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Lemon Oil?

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(@u2bono269)
Noble Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 1167
Topic starter  

Is lemon oil the same thing as fingerboard cleaner? I was at SamAsh and I asked for a bottle of fingerboard cleaner and they gave me a bottle of Guitar Research lemon oil. Is this the right stuff? Will it damage my fretboard?

http://www.brianbetteridge.com


   
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(@corbind)
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Joined: 22 years ago
Posts: 1735
 

U2, I can say I went through many products and I've found a billion different answers on how to clean/nourish the fretboard and guitar as a whole. Remember, your guitar is a tool to play as opposed to a nice clean/shiny car. Some guys get uptight about making it look good.

Let's digress. I have a car. It gets me to and from places. I used to own a very nice one and cared how it looked, parked it far from stores, and worried about it. Yet I learned to just treat it as a tool to get me to where I want to go. I'd (after realization) clean the interior and exterior when necessary and just be happy that it serves the purpose.

Your guitar, unless a collectors item or worth more than your first-born child, is just the same. Okay, back to guitars. You'll find a plethora of answers on that question. I'm a newbie and take things a bit lighter. Yea, I used the Dunlop 65 “ultimate lemon oil” on the fretboard sold at GC or Sam ash. It contains something enough to say “ Keep away from children, do now swallow” so it contains cleaners and it works. All for maybe $5.

Put it on when your fretboard is funked out (hopefully only once or twice a year). As far as cleaning the body (read: not fretboard), I use straight lighter fluid. Yea, it seems extreme, but it gets all the gunk off your guitar and dissipates (fumes and liquid) quickly.

I can't say much more. Everyone has their thing on how to clean the fretboard and the body. Note: do not, under any circumstance (unless you want a bon fire on a Saturday night with the boys) use lighter fluid on your fretboard. Why? It will certainly dry it out (like rubbing alcohol on your face or body—bad deal).

Also, don't get cheap and try to use some vegetable, olive, or whatever household oil you have to “condition” your fretboard. If you think it's dry, get some pure mineral oil at your local pharmacy. It's pure and won't get rancid. You don't want some funky-smellin' fretboard, do ya? Besides, I'd hate to touch a fretboard like that.

:oops:

"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."


   
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(@anonymous)
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Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 8184
 

I use lighter fluid to clean my guitar, after all it came with such high recommendations - flaming eyebrows, BBQ's, wire wool and all sorts of other cool party trix *cough* Twisty *cough*.

I have also got together a little box of bit's and bobs you recommended on the other thread, I have to say I've been using extra virgin olive oil on mine though, I think Nick said you could use that and baby oil - now I'm worried about my guitar going rank.


   
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(@u2bono269)
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Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 1167
Topic starter  

I know Dave Hodge suggests using really fine steel wool, so I'm gonna try that too. I recently bought an old and worn classical guitar at a flea market. It was in decent shape structurally (except for broken tuners) so I thought I'd take it home and clean it up and see what I could do with it. I honestly don't care for looks on it, it's an old instrument and frankly I think the worn look of the finish is somewhat attractive and cool...this guitar definitely has a story behind it, even if I don't know what it is :) So I basically just want to get the years of junk off the frets. I'm not really worried about conditioning it.

As far as the body, I dont know if I wanna try lighter fluid. There isnt much finish on it anymore, and I don't want it to soak into the wood. I have a bottle of Martin polish that is good for very thin finishes, and it cleans, so I think i'll try that. Of course I will spot-test it on the back to make sure it wont do anything bad.

Thanks for the advice, Corbind

http://www.brianbetteridge.com


   
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(@corbind)
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Joined: 22 years ago
Posts: 1735
 

If you use lemon oil to get the gunk off the fretboard the petroleum distillates (spelling?) will dissipate. When that's done (if you feel the need) you can put mineral oil on the fretboard. It will not spoil/go rank, is cheap (a huge bottle for $4, and easy clean up. As a side note, get it at your local drug store. Its intended use is a bit different from the manufacturers point of view. That minearal oil is made for human consumption. But it works on the fretboard.

"Nothing...can take the place of persistence. Talent will not; nothing is more common than unsuccessful men with talent. Genius will not; unrewarded genius is almost a proverb. Education will not; the world is full of educated derelicts."


   
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(@anonymous)
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*Banishes olive oil to the kitchen*


   
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(@windbreaker)
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Joined: 17 years ago
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I've used lemon oil on my D-18 fretboard for about twenty years now and have seen no problems with it. I use "Homer Formsby's" Lemon oil treatment. I use it to keep the fretboard from drying out rather than cleaning. I have a rosewood pickguard and use it on it too. I use Martin Guitar Polish on the finish, and lemon oil on the fretboard, bridge, and pickguard. Works for me.


   
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(@ricochet)
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Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 7833
 

I have to say I've been using extra virgin olive oil on mine though, I think Nick said you could use that and baby oil - now I'm worried about my guitar going rank.
That was me.

