https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/ Guitar Noise Discussion Board en-US Thu, 04 Jun 2026 12:42:42 +0000 wpForo 60 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/paged/2/#post-355405 Thu, 24 Jun 2010 14:59:05 +0000
And Blue Jay - I also like your devotion to getting this thing cleaned for your son; scrubbing the guitar with a toothbrush? That´s got to be a display of both fatherly AND "guitarly" love :). But... shouldn´t YOUR SON be doing that himself :roll: !

/S]]> Guitar Players Discussion Staffan https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/paged/2/#post-355405 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/paged/2/#post-354876 Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:51:38 +0000 http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm. I used it on a late 60's Univox electric guitar and it really brought the rosewood back to life. I had used lemon oil on it but the Fret Doctor worked just as well and it last at least 2-3 times longer.

-- Rob I read your link and everything about the bore oil in woodwinds, plus the logic for guitar fretboard treatment - very good!]]> Guitar Players Discussion Blue Jay https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/paged/2/#post-354876 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/paged/2/#post-354869 Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:13:13 +0000 http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm. I used it on a late 60's Univox electric guitar and it really brought the rosewood back to life. I had used lemon oil on it but the Fret Doctor worked just as well and it last at least 2-3 times longer.

-- Rob]]> Guitar Players Discussion rr191 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/paged/2/#post-354869 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/paged/2/#post-354867 Tue, 15 Jun 2010 18:35:11 +0000
What do you guys use on Maple? I like what Staffan wrote about wiping his fretboard with a damp cloth, although the topic was rosewood, I think.

I believe that the issue of maple boards needs to be addressed and talked about more, Worldwide among techs/guitarists? I don't see much written about Rickenbacker rosewood boards with lacquer on them, either?

I have so many maple boards, that I don't have to use any one of them too much and cause wear. I wipe 'em with soap and water. That's dish soap, and I dry them immediately, I don't let water pool or ooze into the microspace, if any, under frets. Then I buff that hard with a dry dishcloth or cotton rag from a T-shirt, and I go at it with lots of energy, to remove any film or streaks. On boards with no damage or worn spots in the lacquer, I applied the Dr. Stringfellow's Lem Oil sparingly, and hand buffed it off, to dry or to shine it up; I also used regular guitar polish, which is Dunlop 65 for me, because it doesn't soften lacquer if left sitting, yet go on to leave streaks and residue like Martin. Guitar polish works.

In the rare case of a board with worn spots through the lacquer and scratches or gouges into the maple, I used soap and water very briefly, and wiped as quickly as I could afterward. Early on, I noticed that Lem Oil was absorbed into the wood, leaving dark spots. Yet some boards, show those dark spots as dirt anyway, so we can't try to be perfect.

This is the dirtiest board and the biggest problem we ever had, my son's 1987 Ibanez. Worn from bending, with lots of scraping and grooving into bare wood, that's the cleanest I ever got it scrubbing with a toothbrush, liquid dish detergent, and liquid laundry detergent. It was a lot dirtier, like a relic, this was the max improvement, or the cleanest it could get.



This is hands-down, and by far the dirtiest maple board I ever owned, from 1994. Both my eldest daughter, and son owned this guitar before me - my daughter had humungous goth-long fingernails and there is worn spot in the open chord area. My son's fingernails are normal, and mine are down to nothing. I did however splash this axe with a lot of blood and grease and dirt, outdoor beverages and grime, but washed it with soap and water as stated and polished with Dunlop 65!

]]> Guitar Players Discussion Blue Jay https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/paged/2/#post-354867 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/paged/2/#post-354866 Tue, 15 Jun 2010 17:41:15 +0000 it insured with Aflac? :lol: I will... but only the bottle of AxWax :P Cool, very nifty. 8)]]> Guitar Players Discussion Blue Jay https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/paged/2/#post-354866 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/#post-354862 Tue, 15 Jun 2010 16:42:30 +0000 it insured with Aflac? :lol: I will... but only the bottle of AxWax :P]]> Guitar Players Discussion Staffan https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/#post-354862 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/#post-354851 Tue, 15 Jun 2010 07:23:07 +0000
What do you guys use on Maple?]]> Guitar Players Discussion Boogieman https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/#post-354851 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/#post-354814 Mon, 14 Jun 2010 21:15:20 +0000
Don't overdo it either. You should only need to treat the fretboard a couple of times a year depending on your climate and how you store the guitar. Do it too much and too often and you can soften the wood and cause all sorts of fret problems.

Yes, the names of guitar products can often be kind of wacky. I've got Guitar Honey that I use for fretboard conditioning and as has already been noted you really will end up going through so little of it that I might if I live long enough need only one more bottle.]]> Guitar Players Discussion Hyperborea https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/#post-354814 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/#post-354798 Mon, 14 Jun 2010 19:50:25 +0000 it insured with Aflac? :lol:
]]> Guitar Players Discussion Blue Jay https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/#post-354798 https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/#post-354791 Mon, 14 Jun 2010 17:21:19 +0000
Although I´m sure the olive oil would have done the trick, I actually ended up going to the local Axe-shop and buying something called Dr Ducks AxeWax (sounds really good doesn´t it :lol: )! Seriously, the guy in the shop told me he´d used it himself a lot, and that it worked for the whole instrument i.e body - front & back, fretboard, strings. And it also works on Gibson cellulose finishes and that sounded about right for my setup. It wasn´t expensive either and should last a couple of years so...

The result: Well, I´m happy - the fretboard looks clean and shiny, but not "oily or sticky" or anything, so I guess it worked out nice!

Ps. The product doesn´t contain any real "wax" - that´s just in the cool name :roll: Ds.

Again, thanks for your input!]]> Guitar Players Discussion Staffan https://guitarnoise.forum/guitar-players-discussion/cleaning-fretboard-2/#post-354791