Lemon oil for fretboard

[jazzbender]

I've noticed that the lemon oil sold by Dunlop and PRS is about 3 times the price of the regular brands in the grocery stores. Is there any difference?

[mudbean]

Oh, yes, the Dunlop brand is made from specially bred "acoustic guitar" lemons.



I would just check for, and avoid, additives. Go for pure Lemon Oil.

mud

[zombywoof]

Check out Fret Doctor. It has made a believer out of me.

[Guitar_Ninja]

I've been researching this topic quite a bit recently and here's what I've found, as summarized by Jack Orman on muzique.com:

"'But Product XYZ says that it contains 100% lemon oil.' Yes, I've seen products with that on the label, and I assure you it is a false and misleading statement. It is used in the context that the product contains 100% lemon oil conditioner as opposed to a cheaper steam-distilled citrus oil or synthetic duplicate made from pine tree wood. Typically 99% or more of the product is a mineral oil with less than 1% lemon oil."

The general rule of thumb it seems would be that if the lemon oil in question is quite cheap per bottle then it's likely just light mineral oil. There's nothing wrong with this, except that the oil doesn't permeate the wood, it just sits on top making the fretboard all shiny.

I actually use light mineral oil to clean my strings. It's supposedly the main ingredient in GHS Fast Fret and other similar products and it seems to work well in that application.

I'd heard of people using bore oil for clarinets to condition fretboards, but after checking out quite a few clarinet-related message boards and websites a lot of the clarinet-equivalent of luthiers (?) recommended against using commercial bore oil, as it is mostly composed of... light mineral oil. Most recommended using a vegetable-based oil such as groundnut (peanut) oil or sweet almond oil. I'm allergic to almonds, so I bought some peanut oil from the grocery store and put some on a dry board a few nights ago. It works really well, better than any lemon oil I've ever used. The best thing is, when my playing is really cooking the room smells like roasted peanuts.

The fret doctor/bore doctor guys seem to be taking the whole vegetable-oil thing to the next level by specifically selecting certain oils based on chemistry to maximize their effect. Looks interesting, but it was a little too expensive for me.

Those clarinet types also recommended against using linseed oil, as it's a drying oil which hardens over time into a resin-like substance which will clog up the wood. A problem for clarinets it would seem though I don't know if it matters much for fretboards. They also recommended that whatever you use, it should always be fresh oil, so as to counteract any (very slim) possibility of it going rancid.

Just food for thought, I guess.

[eryque]

I'm curious about the idea of using vegetable based oils, because kitchen people have long advised that vegetable oils will go rancid in the wood. Seems like something I don't want to have happen to my guitar.

[Joe-Bob]

I use the stuff labeled "fretboard oil". It's like $6 a bottle, and even if you have several guitars, one bottle will last you 2 or 3 years.

[neocaster]

I've only used the Dunlop bottle with the applicator tip. Based on the amount of crap that shows up on the rag, it's getting a lot of stuff, leaves my rosewood boards looking new (or my frets looking old, however you choose to see it). Sorry I can't answer the comparison question but I thought you might like to hear from a satisfied customer. Like joe-bob said, the bottle will last me long enough (cleaning 6 fretboards) that the other $5 doesn't make much difference.

[jazzbender]

Thanks everybody. I think I'll keep to the safe side and go with the brands made specifically for us guitarists.

[Guitar_Ninja]

Originally Posted by eryque

I'm curious about the idea of using vegetable based oils, because kitchen people have long advised that vegetable oils will go rancid in the wood. Seems like something I don't want to have happen to my guitar.

Yeah, I'd heard that too but I wonder if it isn't an apples and oranges argument. I mean, the reason you oil your board and then six months later it's dried out again is due to the oils you applied having evaporated, right? So if the oil is evaporating, and it's inside the wood to begin with where not a lot of oxygen can get in, then how likely is it that it will rot? Musicians and luthiers for centuries used vegetable based oils to condition instruments and it didn't seem to have much of a negative effect. From what I saw just poking around the internets it seems a lot of classical players today still use sweet almond oil and the like to condition very expensive instruments, so who's to say?

Seems to be yet another one of those frustrating guitar-related areas where there's no real scientific data out there on the topic to back anything up one way or the other.

Edit: I should also add that in my travels I discovered that a drop or two (equal to at least 0.5% of total volume) of vitamin E oil added to any vegetable-based oil will prevent it from oxidizing or going rancid, if that's a real concern. Vitamin E oil that includes d-gamma and d-delta forms of it are supposedly the most effective. And there does seem to be scientific evidence to support that.

