Cleaning fretboard

Sounds great. Just keep
it insured with Aflac? :lol:

I will... but only the bottle of AxWax :P

Cool, very nifty. 8)

I have some Dunlop's fretboard cleaner and preserver. It's a two step process. Unfortuantely, it also says NOT to be used on MAPLE fretboards.

What do you guys use on Maple?

I like what Staffan wrote about wiping his fretboard with a damp cloth, although the topic was rosewood, I think.

I believe that the issue of maple boards needs to be addressed and talked about more, Worldwide among techs/guitarists? I don't see much written about Rickenbacker rosewood boards with lacquer on them, either?

I have so many maple boards, that I don't have to use any one of them too much and cause wear. I wipe 'em with soap and water. That's dish soap, and I dry them immediately, I don't let water pool or ooze into the microspace, if any, under frets. Then I buff that hard with a dry dishcloth or cotton rag from a T-shirt, and I go at it with lots of energy, to remove any film or streaks. On boards with no damage or worn spots in the lacquer, I applied the Dr. Stringfellow's Lem Oil sparingly, and hand buffed it off, to dry or to shine it up; I also used regular guitar polish, which is Dunlop 65 for me, because it doesn't soften lacquer if left sitting, yet go on to leave streaks and residue like Martin. Guitar polish works.

In the rare case of a board with worn spots through the lacquer and scratches or gouges into the maple, I used soap and water very briefly, and wiped as quickly as I could afterward. Early on, I noticed that Lem Oil was absorbed into the wood, leaving dark spots. Yet some boards, show those dark spots as dirt anyway, so we can't try to be perfect.

This is the dirtiest board and the biggest problem we ever had, my son's 1987 Ibanez. Worn from bending, with lots of scraping and grooving into bare wood, that's the cleanest I ever got it scrubbing with a toothbrush, liquid dish detergent, and liquid laundry detergent. It was a lot dirtier, like a relic, this was the max improvement, or the cleanest it could get.

This is hands-down, and by far the dirtiest maple board I ever owned, from 1994. Both my eldest daughter, and son owned this guitar before me - my daughter had humungous goth-long fingernails and there is worn spot in the open chord area. My son's fingernails are normal, and mine are down to nothing. I did however splash this axe with a lot of blood and grease and dirt, outdoor beverages and grime, but washed it with soap and water as stated and polished with Dunlop 65!

For a rosewood fret board I would recommend Fret Doctor http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm . I used it on a late 60's Univox electric guitar and it really brought the rosewood back to life. I had used lemon oil on it but the Fret Doctor worked just as well and it last at least 2-3 times longer.

-- Rob

For a rosewood fret board I would recommend Fret Doctor http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm . I used it on a late 60's Univox electric guitar and it really brought the rosewood back to life. I had used lemon oil on it but the Fret Doctor worked just as well and it last at least 2-3 times longer.

-- Rob
I read your link and everything about the bore oil in woodwinds, plus the logic for guitar fretboard treatment - very good!

/... my son's 1987 Ibanez. Worn from bending, with lots of scraping and grooving into bare wood, that's the cleanest I ever got it scrubbing with a toothbrush, liquid dish detergent, and liquid laundry detergent. It was a lot dirtier, like a relic, this was the max improvement, or the cleanest it could get.

Cool guitar, is that the Steve Vai signature model? I really like the design with the handle in it (although the color is a bit "out of my league", but if I was 20 years younger - who knows :lol: ).

And Blue Jay - I also like your devotion to getting this thing cleaned for your son; scrubbing the guitar with a toothbrush? That´s got to be a display of both fatherly AND "guitarly" love :). But... shouldn´t YOUR SON be doing that himself :roll: !

/S