applying oil to fretboard

[srmbr]

To all,

A guitar luthier change strings on my 810 and while doing so applied "old

english" oil to the fretboard.

Keep it from drying out, was his comment.

Does anyone else do this?

[gregc]

...... with a 'little' mineral oil', not Old English. I don't want to color my board and I don't know what else is in there.

[Jeff M]

From "Frets.com", a web site run by Frank Ford, the owner of one of Americas best regarded guitar shops, Gryphon Stringed Instruments. Frank also is a well known guitar repairman, and moderator over at the AG Magazine "Luthiers Corner" forum site;
http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musi...leaning01.html

"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, but a light coating of oil gives them a finished and clean look. If you do choose to oil the fingerboard, do it with care. Use a tiny amount of lemon oil or mineral oil on the rag, wipe it on the fingerboard, and then wipe it all off. You don't want to saturate the fingerboard, and you don't want a lot of oil running down into the fret slots. If there are cracks in your fingerboard, consider having them filled professionally, and don't get oil in the cracks. Generally, you'll want to stay away from linseed and other natural vegetable oils, which become sticky and gummy over time. This kind of fingerboard cleaning should be a once-a-year event, at the most. Too much scrubbing and oiling can easily do more damage than good.

Lemon oil and other oils are often sold as instrument polish. None of these will injure any finish, and can be used without fear of damaging the finish itself. The oil type cleaners will tend to remove oil soluble dirt, BUT, it is very important to realize that oils and polishes can penetrate any little breaks in the finish, and may make quite a mess over time."


'

Bottom line, MAYBE a DROP or two of mineral oil once or twice a year lightly applied to the FB, if that. Most FB's don't "dry out"...at least to the degree it sounds like this fellow is aluding to.

I'm not familiar with using "Old English" on a fret board. I'd be concerned about it possibly having a silicone base.
I'd be a bit pissed that he did anything to my guitar witout asking me first...though what he did wasn't that bad.
He could have asked you ahead of time if you'd like him to oil the FB.

[srmbr]

He took Old English with Lemon and applied heavy and let sit for awhile to "soak" in.

It wasn't a drop that's for sure it was to the point of running.

Good info above and I am not planning on doing again or allowing him to do so.

[GTomcan]

A light coat of "guitar honey" (a fretted insturment oil) 1 time a year is plenty,

Don't forget the bridge too. I've see them crack out of the saddle slot.

[woodchuck]

I think some so called and unskilled set up guys need to be soaked for a long while in Old English

[phil_harmonic]

I have heard that Lemon Oil is often used.

[KMHaynes]

Ebony is a very dense wood, so my understanding is that it is not going to soak up too much of anything. About once or twice a year I remove all strings, clean the top everywhere possible, and rub down the fretboard with some mineral oil from Walmart or pharmacy. I put some one and then wipe it off real good.

[Tony Burns]

I oil my fretboard's with lemon oil about once a year ( very lightly) , it keeps the grudge from building up and yes it does keep the fretboard from cracking - I have many old vintage instruments and their fretboards do dry out and can crack ( a couple have already- before i bought them ) Ebony is more prone to this than Rosewood , because Rosewood has many natural oils that Ebony does not - Ebony is a alot harder of a wood that wears better so lighly oiling the fingerboard is necessary , if you use too much it can damage the wood and possibly loosen the frets -" this is one case where less is more "

[Jeff M]

Originally Posted by phil_harmonic

I have heard that Lemon Oil is often used.

Yep.
Not the oil of a lemon, by the way. A product that has naptha (lighter fluid) with a bit of lemon scent added.

[mjz]

If you play the guitar often you should never have to add any oil to treat the wood. Now cosmetics is a different story. If you want the fretboard to shine then a little lemon oil is okay. I'd just rather not put liquid around frets and fret grooves and abalone insets. I don't need my fretboards to shine, but can understand that others do.


mAx

[stratokatsu]

There's another oil called Dr. Duck's Axe Wax that I have used for years. Considering you use about 3-4 drops to clean a fretboard, one bottle has lasted me for years too.

[Patchman]

I've use dlemon oil on my guitars fretboards for years (at least 15) and never had any ill effects. Just a little bit on a clean rag, wipe the fretboard, then follow up with another clean rag. Cleans the grime up, makes the fretboard nice and shiny, and makes me feel good about maintaining my guitar, which, in turn, makes me want to play it more.

[Dan Carey]

Since the 60's, I've used a few drops of "bore oil" (designed for clarinets and other woodwinds) once a year at most, and then only if the grain of the fretboard is visibly opening a bit. More often it's every 18 months or so.

Your tech definitely used too much. Don't let him do that again! Applying too much oil will actually aid the fret ends in loosening and possibly raising.

Get another tech!

Geezer

[Taylor614ce]

I use olive oil, a tiny drop then I wipe a small streak across each frett board, rub in and buff out...