rosewood neck care

[willjoe123]

Just got my first real tele, a modshop with a rosewood neck and custom shop nocaster pickups! It's fantastic.

My question for those of you who have similar all-rosewood necks, is when I lemon-oil the fretboard, should I oil the whole neck, back and front? or is that a bad thing for some reason? The back of the neck is so smooth and nice, and I'd hate to do anything that would endanger that.

 

[jaxjaxon]

The main ingredient of just about all fretboard conditioners is Mineral oil. So get mineral oil, You apply it with a cloth just dampen the cloth and wipe it on the fret board any excess wipe off. You only do it when the fret board is starting to dry out so maybe twice a year unless you are in a super dry climate or it sits in the sun alot.

 

[boris bubbanov]

Welcome, Willjoe!

In our climate, you shouldn't have to apply oil to this neck at all - just play it. We've seen folks apply so much oil that the wood gets soft around the frets and this is far worse than too little oil. When I am not in South Louisiana I'm in North Carolina. It just IMO isn't very dry. I have no fret sprout on my 100% east indian rosewood neck guitar. The oils from my hands are really all this neck has ever needed (neck is 12 years old now).

My parents are in the same CA county as Jaxjaxon - when I kept a guitar there, I did what he did. But IMO it is much drier there.

 

[4pickupguy]

Rosewood oil smells fantastic and the effects last a loong time. It doesn’t feel oily at all.

 

[chaosman12]

I use 2 parts mineral oil thinned with 1 part mineral spirits. The lower viscosity helps the oil/spirits mixture sink deeper and faster into the rosewood. The mineral spirits quickly evaporate away leaving the oil deeper into the wood. I oil it when it looks a bit dry. Ends up being once, maybe twice per year.

 

[JustABluesGuy]

Welcome, Willjoe!

In our climate, you shouldn't have to apply oil to this neck at all - just play it. We've seen folks apply so much oil that the wood gets soft around the frets and this is far worse than too little oil. When I am not in South Louisiana I'm in North Carolina. It just IMO isn't very dry. I have no fret sprout on my 100% east indian rosewood neck guitar. The oils from my hands are really all this neck has ever needed (neck is 12 years old now).

My parents are in the same CA county as Jaxjaxon - when I kept a guitar there, I did what he did. But IMO it is much drier there.

I feel lucky living on the gulf coast. I neglected to monitor the humidity of my acoustics and never treated my ebony or rosewood fretboards until very recently. They were all filthy and have health fret wear, but the boards are all in great shape considering the many years of neglect.

 

[Willie Johnson]

I never really messed with it up until last year and have had positive results--I used kitchen walnut oil on one rosewood board and it worked ok, but rubbed off in high-string-traffic areas. I then used the Dunlop stuff and I think it works well, and darkens the wood nicely, too. Comes in a nice applicator bottle so it's easier to apply evenly. It's fine.

 

[Willie Johnson]

Oh, and don't do the back of the neck, just the fretboard.

 

[KokoTele]

Isn't the back of the neck finished in satin? Definitely don't oil over finish.

I use butcher block oil in my shop. It's basically mineral oil with some thinners. The mineral oil you can get at the pharmacy these days is too thick to penetrate the pores at all.

Real lemon oil is fine. Most lemon oil products are mineral oil with dye and perfume.

 

[bullfrogblues]

..

 

[hdvades]

+1 for lemon oil...on the rosewood only. I recommend D'Addario Lemon Oil Cleaner and Conditioner for that. Gibson Pump Polish for the body and the rest of the neck.

 

[bobio]

I have been using Dunlop's System 65 care products on my guitars for as long as I can remember

Dunlop

From picks to pedals and every accessory in between, Dunlop Manufacturing has been creating world-class gear for musicians for over 50 years. We consistently create the best selling picks and analog electronics, and carry a large line of accessories that set industry standards in their...

www.jimdunlop.com

I have an affinity for Rosewood and Pau Ferro boards, and I like their fingerboard kit which includes a cleaner and conditioner.

