A lot of people ask me how I clean my
maple necks and I am going to tell you.
First I don’t mind a dirty neck at all but what I mind is someone else’s dirt. So after buying a used JEM777DY with a dirty neck I looked around the house to see what I could find to clean it with.
I tried regular bleach, soap, alcohol, peroxide; window cleaner, mineral spirits etc. and most had no effect. I kept in mind that I didn’t want to kill the wood or
fret wire so I looked for something I had that would be a natural cleaner that removes grease, grease and oil is what’s soaked in the wood fibers. I’m sure a few of you have worked in fast food, I did in my teen years and remember using a product called Simple Green. This stuff is what I clean my boards with.
Not only does it clean the board but I also can clean your fret wire and doesn’t corrode them.
I use Simple Green with an Oral-B electric tooth brush and blue shop paper towels to wipe. Blue shop towels are also good for applying Tong Oil too as they don’t leave lint.
Just to show you with a quick clean on this old RG550 neck.
This neck isn’t as bad as some others I have done but the dirtier it is the more you have to repeat passes.
More to come...
