Fretboard Conditioning

[Godfather]

I am one to take excellent care of my guitars (and everything I own for that matter). Every time I change strings I wipe down/clean the guitar and steel wool the fretboard.
The fretboards on my Taylor and Martin were looking kinda dry, and again, being who I am, I researched fretboard cleaners, oils and conditioners, spit, snake oil etc. I came across "McKnights Fretboard Revival Lustrous Conditioning Balm" right here on the AGF. This product is different than the lemon oil, mineral oil and every other oil I could find. Here is a link to the "OLD" thread I found that explains it all. Mind you this thread is over 3 years old so prices have changed.
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=600972

I followed the easy to understand instructions and HOLY COW! The fret boards look better than when new and are as smooth as silk. No oily or sticky residue left behind, only a silky smooth fretboard.

Here are a few before and after photos that do not do this amazing product justice. The first 4 are the Martin and the other 3 are the Taylor.

[Bowie]

I don't condition my fret boards anymore unless I'm selling a guitar. I came to realize it's not actually helping the wood in any way and I can't imagine years worth of goop going to help the tone long term. I used to condition frequently though. Probably a force of habit as my mom raised me to oil the furniture.

If you find your ebony looking unsightly then it has value on that level. I find, just playing my guitars keeps the fingerboards looking great. But, whatever works for you.

[Mak2525]

Yes Sir - That Tim McKnight stuff is the best thing I have ever used for fretboard maintenance. It's not like lemon oil, mineral oil, etc - it cleans and lubricates with no residue - Highly recommend it!

[Bluenose]

I'll dab some Lemon oil on it if I think of it and it's been a year or two. So far I haven't had any problems with any fretboards or bridges splitting. Just like many things it doesn't hurt unless you over do it.

[TJN]

I bought some McKnight's Fretboard Revival Balm about a year ago. Does a great job in making the fretboard look new.

[fazool]

Originally Posted by Bowie

....I came to realize it's not actually helping the wood
in any way......

what data or information brought you to this realization?

I'm genuinely curious - not in the premise but in the foundational source of it

[CharlieBman]

I use the F-ONE oil from MusicNomad with good results. But I use it very sparingly...maybe once a year.

Sorry if this was a plug for McKnights.

[douglasfan1]

I use D'addario Lemon oil, usually once a year, or twice if too dry.

[aschroeder]

I also use the MusicNomad oil about once a year. And it does help the wood by keeping from drying out. Probably not urgently necessary, but it also has the obvious visual benefits.

I bought a 25 year old guitar that the ebony looked faded (fretboard and bridge). The rest of the guitar was in amazing condition. The cedar top was still light in color because it had lived most of it's life in a case not exposed to sunlight UV. So I thought it was odd that the ebony looked so faded and dull. When I restrung, I cleaned up the fretboard with some steel wool, then rubbed a bit of the MusicNomad oil into the ebony. It instantly looked like a new guitar.

So if it can revive ebony on a 25 year old guitar, it obviously isn't necessary to apply frequently. But with a quick annual application it keeps it looking like new.

[jim1960]

I haven't put a drop of anything but the water in a slightly damp cloth on my fretboard in decades. They're all find and none of them have dried out. I haven't tested this (and I never will) but it makes sense to me that an oiled fretboard is likely to attract and hold more dirt/grime/gunk/etc. than a non-oiled fretboard.

[Bowie]

Originally Posted by fazool

what data or information brought you to this realization?

I'm genuinely curious - not in the premise but in the foundational source of it

Years of experience/observation that I later found to align with the opinions of many luthiers/techs. Like this guy;
"Some players talk of "feeding" the unfinished surface of the fingerboard with oil. Fingerboards are not actually hungry and don't really need to be fed..." -Frank Ford

[Tim McKnight]

Originally Posted by Godfather

I am one to take excellent care of my guitars (and everything I own for that matter). Every time I change strings I wipe down/clean the guitar and steel wool the fretboard.
The fretboards on my Taylor and Martin were looking kinda dry, and again, being who I am, I researched fretboard cleaners, oils and conditioners, spit, snake oil etc. I came across "McKnight's Fretboard Revival Lustrous Conditioning Balm" right here on the AGF. This product is different than the lemon oil, mineral oil and every other oil I could find. Here is a link to the "OLD" thread I found that explains it all. Mind you this thread is over 3 years old so prices have changed.
https://www.acousticguitarforum.com/...d.php?t=600972

I followed the easy to understand instructions and HOLY COW! The fret boards look better than when new and are as smooth as silk. No oily or sticky residue left behind, only a silky smooth fretboard.

