I :wub: lemon oil

[Vince]

Man this shit works wonders. I lemon oil all my fretboards about every 3 months or so. This is my S7420, and the lemon oil process changed the rosewood color from a light brown to this thick chocolate brown color. The wood looks 10 times better, and my guitars always plays a bit smoother after an oiling.

 

[Roland777]

Regular lemon-oil did that? I've gotta try that out...

 

[Vince]

I use the Kyser Dr. Stringfellow Lem-oil spray they sell at Guitar Center. I have 4 electric guitars, an acoustic guitar, and a bass, I lemon oil them all, and one little bottle of the kyser stuff lasts me about 6 months. Not bad for a $5 investment

This stuff:

 

[nyck]

It usually goes away in a few days

 

[Gurj]

I use the Kyser Dr. Stringfellow Lem-oil spray they sell at Guitar Center. I have 4 electric guitars, an acoustic guitar, and a bass, I lemon oil them all, and one little bottle of the kyser stuff lasts me about 6 months. Not bad for a $5 investment

This stuff:

Same stuff that I use aswell. Except I probably oil my guitars about every 6 months.

 

[Roland777]

Regular lemon-oil works good too? No such thing as that in Sweden, last I recall.

 

[Vince]

It usually goes away in a few days

Not if you apply it correctly.

Here's my approach to a neck that's badly under-moisturized. First, de-string the guitar. Next lem-oil spray down the fretboard, hit every space between the frets. Let it sit for about a minute, then with a non-abrasive cloth (a ratty t-shirt is perfect) wipe down the fretboard, removing as much of the oil as you can. You want to be harsh, but not too harsh. You're wiping away the finger oils and crap that's built up on your fretboard.

Now, once you have as much of the board wiped down as you can, spray it again with the lem-oil. This time use a ton of it. Don't worry if it beads up at the frets, we're not concerned with that. Wipe the back of the neck so nothing drips. Let it sit for about 10-20 minutes. Come back, wipe the excess off the fretboard. Do it again. This time let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour.

If your neck is extremely dry, my advice is to hit it again with the lem-oil in about an hour, and let it sit overnight. If it's not too badly dry, then what I outlined above should be enough.

I live in one of the most arid climates in the country, and my guitar necks stay a dark brown for months when I treat them like this. Not just that, if you routinely do this, say every month or two (or 3 in my case) over time your guitar necks will get more and more used to it and the wood will become more of a treated wood as opposed to a dry wood.

Regular lemon-oil works good too? No such thing as that in Sweden, last I recall.

I don't think they added much to the mix, so I would assume regular lemon oil would do the trick too. Just don't use that Endust stuff, even though it says it has lemon oil in it. It will strip the finish off the rosewood neck and actually make it much lighter and dried out. God knows, I've made that mistake before.

 

[Nik]

I don't think they added much to the mix, so I would assume regular lemon oil would do the trick too. Just don't use that Endust stuff, even though it says it has lemon oil in it. It will strip the finish off the rosewood neck and actually make it much lighter and dried out. God knows, I've made that mistake before.

That's the stuff I use (at least, for my old guitar, my new axe gets Eric's stuff). I've heard that it's virtually the same as the guitar lemon oil, except that the guitar lemon oil companies claim that theirs is special and price it higher...

In any case, regular oil works fine for me. I get that same nice, moisturized black finish.

 

[bostjan]

Look at the ingredients, guys. I've seen a lot of "lemon oils" actually made of petroleum byproducts.

 

[nyck]

Thanks Vince! I usually just rubbed it on the fretboard and then let it sit for a few minutes, then wiped it down and slapped the strings on. Thanks for the guide.

 

[Shawn]

That fretboard is lookin' good, Vince, nice job.

 

[Oogadee Boogadee]

i use a tooth brush to work in the first treatment - getting in the grain, loosening the crud.

then i pee on it

 

[bostjan]

i use a tooth brush to work in the first treatment - getting in the grain, loosening the crud.

then i pee on it

Arctually uric acid eats tarnish off the frets and keeps them nice. Doesn't it smell though?


[action=Bostjan]uses double-boiled linseed oil[/action]

 

[giannifive]

Nice! I've switched to bore oil since I got Eric's cleaning kit. It apparently keeps in the wood longer.

The usual deal for me is a fret polish and fretboard treatment every 6 months. I can feel when the frets need a polish because they're less smooth against the strings.

 

[Vince]

i use a tooth brush to work in the first treatment - getting in the grain, loosening the crud.

then i pee on it

remind me never to buy a guitar you're selling

 

[marton]

Eeewww

That's disgusting, I'd never pee directly on my fretboard, you could probably bleach the wood with hot pee.






...That's why I only use refrigerated bottled pee.

 

[bostjan]

I really hope none of you guys are serious.

 

[Elysian]

i use lemon pledge, a toothbrush, and paper towels when i clean my fretboard... usually leave the strings on too, the lemon pledge tends to clean them pretty good... you know, the foamy type of lemon pledge, its great, makes my fretboard so spotless, and makes it look so sexy...

 

[Digital Black]

I use this.
http://www.jimdunlop.com/products/maintenance/kits/index.html

 

[Leon]

i used Eric's penis lube on my RG7621, and it was pretty nice. tomorrow i'm restringing both my guitars, so i'll follow this technique you laid out, Vince. sounds like a good one.