I need to get some lemon oil to put on the fret board of one of my basses. What kind of lemon oil do I need to get?
I need to get some lemon oil to put on the fret board of one of my basses. What kind of lemon oil do I need to get?
Why?
1. Fretboards should almost never need oiling. Maple are finished and rosewood are naturally oily.
2. If you do, lemon oil is just mineral oil with fake lemon scent. Buy mineral oil from the hardware store.
Can't you also get mineral oil at any drug store, also?
Where the oil on my fingers gets on the fretboard, it looks good. Where I never play looks really dry and the color in those areas keeps getting lighter and lighter. Someone said to rub a little lemon oil on there and that would take care of it.
"Ashy" was the word I was looking for but couldn't think of it. It has gotten worse since it has been cold and we have been running the heat during some really cold weather. I will pick some up tomorrow at the "mart".Yes, you can, and actually baby oil is fine too. It’s mineral oil with fake...baby...smell. It and mineral oil are also way cheaper per ounce than fretboard-specific lemon oil.
Your fretboard is probably fine, unless where it’s kept is really dry, in which case you’d also probably see sharp fret ends. But for aesthetic purposes, it won’t hurt to rub some whenever it looks “ashy” like that.
"Ashy" was the word I was looking for but couldn't think of it. It has gotten worse since it has been cold and we have been running the heat during some really cold weather. I will pick some up tomorrow at the "mart".
Yeah, just don’t use linseed or olive oil or anything that will either go rancid or actually seal the wood. Assuming it’s rosewood. Maple will be sealed and is a different animal al together.
Yeah, just don’t use linseed or olive oil or anything that will either go rancid or actually seal the wood. Assuming it’s rosewood. Maple will be sealed and is a different animal altogether.
I've used Fret Doctor oil for years and that stuff works really well. I also recently bought a bottle of Music Nomad F-One oil, which looks similar and has a lot of good reviews, though I haven't tried it yet.
Don't use much mineral oil at all, just a very thin coat. And then wipe it right back off. Enough mineral oil will stay on there to achieve what you're after.
If there are any cracks in your fretboard, you definitely don't want the oil in there. You don't want it seeping into the Fret slots either.
I will probably go by our local music store and see what they have. I am not confident they will have it. I don't think they are gonna be around too much longer. Thanks for the info.
NPI will use it sparingly. I didn't see any cracks in the board but I will recheck it before I put anything on. Thanks for the advice.
They might have the Music Nomad stuff, as its widely available. Fret Doctor is just made by some guy and you have to buy it online. They're both designed to be similar to the natural oils present in wood though. A lot of the other options are either petroleum-based or include weird stuff that can leave a residue on the fretboard.
NP
A lot of times that ashy/chaulky look on a rosewood fretboard is because someone got guitar polish on the fretboard.
Not always the case but sometimes that's what it is.