Here are a few before and after photos that do not do this amazing product justice. The first 4 are the Martin and the other 3 are the Taylor.

Hi Godfather. Thanks for posting your comprehensive review along with before and after pictures. Your review echo's what hundreds of others have said about their experience using our Fretboard Revival product.

Many people go to great lengths to care for the shiny finishes on the exterior of their wooden instruments and that is admirable. Most modern finishes do an exemplary job of protecting the outer surfaces from contaminates. In all reality those shiny finishes require little more than a slightly water dampened rag wipe down followed by a soft cotton cloth.

But it puzzles me that many don't have the same affection for the proper care of bare and untreated wood surfaces such as the fretboard and bridges used on most acoustic guitars today. But everyone has the right to their own opinions of how best to care for their personal musical instruments and I respect that. I would point out that those surfaces that are left bare will in fact exchange moisture with the atmosphere much more rapidly than their finished counterparts. They will swell with atmospheric water absorption and conversely shrink when they dry out from lack of humidity.

Have you ever felt frets that are protruding beyond the edges of your fingerboard? Contrary to opinions the frets are not swelling and growing in length but rather the wood they are seated into is shrinking due to moisture loss. Ever have a fret end pop loose and requires a trip to your local tech to repair it? Again, this is caused by the fretboard wood shrinking due to moisture loss. Ever had a bridge, especially on a vintage guitar, show a ring of bare wood around it? Or had a bridge crack and split? If you don't mind those aforementioned inconveniences then continue on with not caring for the unprotected bare wood surfaces.

Some have mentioned using "Lemon Oil" to treat their fingerboards. This will temporarily add [petroleum distillates] into the wood. I too fell into this trap many years ago. It temporarily makes the wood surfaces look nice and shiny but its only short lived. I would caution you that you may be doing more harm than good with the lemon oil products though. Petroleum distillates will clean the wood but they do so by pulling natural oils out of the wood in the same way that putting Naphtha on your bare skin as it will dry your skin out by pulling natural oils and moisture from your skin. Petroleum distillates rapidly evaporate and you are left with a dryer wood surface than the one you started with.

Anyone that is currently using lemon oil products I would encourage you to dig deeper and read the host of harmful and potentially carcinogenic ingredients that are buried in the MSDS sheet. It warns against skin contact and is potentially fatal if consumed.

https://www.rbnainfo.com/MSDS/US/OLD...US-English.pdf

I've used nearly every commercial fretboard product on the market to treat our fretboards and bridges and some worked better than others but I could never find a product that worked good enough for my personal satisfaction. I wanted a product that sealed and protected the wood, that didn't corrode the frets, was 100% safe to use and a product that actually lasted on the surface for more than a few hours or days. This led me on a multi year quest to formulate a product that is 100% food grade safe and that actually works to put natural oils back into the wood and finally to seal those oils within the wood.

I'm certainly not a chemist nor do I play one on TV. I'm a Mechanical Engineer by trade and a luthier by occupation for the last 32 years. I'm not getting rich off this product but merely trying to educate players and pass on some of my hard life learned lessons to bring you, the player, less frustration and more enjoyment.

Thanks again Godfather and to the host of other AGF'rs who've tried our Fretboard Revival product!

[rllink]

I was using mineral oil and my friend thought that was bad, so he gave me a bottle of Dunlop 65 Fretboard Cleaner. That was about five years ago. I use it every time I change strings, which is maybe three times a year. If my bottle runs out I will probably buy another because I do think it is better than mineral oil.

[TheGITM]

How does one buy this product? I clicked the link that took me over to the other thread, but is there a link somewhere that will take me to an order screen of some sort?

[Pickcity]

Where to order? I’m not seeing it anywhere.