Loosen the strings so you can slip them to the side of the nut. Oil the fretboard. reposition and retune strings. No big deal.
Lubricating my strings
- Thread starter Rllink
- Start date
pritch
Well-known member
There's a couple of rabbit holes hereabout that are easy to disappear down. I read all manner of stuff in books and on the 'Net. Yes, lemon oil is just lemon scented mineral oil.
Expensive as Hell for what it is. Then I saw the Martin YouTube clip showing the factory using 3in1 oil on new guitars. After that I'd have been happy using 3in1 but I'd bought some nice orange scented stuff meantime.
I've read warnings about taking all the strings off, but doing that makes cleaning the fretboard and frets easier. So far so good.
Expensive as Hell for what it is. Then I saw the Martin YouTube clip showing the factory using 3in1 oil on new guitars. After that I'd have been happy using 3in1 but I'd bought some nice orange scented stuff meantime.
I've read warnings about taking all the strings off, but doing that makes cleaning the fretboard and frets easier. So far so good.
OP
OP
Rllink
Well-known member
As far as rabbit holes, I think that I spend way too much time in this one right here, but what the heck. I could never understand what people think is going to happen if all the strings were taken off, other than the nut might fall off and the saddle might slide out, neither of which is catastrophic. But I'm sure most anything one can think of can be validated somewhere on the internet if one looks hard enough. But I do admire those adventurous souls who will try something out just to see what happens.
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I always take all the strings off and clean/treat the fretboard with Lemon Oil. I also wipe the whole body down lightly and immediately wipe it off.
Been using this stuff that I got with a solid oak table...
but they're out of business now, so I'll have to look for something else someday.
Been using this stuff that I got with a solid oak table...
but they're out of business now, so I'll have to look for something else someday.
lelouden
Well-known member
This question had me on the search for an answer. I have forgotten all about oiling until I read the post. I've alway thought of it as getting rid of the grim that can build up on the fret board. The only time I've ever thought about it is when Ive purchased a used instrument. I change the strings on a used instrument too even if they claim the are new. The thought of all that DNA left behind from others grosses me out!
Anyway here are some cut and copies I found from guitar sites https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i...r-fretboard-necessary-fact-or-fiction.684480/. You be the judge.
When I was learning to build/repair instruments in the 90's, I acquired some teak oil for dressing dark fretboards. Over time dirt builds up on frets & the board. I use a super fine steel wool to clean the board and frets being careful to hit only the board. Vacuum the shavings from the guitar and apply the oil. Using a Q tip, apply to the board and wait a minute or so then wipe the excess from the board with a soft cloth. Lemon oil will do, but the key is not to leave too much behind. The wood will take what it needs and oil left behind will ruin your new strings. Most string changes for me, are take one off and replace to keep the neck pressure more constant during the change. I remove all the strings and dress the board only when it's getting dirty. Obviously, this does apply not to maple boards...Oiling is not something you need to do often, but it is necessary to condition and preserve rosewood and ebony boards.
And another opinion.
Your fretboard (if it's ebony or rosewood) actually NEVER NEEDS TO BE OILED. Or Fret Doctored or any of that. It will last for several hundreds of years without it. You aren't replacing anything in the wood that leeches out or evaporates or any of that. It may look a little dryish, but that's all. It will not crack or dry out faster or anything if you do NOT oil it. Ebony dries and cracks if the humidity drops for too long, but ebony cracks easily anyway. It's not oil that the board needed if the board cracks, it's a more humid environment. Oiling your board does not restore humidity. It does not restore anything that the wood needs. It's not restoring "vital oils." Sorry, all that's hogwash.
You can never oil your fretboard, period, and your fretboard will be just fine if you otherwise care for it (keep it in a mostly 45-50% humidity level environment, wipe the sweat and grime off of it).
One more thing -- you do not need anything to penetrate the wood more deeply. In fact, one of the reasons that you're told to wipe the oil off rather than leave a lot of it sit on the surface, say, overnight, is that the oil will penetrate TOO deeply and then migrate to the surface again, deadening a nice new set of strings. In fact, I'm thinking that Fret Doctor, if it penetrates the wood too deeply, might be diluting or displacing the wood's *natural* oils. The stuff is relatively new and I haven't seen what it will do to a fretboard in the long term (say, 30-40 years from now), but I'd advise caution.
Mineral oil (or the lemon oil that they use for furniture, which is mostly mineral oil with no lemon anything in it, by the way) is plenty. Bore Oil is fine. Fret Dr is fine -- any of the concoctions that you pay big bucks for a tiny bottle but which are designed for a guitar are fine, but more useful for taking your money out of your pocket than for anything important on the guitar.
Do not use "Rosewood Oil" in the misguided thought that the rosewood needs its OWN oil; that rosewood oil is boiled from the bark of a whole different tree and is used for aromatherapy and for perfumes and has nothing whatever to do with your rosewood fingerboard and it will not help it.
Do not use *real* lemon oil; this is used for cooking and is NOT what they were talking about when they said "lemon oil" in reference to your fretboard.
