Fretboard conditioning

[Kamatori]

Now I'm confused. I'm not a luthier, but I am watching this thread because I'm interested in the topic. How can lemon oil be rubbish and recommended by Alembic at the same time? Maybe it depends on the brand of lemon oil? What does Alembic recommend, specifically?

Each brand of lemon oil is formulated differently. It all boils down to mineral oil, maybe some actual lemon oil, lemon scent, and varying amounts solvents or other stuff. Since it's not a food product, manufacturers aren't required to list the contents and ingredients so you never truly know for certain what a certain brand of lemon oil contains.

The thing though is there is no real consensus on the "best" oil for a fret board. Most of all you read on the internet about this stuff is a big load of "he said she said". You'll find just as many people and articles that are pro-mineral oil as there are against mineral oil. I just go on try things and make my own decision.

I concluded that Fret Dr is a slightly reformulated and repackaged bore oil. Bore oil is a mix of various tree and seed oils used to condition wooden bored instruments, which undergo much more moisture stress than fretboards. Like lemon oil, bore oil is simply an oil mix that is suitable for oiling bores, the specific formulas can vary between manufacturers. I figured if bore oil is used to protect unfinished wood from tons of spit, moisture, and humidity, it'd fair well for unfinished fret boards as well.

 

[cazclocker]

Each brand of lemon oil is formulated differently. It all boils down to mineral oil, maybe some actual lemon oil, lemon scent, and varying amounts solvents or other stuff. Since it's not a food product, manufacturers aren't required to list the contents and ingredients so you never truly know for certain what a certain brand of lemon oil contains.

The thing though is there is no real consensus on the "best" oil for a fret board. Most of all you read on the internet about this stuff is a big load of "he said she said". You'll find just as many people and articles that are pro-mineral oil as there are against mineral oil. I just go on try things and make my own decision.

I concluded that Fret Dr is a slightly reformulated and repackaged bore oil. Bore oil is a mix of various tree and seed oils used to condition wooden bored instruments, which undergo much more moisture stress than fretboards. Like lemon oil, bore oil is simply an oil mix that is suitable for oiling bores, the specific formulas can vary between manufacturers. I figured if bore oil is used to protect unfinished wood from tons of spit, moisture, and humidity, it'd fair well for unfinished fret boards as well.

Thank you for your comments. Well articulated, I would say. For some reason I've never heard of bore oil until this thread!

 

[Kmonk]

Alembic recommends pure lemon oil. I found it at Whole Foods and have used it for years. A little goes a long way. I put it on my fretboard every time I change strings.

 

[BassHappy]

Paul Reed Smith told me to use nothing but BLO on PRS #7 and all my fingerboards in 1976, but not on any timetable - just when they look and feel like they are drying out. I bought a quart can back then that is still 3/4 full. Still works great. I examine all the instruments about twice a year and the ones that look dry get a light coat, let it soak. You can see the areas where the oil sits on the surface and the other areas where the oil soaks in a bit. I do a couple of light coats until the bulk of the oil sits on the surface and wipe it clean and dry. A side benefit for me is that it also works as a cleaner with a little elbow grease - to remove the finger cheese.

Just sanded off a worn butcher block table top for my shop and put a nice coat of the linseed oil on it. Looks great.

 

[Joe Ty]

Paul Reed Smith told me to use nothing but BLO on PRS #7 and all my fingerboards in 1976, but not on any timetable - just when they look and feel like they are drying out. I bought a quart can back then that is still 3/4 full. Still works great. I examine all the instruments about twice a year and the ones that look dry get a light coat, let it soak. You can see the areas where the oil sits on the surface and the other areas where the oil soaks in a bit. I do a couple of light coats until the bulk of the oil sits on the surface and wipe it clean and dry. A side benefit for me is that it also works as a cleaner with a little elbow grease - to remove the finger cheese.

Just sanded off a worn butcher block table top for my shop and put a nice coat of the linseed oil on it. Looks great.

I see you sold PRS#7. That had to be tough.

 

[BassHappy]

I see you sold PRS#7. That had to be tough.

Hey Joe

No actually, I swapped it back to Paul for PRS #11 in 1977, which was a more handsome twin. We were having some neck issues with #7 so he retired it and chalked it up to experience. Had to throw in my Rickenbacker 4001 too, which we had already robbed the treble pickup out of.