hey guys, right now im in the process of cleaning of my fretboard. i Just had a question for you guys , since ive always found great help here. What is your take on water? when i say water i mean so little that you can't even feel it in the bristles however, some water prints appear on the fretboard when im scrubbing and it really helps get it off, i only tried one and it worked well, and the water is no more than the sweat that might come off of someones hands when they are playing. Anyways let me know if that sounds like it would be ok, thanks guys.
Florin
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Hey Andrew, I don't think a little bit of water will damage your frettboard, but... just dont fell right to use water for oil finished wood. Try with a cloth and lemon oil instead, it will clean the frettboard and feed it and protect it too.
Florin
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Don't tell to anybody, but I use warwick wax too with the strings off. When you apply it, it's oily, and you can clean the frettboard with a clean cloth. Wipe the excess, and... that's it. Or you can use GHS fast fret. To be honest, I use Fast Fret to feed my frettboard, not lemon oil.
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I've heard from more than a few luthiers that Fast Fret has a tendency to soak into the wood making any future fret repairs difficult. As for the frets themselves, go to a store that also sells trumpets and other brass instruments and get a dry polishing cloth. Works excellently and doesn't leave little fragments of steel wool stuck to your pups, also isn't abrasive so no damage to the frets. I use a VERY lightly dampened cloth to wipe down the whole bass immediately before waxing so as not to seal in any contaminants that could alter the colour or feel of the wood. I've been doing that for years and haven't had a bit of trouble - and they all look and play great. Hope it helps! ~M~
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thanks for the answers guys. Just out of curiosity, all the guck on my fretboard, is that highly damageable to the fretboard? do i need to get rid of it on a constant basis,or only once every 6 months or so when it gets built up.
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I clean mine every couple of months with Lemon Oil and a Cloth but my strings stay on - I still get the job done - but with Wenge being an open grain board, its a bitch to get some of the gunk out from the openings.
But just depends on how much you play your bass and how much gunk comes off your hands.. some people will have to clean less than others.
While we're on topic, does anyone have a tip to getting gunk from either side of the Frets?
But just depends on how much you play your bass and how much gunk comes off your hands.. some people will have to clean less than others.
While we're on topic, does anyone have a tip to getting gunk from either side of the Frets?
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andrew505 said:
Good question Andrew.
The gunk that develops on the frets is just the brass reacting to the air,it doesnt affect your sound at all.Some people swear by steel wool,but you have to completely tape up your pickups to stop the filings sticking to them.I prefer to use a little Brasso,it's specially made to polish brass & works really well.If you get any gunk actually on the fingerboard some good quality lemon oil will clean it up well,it also polishes the frets but it's not as effective as Brasso.Most music shops carry lemon oil but you might have to go to the supermarket or hardware store for Brasso.
C
Casey
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I've always used linseed oil to clean/oil everything on my bass -the hardware
