them much. People say it's one of Martin's best kept secrets.

rct has a pic of his in the Lounge under New Child Day.

Here's my Custom M body