SYSTEM 65 GUITAR FINGERBOARD KIT

From picks to pedals and every accessory in between, Dunlop Manufacturing has been creating world-class gear for musicians for over 50 years. We consistently create the best selling picks and analog electronics, and carry a large line of accessories that set industry standards in their...

www.jimdunlop.com

Whatever you use, too much and too often is just as bad as not enough. I am pretty generous when I put it on, but I wipe off all the excess, you don't need to slather it on and let it "soak in" either. Just put it on and wipe off the excess. I do my boards twice a year, just before the dry part of the year (typically summer) and then again before winter as the HVAC in heating mode is drying. Kind of like humidifying acoustic guitars, you don't want the board to dry out during the times of the year when the humidity is at its lowest.

 

[Boreas]

I prefer rosewood/ebony over maple. Over the years I have probably had 30 instruments with rosewood boards. I have lived in the NE US just about forever. Only gets dry here in winter. I also have dry skin. But what I have noticed is that every piece of wood is different. I have some boards that have never needed oil and others that are thirsty and seem to need it annually. Amount of play doesn't matter much with my skin. Regardless of thirst, I do not oil them more often than annually, and just a light treatment. If they don't NEED it, I don't treat them. A new board with thirsty wood I may apply a heavier treatment.

 

[ChicknPickn]

Recommendations for mineral oil and lemon oil are good. I read once that linseed oil works nicely too, and you can add a little stain to it if you need to re-darken the wood. This is what I do now. Allow 10 minutes or so for the oil to penetrate and wipe it off thoroughly.

 

[Wallaby]

I've used clarinet bore oil and a toothbrush, just enough oil to loosen the gunk with concentrated scrubbing with the toothbrush, and immediately wiping it off.

It's useful on a new guitar where the fingerboard has dye that is coming off on my fingers, or for a really gross gunked-up revolting fretboard I'm scared to touch without gloves

I don't consider it a regular maintenance item, and have known guitars that have literally never had their fingerboards oiled. 50 and 60 years later their fretboards still have their natural oil...

I don't want oil seeping far under the frets and fouling the fret slots. I consider it basically a cosmetic procedure only.

 

[Peegoo]

Do not marinate the fretboard with any oil or cleaner. A few drops on a clean cloth is all it takes. Too much is far worse than too little.

 

[boris bubbanov]

I prefer rosewood/ebony over maple. Over the years I have probably had 30 instruments with rosewood boards. I have lived in the NE US just about forever. Only gets dry here in winter. I also have dry skin. But what I have noticed is that every piece of wood is different. I have some boards that have never needed oil and others that are thirsty and seem to need it annually. Amount of play doesn't matter much with my skin. Regardless of thirst, I do not oil them more often than annually, and just a light treatment. If they don't NEED it, I don't treat them. A new board with thirsty wood I may apply a heavier treatment.

When visiting up your way in winter (I was born in Buffalo, and my first 2 bands were up that way) someone would hand me a rosewood board guitar that hadn't seen any use in a while. And sometimes the board would be parched and afterward it sort of left my fingers feeling a little roughed up or burnt. It got me thinking, how simple use transfers the needed amount of surface oil to the fretboard. Seems to me that for the most part, the boards need attention primarily when they're just left out to be subjected to winter forced air heating. I've played guitars where the board smelled like whatever moisturizer the guy's wife liked to have around. :^)

 

[sloppychops]

And in case you need more oil than your fingers provide, you can always smudge your nose on the fretboard.

So I've heard.

 

[willjoe123]

Isn't the back of the neck finished in satin? Definitely don't oil over finish.

I use butcher block oil in my shop. It's basically mineral oil with some thinners. The mineral oil you can get at the pharmacy these days is too thick to penetrate the pores at all.

Real lemon oil is fine. Most lemon oil products are mineral oil with dye and perfume.

If it's finished, its very lightly. Its the smoothest, least finished feeling neck I've ever played, certainly far less finish than my LP or my FMT Tele. The gloss finish on my FMT tele feels almost sticky by comparison

 

[charlie chitlin]

A guy from product development at Gibson likes Howard Feed & Wax.
I bought some but haven't used it yet.