Protecting a maple RG550 fretboard?

[Dee]

Does anyone know if it's possible to protect a maple RG550 fretboard from dirt? I know some people like filthed up maple and say it adds character, but to me it looks like poo! Is there something I can apply to the board to try and defend it from dirt and wear? Some kind of oil?

[Ayrton]

You can use Tru Oil (gun stock oil) over the factory finish to add some protection. I finish my Warmoth necks in Tru Oil.

This is from the Ernie Ball FAQ

To clean the neck, use a high-grade of lemon oil. If the neck is very dirty, try Murphy's Oil Soap diluted 3:1. Some players have found that using a toothbrush for cleaning is very effective.

Since the neck is unfinished, it is more susceptible to humidity changes. A very infrequent dose of gunstock oil will help to keep the neck maintained; we recommend Birchwood-Casey Tru-Oil, but any good quality gunstock oil will work. Use a small amount, leave it on for 5 minutes, then wipe it off with a paper towel. After that, apply Birchwood-Casey Gunstock Wax. Be sure to douse the paper towel with water before disposing of it! Read the wax and oil manufacturer's instructions regarding disposal of these used paper towels.

Birchwood-Casey products are available at most sporting goods or gun stores. Their web address is http://www.birchwoodcasey.com.

[Dee]

Great man, that's helpful, thanks.

[Shredder87]

Whaaaaat!?! Lemon Oil on a maple fretboard?!? Wait a minute!!!

Is the maple finished or not? If it's finished the for goodness sake DON'T oil it... you should be able to use your normal guitar polish (that you use to clean the body - either that or Mr. Sheen).

[Batchimp RG]

Her's a thread I started several weeks ago...Lemon Oil was NOT recommended.

http://www.jemsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=56928

There might be some useful info in that...

[Eggy]

For cleaning my maple board I always use the tears from orphan children then wipe those off with angel hair.



Ben

[nuno]

Dee, there's nothing to do to protect a maple board than giving it a good coat of clear finish, Fender-style. don't use any oil on maple.

[Rotti]

True oil is not realy an oil. It's more like a thin hard varnish.

[jaxadam]

Originally Posted by Ayrton

This is from the Ernie Ball FAQ

To clean the neck, use a high-grade of lemon oil. If the neck is very dirty, try Murphy's Oil Soap diluted 3:1. Some players have found that using a toothbrush for cleaning is very effective.

Since the neck is unfinished, it is more susceptible to humidity changes. A very infrequent dose of gunstock oil will help to keep the neck maintained; we recommend Birchwood-Casey Tru-Oil, but any good quality gunstock oil will work. Use a small amount, leave it on for 5 minutes, then wipe it off with a paper towel. After that, apply Birchwood-Casey Gunstock Wax. Be sure to douse the paper towel with water before disposing of it! Read the wax and oil manufacturer's instructions regarding disposal of these used paper towels.

Birchwood-Casey products are available at most sporting goods or gun stores. Their web address is http://www.birchwoodcasey.com.

This is talking about the neck, not the fretboard.

[Dee]

Originally Posted by Shredder87

Whaaaaat!?! Lemon Oil on a maple fretboard?!? Wait a minute!!!

Is the maple finished or not? If it's finished the for goodness sake DON'T oil it... you should be able to use your normal guitar polish (that you use to clean the body - either that or Mr. Sheen).

Cheers. I don't use polish actually, I use a plain micro fiber cloth that just came out of the washing machine so it's very slightly damp. This is perfect for cleaning and leaves no residue or anything.

Originally Posted by nuno

Dee, there's nothing to do to protect a maple board than giving it a good coat of clear finish, Fender-style. don't use any oil on maple.

Thanks Nuno, and everyone else, I'll look into this further. I was always under the impression that it's not really possible to protect maple short of clear coating it, which of course I won't do. I am gonna ask the guy who makes Fret Doctor (I forgot his name), we have conversed via mail in the past and he knows a lot about this kind of stuff.

[Dee]

Originally Posted by Eggy

For cleaning my maple board I always use the tears from orphan children then wipe those off with angel hair.



Ben

LMAO! That was very Spinal Tap.

[TongueShredder]

Originally Posted by Eggy

For cleaning my maple board I always use the tears from orphan children then wipe those off with angel hair.



Ben

Where can I find angel hair? I think you need divine intervention for that. Anyway since you had cleaned your guitar with angel hair, hopefully you will get some enlightenment in your guitar playing. God Bless......

[Eggy]

Collecting angel hair can be done in private. The real killer is getting hold of orphaned childrens tears without the involvment of the police.



Ben

[timi_h]

which is a shame cos they taste so good with a bit of chutney!

ive never used anything other than a plectrum+elbow grease in the direction of grain to get muck off. maybe something a bit thinner than a plec to scrape it out from under the edge of the frets

[Dee]

Just clean it with a cloth more often, I say. You shouldn't get to the stage where you have to scrape the gak off your fretboard. Ewww!