[Alex W]

Originally Posted by mudbean

Oh, yes, the Dunlop brand is made from specially bred "acoustic guitar" lemons.

For the really quality stuff you want the oil from a pre-war lemon.

[RickG501]

I've been using orange oil on my rosewood fretboards for about 4 years, every time I change strings. Been workin' for me with no ill effects. YMMV

[younkint]

Originally Posted by zombywoof

Check out Fret Doctor. It has made a believer out of me.

Originally Posted by Guitar_Ninja

Seems to be yet another one of those frustrating guitar-related areas where there's no real scientific data out there on the topic to back anything up one way or the other.

The closest thing I've seen to "scientific data" is found here:

http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm

Admittedly, the information is self serving, but my results bear out what's being claimed.

I've been using Fret Doctor for about a year now. Okay, it isn't cheap, but neither are some of my instruments. I'd noticed that for quite some time the fret boards on my older instruments were getting dry. I tried quite a few different oils, etc., but nothing seemed to be the solution. I could gloss it up with no problem, but nothing seemed to condition the wood to the point where it did not still revert to that dried out condition.

Somewhere along the line, I bumped into this Fret Doctor stuff and took a chance with it. I was impressed right away, but I'm actually more impressed now that some time has passed. It's the first thing I've found that seems to have a lasting effect.

I used Fret Doctor on my Gretsch and Gibson 335, both of which are about 45 years old now. The Gretsch, especially, was getting quite dry. Both of these instruments soaked this stuff up like a sponge, and after a year, they are still looking good. Seeing these good results, I started using it on some acoustic instruments. I used it on my 40 year old Epiphone and 15 year old Peavey (Landola). Same results. I'd say the best results were on the newest instrument, but that would be expected.

Considering the price of a quality instrument, the stuff is cheap.

[LeviMan_2001]

What good does lemoning your fretboard do anywho? just clean it? sorry if i sound like an idiot

[ASC67]

Plain Mineral oil works great and you can get it at any drug store and will last a lifetime.
I only oil my Rosewood fretboards maybe once a year and very lightly.

[Clutch442]

Alot of people really like LeBlanc bore oil for woodwind instruments. Myself i use the Fender stuff or Gibson stuff works great.

[johnnykf]

A vote for Dr Ducks Axe Wax-smells lemony, works well, keeps strings from tarnishing.

[Rob DiStefano]

I prefer using Scott's Liquid Gold - it's an organic oil with no silicone or wax.

[Colt W. Knight]

There is a ton of stuff you can use, and there is a ton of stuff you probably shouldn't that people use everyday on their guitars.
I bought lemon oil one time for my guitars. I applied it to both my RW tele and RW Martin, and after it absorbed in it left both fret boards with an ugly white residue. So therefore, I never used it again.

GHS fast fret works well, and it will revive your strings if you wipe all the crud off all the way around your strings. But its expensive, and ussually dries out after several months.

Mineral oil works great, and its cheap and readily available.

Im sure all the guitar branded stuff works well too.

You can also just take the natural oils from your hair after not washing for a few days and apply that on the fret board.

[squeezebox]

Originally Posted by LeviMan_2001

What good does lemoning your fretboard do anywho? just clean it? sorry if i sound like an idiot

Keeps the fretboard wood from drying out I believe

[KevinB]

From Wikipedia...

Wood treatment - the traditional lemon oil used on the unsealed rosewood fingerboards of guitars and other stringed instruments is not made from lemons. It's a different product all together, made from mineral oil and a solvent, usually naphtha, and got its name from its color and tart smell, and should not be confused with the corrosive Oil of Lemons.

I use the Gibson stuff (mineral oil). A small bottle is $2 and change, and has lasted me for years.

[tonewoods]

"I use the Gibson stuff (mineral oil). A small bottle is $2 and change, and has lasted me for years."

Yeah, but it's made by G^%#$n...

Is there anything wrong with linseed oil??

[KevinB]

Originally Posted by tonewoods

"I use the Gibson stuff (mineral oil). A small bottle is $2 and change, and has lasted me for years."

Yeah, but it's made by G^%#$n...

Is there anything wrong with linseed oil??

I've never tried it but I think it might build up more of a finish than you might want.

[jtmann]

Originally Posted by zombywoof

Check out Fret Doctor. It has made a believer out of me.

Fret Doctor vs. Roche Thomas Premium Fingerboard Oil
I have been research for a while what is best to use for my Ibanez electric rosewood fingerboard. I have narrowed down to Fret Doctor vs. Roche Thomas Premium Fingerboard Oil. To my uneducated eye they look to be the same ingredients?