Olive oil will never go rank on your guitar, if you wipe it off when you're done as you should. You're looking for a microscopically thin film, not an oil slick.

My guitars all have had olive oil on the fretboards for years (except the Agile, which has a varnished fretboard), and while my playing may be rank, my guitars certainly aren't. I also use it as a leather treatment, and all my belts, rifle slings and guitar straps have had olive oil on them for years. Oh yeah, leather coats and hats, too. It doesn't get smelly. You're welcome to sniff my belt if you like.

It will eventually get sticky if you slather on a huge excess and leave it. Don't do that, with any oil.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."


   
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(@racetruck1)
Honorable Member
Joined: 18 years ago
Posts: 518
 

Ric, buddy, I'm a little worried about you now! :shock:

First. Greasy, mystery metal bullets!

Second. We like that olive oil just a little too much? :shock:

Third. We like our leather a lot too? :shock: :shock: :shock:

Fourth. White stuff in a jar?

Last. Invitations to smell your belt?!? :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:

No wonder you look so cheerful all the time!

:lol:

When I die, I want to go peacefully in my sleep like my grandfather, not screaming......
like the passengers in his car.


   
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(@ricochet)
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Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 7833
 

Hey, you've got me all figured out! :lol:

Except for the mystery metal bullets. They're waxy, not greasy. (I've discovered that White Lightning bicycle chain lube is a wonderful tumble lube for cast bullets.)

I've just finished oiling my organ, a New Year's tradition for me.

That is, my Hammond H-182 organ Christine's machinery for the new year, and slopped a bit around in the process. it was light duty spindle oil, bought by the gallon from ENCO. That's why I can afford to be sloppy with it, unlike the expensive small containers of "real Hammond special tone generator oil," which is light spindle oil repackaged in little bottles and marked way up.

Christine's tone generator is driven by a central shaft spun by a synchronous motor at 1800 RPM, with gear trains and tonewheels on each side, all spinning in sintered bronze bearings oiled by capillary action through cotton threads from a central oil trough above the shaft. Spindle oil works great. Olive oil wouldn't work worth a toot in this application.

It's an oily mess inside. But the tone generator's running quietly, took a LONG time to spin to a stop when I turned it off just now, and best of all, the oil has finally settled the mildew so it doesn't throw me into a coughing fit, and the room fills with that wonderful oil smell when Christine gets turned on and warms up.

A friend just E-mailed me a suggestion for an oil he thought I might use: http://tinyurl.com/y9c6g8

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."


   
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(@trguitar)
Famed Member
Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 3709
 

So Christine is doing well Ric? I remember back when you made the trek to purchase her. Does the wife still dislike her just a little? Does she still come to life on her own? Does she keep the bears away? :lol:

"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --


   
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(@ricochet)
Illustrious Member
Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 7833
 

I think Jane's made peace with her. Haven't heard any reports of her coming on by herself lately. Hasn't scared the bears away, but I think Jane did. Haven't heard from the bear after he encountered her on the back deck.

I've just been sitting playing on Christine, trying to work out A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, which just sends thrills through me to hear with those big church organ voices set up and the volume up through the console and the outboard tone cabinet! It'll take me a good while to get that down, the learning curve is steep, but I'm determined to get it right. I can just about come up with a harmonized version myself (still got a couple of rough spots), but I want to learn the hymnal version. First handicap to overcome is getting the hymnal to sit up on the music rack and stay open! There's a lot going on in there with both hands, and it's been 38 years since I was sight reading stuff and playing with both hands on the keyboard. When I do get it down, then I'm going to start working in some pedal notes.

This really is an awesome instrument!

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."


   
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(@ricochet)
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Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 7833
 

Made a perfectly dandy hymnal holder out of a length of broken gun cleaning rod and two rubber bands. Hooked the rubber bands around corners of the music rack and the ends of the rod. I pull out the rod, slip the open hymnal under it, and it holds it perfectly. Jane even thinks it looks OK!

This hasn't had much to do with lemon oil, but I did have to wipe gun oil off of the rod. :D

Haven't yet tried lemon oil on the guns, but I have rubbed some of them down with baby oil.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."


   
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(@trguitar)
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Joined: 17 years ago
Posts: 3709
 

Necessity is the mother of invention. Sight reading is a real chore for me. I mean, I remember what I was taught in school but ....... good thing there is tab for guitars.

"Work hard, rock hard, eat hard, sleep hard,
grow big, wear glasses if you need 'em."
-- The Webb Wilder Credo --


   
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(@ricochet)
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Joined: 21 years ago
Posts: 7833
 

Believe it or not, there's tab for keyboard, too. My old teacher is a very talented piano player of the improvisational sort. He can play with anybody, anytime, on anything, and just take off and amaze you. But he can't read a note of standard notation. When he tried to teach me what he does on keyboard, he'd write out a sort of tab with the note letters in more or less their relative positions on the keyboard. This guy knows music theory inside and out, but can't read or write it.

"A cheerful heart is good medicine."


   
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