Most of what you're doing when you oil your fretboard is cosmetic. A small amount of stuff makes your fretboard look pretty and it protects the surface of the wood from sweat acids, etc. to a degree. But if you never oiled your fretboard, ever, your guitar would still probably look and work about the same in 100 years, with no ill effects.
Anyway here are some cut and copies I found from guitar sites https://www.thegearpage.net/board/i...r-fretboard-necessary-fact-or-fiction.684480/. You be the judge.
When I was learning to build/repair instruments in the 90's, I acquired some teak oil for dressing dark fretboards. Over time dirt builds up on frets & the board. I use a super fine steel wool to clean the board and frets being careful to hit only the board. Vacuum the shavings from the guitar and apply the oil. Using a Q tip, apply to the board and wait a minute or so then wipe the excess from the board with a soft cloth. Lemon oil will do, but the key is not to leave too much behind. The wood will take what it needs and oil left behind will ruin your new strings. Most string changes for me, are take one off and replace to keep the neck pressure more constant during the change. I remove all the strings and dress the board only when it's getting dirty. Obviously, this does apply not to maple boards...Oiling is not something you need to do often, but it is necessary to condition and preserve rosewood and ebony boards.
And another opinion.
Your fretboard (if it's ebony or rosewood) actually NEVER NEEDS TO BE OILED. Or Fret Doctored or any of that. It will last for several hundreds of years without it. You aren't replacing anything in the wood that leeches out or evaporates or any of that. It may look a little dryish, but that's all. It will not crack or dry out faster or anything if you do NOT oil it. Ebony dries and cracks if the humidity drops for too long, but ebony cracks easily anyway. It's not oil that the board needed if the board cracks, it's a more humid environment. Oiling your board does not restore humidity. It does not restore anything that the wood needs. It's not restoring "vital oils." Sorry, all that's hogwash.
You can never oil your fretboard, period, and your fretboard will be just fine if you otherwise care for it (keep it in a mostly 45-50% humidity level environment, wipe the sweat and grime off of it).
One more thing -- you do not need anything to penetrate the wood more deeply. In fact, one of the reasons that you're told to wipe the oil off rather than leave a lot of it sit on the surface, say, overnight, is that the oil will penetrate TOO deeply and then migrate to the surface again, deadening a nice new set of strings. In fact, I'm thinking that Fret Doctor, if it penetrates the wood too deeply, might be diluting or displacing the wood's *natural* oils. The stuff is relatively new and I haven't seen what it will do to a fretboard in the long term (say, 30-40 years from now), but I'd advise caution.
Mineral oil (or the lemon oil that they use for furniture, which is mostly mineral oil with no lemon anything in it, by the way) is plenty. Bore Oil is fine. Fret Dr is fine -- any of the concoctions that you pay big bucks for a tiny bottle but which are designed for a guitar are fine, but more useful for taking your money out of your pocket than for anything important on the guitar.
Do not use "Rosewood Oil" in the misguided thought that the rosewood needs its OWN oil; that rosewood oil is boiled from the bark of a whole different tree and is used for aromatherapy and for perfumes and has nothing whatever to do with your rosewood fingerboard and it will not help it.
Do not use *real* lemon oil; this is used for cooking and is NOT what they were talking about when they said "lemon oil" in reference to your fretboard.
Most of what you're doing when you oil your fretboard is cosmetic. A small amount of stuff makes your fretboard look pretty and it protects the surface of the wood from sweat acids, etc. to a degree. But if you never oiled your fretboard, ever, your guitar would still probably look and work about the same in 100 years, with no ill effects.
Interesting information, thanks for sharing this. I use the Dunlop lemon oil twice a year, and even if it has no practical impact, the cosmetic benefits make it worthwhile. 
(I'm not sure I buy that a dried out looking fretboard isn't more likely to crack, though.)
(I'm not sure I buy that a dried out looking fretboard isn't more likely to crack, though.)
Down Up Dick
Well-known member
Well, I finally did something right. I've never oiled my fretboard or put anything on the rest of my ukes or banjos or my mandolin. All I've ever done is wipe them down after i've finished playing.
They all look nice enough to me, but they still make a lotta mistakes.ld:
They all look nice enough to me, but they still make a lotta mistakes.
ld:UkuleleSprinter
Well-known member
I've been using this stuff for 20 years to clean my strings and fretboards. ghs FAST-FRET
Helps with sliding, so it really depends on your style of playing.
Helps with sliding, so it really depends on your style of playing.
Nickie
Well-known member
I'm with Phil. My luthier told me to never use oil, as it can raise the grain, making the fretboard a little uneven, maybe even the frets too. I don't know if it's true, but I listen to him because he studies wood all the time. I concur with Phil, I use LoPrinzi fretboard "butter", it's made to be used with any kind of strings without damaging them. I don't lube the strings....
I just cleaned my fretboard, and I couldn't beleive all the junk that came off. And I wash my hands before I play!