Does anyone know? I can't get an answer out of either manufacturer

thanks

Edit - here are the URLS
http://www.rochethomas.com/p-121-pre...d-oil-2oz.aspx
http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm

[rjes]

old english lemon oil is just fine

[stxrus]

i've been using the Roche Thomas bore oil on my RW & ebony boards for well over 15 years and before that used the LeBlanc bore oil on my clarinet and guitar boards. i started playing clarinet in 62 and got my 1st guitar the following year

steve

[LoveBandit]

Yeah, but it's made by G^%#$n...

Then try this then:



-LB

[claudel]

Originally Posted by stxrus

i've been using the Roche Thomas bore oil on my RW & ebony boards for well over 15 years and before that used the LeBlanc bore oil on my clarinet and guitar boards. i started playing clarinet in 62 and got my 1st guitar the following year

steve

+1 for the Roche Thomas bore oil.

When I lived in the desert a bunch of tiny micro-cracks developed in my ebony fretless bass neck from the low humidity and RT bore oil made them go away.

That was the only neck that didn't develop fret sprout, including a 50+ year old Fender maple neck, but that's a different thread.

[BoB/335]

I've been using Wilbert Dri-Finish Lemon Oil at least since the mid 70's or more on my '68 335. I think the rosewood looks great and have never had a problem.

[Bill Ashton]

I too use the Gibson stuff, had a small bottle for a long time, you are only using a drop or maybe two for the whole fretboard.

HOWEVER, be very careful with these oils, as some may be subject to spontaneous combustion...especially the linseed oil...when used with a cotton rag. The trick here is to let the naturally occuring heating escape without being trapped by the bunched up rag...after use, mine hand over the fence outside the back door...never found a charred rag in the morning yet.

...but I have been to a number of fires involving polishing, cooking...and even massage oil...which spontaneously heated the cotton cloths with not very nice effect...

[redstringuitar]

Boiled linseed oil...couple of quid for a large bottle at hardware stores.
As Bill Ashton mentions, lay your rags out flat after use, until dry.

[Joe-Bob]

The problem with linseed oil is that it is a vegetable oil and will eventually turn rancid.

[Darrell]

The Gibson stuff looks and smells just like "Scott's Liquid Gold".

[Guitar_Ninja]

Just an update. I oiled my board with peanut oil with the vitamin e oil mixed in last November. It still looks great, not dried out at all. Not rancid, either. No reason to reapply yet. Maybe after another long winter? Much better results than mineral oil or lemon oil.

[Carroll49]

I refinish antique furniture and suggest "Understanding Wood Finishing" by Bob Flexner.

[Carroll49]

Lindseed Oil will set up hard. I use it on gun stocks.

[porgy]

I bought some lemon oil for a couple of bucks at Wally World, and it works great on my guitar necks. Pure lemon oil, that is!

[chezdeluxe]

Originally Posted by tonewoods

"I use the Gibson stuff (mineral oil). A small bottle is $2 and change, and has lasted me for years."

Yeah, but it's made by G^%#$n...

Is there anything wrong with linseed oil??

Raw Linseed oil takes a long time to dry and meantime is sticky.When it dries it leaves a hard coating typically irregular in thickness. Good for outside timber and old cricket bats never guitars.
Boiled Linseed oil ( has NOT been boiled Do NOT try boiling raw linseed oil) contains a drying agent which gets you past the sticky stage and is useful on some furniture.I am an antique dealer by occupation and I find the following mixture excellent for restoring old and worn polished timber surfaces.1/3 Boiled Linseed Oil 1/3Mineral Turpentine 1/3Methylated Spirits (Denatured Ethyl Alcohol)
I would never put that stuff near my guitars.
I have used dunlop lemon oil on my Martin(Ebony) and Strat(Rosewood)fingerboards for 20 years.At the moment I am using Planet Waves lemon oil because that is what my guitar shop is now selling. Excellent products both.
Call me conservative if you like but after finding Guitars that I love and paying $$$$$$ for them I am not going to be a cheapskate when it comes to aftercare products.

[Zillinois]

I use orange oil, instead of lemon oil, seems to clean and moisturize :)

[ddhr]

Didnt' Neal Schon talk about salami in GP recently? :)

I use a little lemon oil every couple of years.

Doug

[AZMIKE]

+1 for Dr. Ducks. Works as a fretboard conditioner, string cleaner, and polish, and a tiny bottle lasts forever.

Mike