lemon oil?

[cowcowcow]

I just tried to use lemon oil to clean my rosewood board

someone told me wipe the oil on the board
wait for a while and then wipe them off

I tried to do that
but it seem the board is still "oily".....

[kirk]

IMHO, Lem Oil will dry out the board, which is cool I guess, because it will remove any other undesirable oils in the wood. *(I may be wrong!)

Try to find "Gibson Luthier's Choice Professional Quality Fretboard Conditioner."

I used this stuff (in conjunction w/alcohol, 0000 steel wool and elbow grease) on the GMC when I got it and the gretboard looks better than brand new!

[ChrisReedSmith]

I use regular wood lemon oil on my fretboards and I love it because it really darkens the fretboard and evens out the color. I do it every time I change strings, which is usually about every 2 weeks or so, depending on how much I've been playing. By the end of the 2 weeks, the boards are still pretty dark but do start to dry out, and get little spots that are lighter then the wood around it. Which looks like crap.

cow-if the board feels to "oily", its probably because you put to much on and the wood wont absorb any more. Drenching it will probably hurt it. Although I'm no luthier so this is just a guess. I just apply a very thin coat and rub it in and wipe excess away.

[darren wilson]

My understanding is that rosewood is a naturally oily wood, and it's not a good idea to saturate it with other oils. If you use lemon oil to clean it, use just enough to get the grime off the board.

Cleaning wood with alcohol would DEFINITELY be a bad idea... that's a sure-fire way to dry out the wood.

[tomizm]

I use Lem Oil as well, and there is a bit of oil left over when Im done. *I drop a dot in each "note" (for lack of a better word) and rub it in, let sit a moment. *There is some leftover when I string it back up. *Keeps the strings kinda slick for a while. *Eventually it evaporates or absorbs. *Not a major concern for me, so I say do the maintenance as opposed to don't, and let nature take it's course with the excess.

[shawn]

ive been told by 3 different luthiers that it is good oil ebony with bore oil, lemon oil is ok, but bore is better -- but not to oil rosewood as it is a very oiled wood naturally and adding too much oil can cause the wood to be more susceptible to change in shape, lifting of frets, and/or separation from the neck in extreme cases. *obviously, one drop per month is not going to cause this, but too much oil can. *i dont claim to know one way or the other, this is just what ive been told.

[jemsite]

i've been told by 3 different luthiers that it is good oil ebony with bore oil, lemon oil is ok, but bore is better -- but not to oil rosewood as it is a very oiled wood naturally and adding too much oil can cause the wood to be more susceptible to change in shape, lifting of frets, and/or separation from the neck in extreme cases. *obviously, one drop per month is not going to cause this, but too much oil can. *i dont claim to know one way or the other, this is just what ive been told.

I agree and have been saying just this on each incarnation of the forum. I'm not sure the fascination with 'oiling rosewood' among guitarists, but it's a common... right or wrong. If you have a rosewood board and feel the need to oil, perhaps something try a no-wax polish like 'endust' first.

If i'm choosing between two similar used JEMs where one was lemon oiled regularly and one wasn't, i'm I'm taking the one without the oil each and every time... glen

[tomizm]

Huh, ya learn something everyday.

Since all my necks are rosewood, anyone wanna buy my Lem Oil?

[cowcowcow]

conclusion:

what is the best for cleaning

Maple
Ebony
Rosewood

[jemsite]

you don't need to clean "wood". Use endust type no-wax wood polish with a soft cotton rag and wipe clean. Any fretboard type. If you feel the need, bore oil on ebony to darken/moisten... glen

[rgr]

I actually do ues the Gibson Fretboard Conditioner on my rosewood fingerboards a couple of times a year. *The reason? *When you guys on the east coast have are sweltering in 90 degrees and 90% humidity, it's 100 and 20% - 30% humidity here in Colorado and winter is drier, usually less than 20%, especially with gas heat. *Yes, I keep my guitars in the house and we do have a humidifier on our central heat to keep some moisture in the air during the winter, but it still gets really dry. *

[jemsite]

Maple - let me state that there are two fretboard scenarios here.

1. is a mint fretboard with the clearcoat intact. Here it pretty much doesn't matter what you use, since you won't be effecting the wood. Again an endust type product is the smartest, or a Gibson/Martin type polish.

2. is a worn board where the clearcoat on the fretboard is worn, where the maple is exposed. At this point, the board starts to look dirty. At this point ligher fluid can help remove the dirt, but chances are you need to use 0000 steel wool and elbow grease to remove the clearcoat on the fretboard. At that point you can also keep clean with the same polish as above. Note this has NOTHING to do with the rear of the neck, i'm talking fretboards.

If humidy is a factor (or lack thereof) then consider a humidifier that is used in the guitar case while storing... glen

[rgr]

Hmmm, I thought we were talking about rosewood. *

I agree, you can use any standard polish on a maple board with a clear coat. *

[jemsite]

Hmmm, I thought we were talking about rosewood.

LOL, we were :biggrin: My Maple discussion was a followup to cowcowcow's inquiry... glen

[rgr]

Doh! *Sorry, I'm having one of those days, started off bad and has been going downhill. *