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Joined:
May 2010
Posts: 54
| What do you guys use and in what order? I'd be very thankful for your tips and answers. I really need a detailed description of the whole process.
Guitar whose fretboard needs cleaning is the following
1975 Ovation Viper
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Joined:
January 2009
Posts: 1249
Location: Texas | I use 0000 steel wool and then follow that up with Colortone fretboard finishing oil. I have had great results.
I am sure that there are those here that have 100x more experience doing this than I, so I am interested in if this is wrong or there is a better way.... |
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Joined:
September 2005
Posts: 3618
Location: GATLINBURG TENNESSEE :) | I use Orange Glo wood furniture 2 in 1 cleaner & polisher with the 0000 steel wool, then I go over the whole thing again with a soft cloth, dampened with lemon oil fretboard oil. |
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Joined:
October 2005
Posts: 4048
Location: Utah | First pass is with a wet dish rag, rubbing moderately firmly to get off the water soluble grime. Then I use a guitar specific product called Clayton USA Pro Lemon instrument polish. This is supposedly a real lemon oil for cleansing and moisturizing the wood. Vigorous rubbing to clean, then wipe it off per the instructions. I also have an old spray bottle of Alvarez fingerboard cleaner which I believe is mineral oil that has served me well for several decades.
Either a mineral oil or real lemon oil is fine. Avoid unknown ingredients, and definitely avoid silicone on any part of your guitar. You only need to oil the wood maybe once per year. When changing strings I just do the wet dish rag thing.
For the frets I like to polish them with a little dremel felt wheel and jeweler's rouge. If you polish the frets, do them first because there will be gunk to clean off of the wood. I mask the wood with blue painter's masking tape or use the metal Stew-Mac protectors (looks like a huge old fashioned razor blade).
The back of the neck should only be cleaned. Don't use wax on the back of the neck or on the fingerboard. |
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Joined:
January 2011
Posts: 51
| I use one of these :) J/K of course
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Joined:
August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | This is a really good thread from earlier in the year that provides a lot of detail and various routines and products people around here use: Beauty treatment thread |
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Joined:
January 2007
Posts: 137
Location: Massachusetts | I just got done cleaning my newest acquisition, a 1992 N769 Custom Legend, it has an ebony fretboard and gold plated hardware. After removing the strings, I used 0000 steelwool lightly to remove the dirt from the fretboard and polish the frets, next I applied a product I have used for years called "Guitar Honey" that I rubbed into the fretboard. I allow the Guitar Honey to sit on the fretboard for a minute or so and then I wipe it dry and polish it with a soft cloth.
For the gold plated tuners I used some Gibson guitar polish a wiped them with a cotton cloth. Never used anything abrasive on Gold plating or you will rub the gold finish off the metal. A little non-abrasive wax applied to the cleaned tuners protects them from your fingers when tuning.
On the guitar body I only use a guitar polish to get a nice shine and I use an auto detailer spray by Meguire or Mothers after the gig to remove and marks before I put it in the case.
I've been doing this for many years with good results, so you shouldn't have any problems. |
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Cleaning ebony fretboard
