I've read in some books that lemon oil is a good way to polish your guitar and keep it looking fresh and keep it from cracking but mines doesn't seem to need it seemingly, the paint job is still shiny without any cracks, so should I still do it, will this make my guitar oily?
Opinions vary about this. Basically, only use it on your fretboard, and only use it VERY sparingly - a small amount on a cloth, rubbed into the wood between the frets.
I only do this once a year, it shouldn't be considered a "regular" cleaner, it will be too rich and oily for that. A wipe with a dry, soft lint free cloth is as good as anything otherwise.
Lemon oil helps prevent your fret board from drying and cracking, but like I say, only use it when you need to.
Cheers
Matt
+1
sorry Nick??
+1 what?
Matt
Getting all mysterious on us?
I agree with you....forgot what board I was on for a minute
Opinions vary about this. Basically, only use it on your fretboard, and only use it VERY sparingly - a small amount on a cloth, rubbed into the wood between the frets.
I only do this once a year, it shouldn't be considered a "regular" cleaner, it will be too rich and oily for that. A wipe with a dry, soft lint free cloth is as good as anything otherwise.
Lemon oil helps prevent your fret board from drying and cracking, but like I say, only use it when you need to.
Cheers
Matt
Quite simply, this post is better than entire chapters of some books on guitar maintenance. That's really all you have to know.
Do something you love and you'll never work a day in your life...
Could Olive oil be used as a substitute, or is that far too thick?
I dont know if Id chance it... never heard of olive oil being used... I could be wrong though :?
No matter what anyone says, these four men were the Innovators! of modern Rock & Roll!
Morse Code... Music on it's own
Don't know about olive oil, but mineral oil is an alternative that is highly recommended by master guitar tech Dan Erlewine. As with the others, only a small amount is required.
-=tension & release=-
Not sure but I would stay away from the olive oil. It is not intended to be a wood preservative / curative and might turn rancid on you. Wouldn't be a pleasant odor. :oops:
I could be wrong but it is not like the other oils intended for this purpose are so costly that you would need to substitute other things lying around the house.
Regardless of what you use, use oil sparing as previously stated. This is not something that sits on top of the wood and can be wiped away easily, the oils penitrate into the open pores. If the wood has a finish on it (like the body of the guitar) then the wood and pores are sealed and oil will have little or no effect on the wood at all as it won't be able to seep in.
Mike
Playing an instrument is good for your soul
Sounds like you're talking about an electric guitar so I won't comment on the body.
I use Scott's liquid gold on the fretboard of my acoustic everytime I change strings. With all the strings removed I wipe on the liquid gold, let it sit for a 10 minutes and wipe off any excess. $5 gets you a lifetime supply at your local supermarket. On the top, sides and back I use Dunlop guitar polish..Seems to do the job.
Oh, and BTW, the liquid gold goes on with paper towel so I never have to worry about the cloth being dirty or gritty. The Dunlop guitar polish goes on with a clean cloth that goes into the laundry frequently.
On a related note, mineral oil is recommended for cutting boards over olive oil, which can turn rancid. Same advice probably holds for fretboards.
Olive oil is excellent stuff for rosewood fretboards. I've used it on all my guitars for years. It does not turn rancid, smell bad, grow mold, or any of that stuff. It doesn't gum up and turn sticky like all of the other vegetable oils do. It stays nice and slick. You don't want to leave huge gobs of it on, of course, just rub it in and after a few minutes rub it off with a cloth. Rub it into the strings, too. The thin molecular coating of it makes the strings slicker for bending and sliding, does NOT damp tone as some have suggested it might, and it makes the strings last about twice as long in my experience. I draw new strings through a finger and thumb dipped in olive oil as I put them on.
You're not "chancing" anything with olive oil, it's tried and true.
Mineral oil products also work well and are more popular. "Lemon oil" is identical to baby oil, with a different fragrance. Light mineral oil with a scent.
Guitars don't last very long compared to other instruments like violins, so mineral oil's propensity to dissolve lignin and soften up wood doesn't get a chance to show up. If you take apart old guns as I do, you'll know that wood gets soft and punky after repeated applications of mineral oil over many years.
"A cheerful heart is good medicine."
Is there any specialist stuff you can buy from your local guitar shop ?
Yeah..........LEMON OIL!
We've gone full circle now haven't we?
Regards
Matt
