Fretboard cleaner

[Godzooky75]

Anyone here ever used "Fretboard Cleaner and Restorative Set" by Crimson Guitars? (From the U.K. https://crimsonguitars.com/store/fretboard-cleaner-restorative/)

I've read the reviews and watched their YouTube video and it looks like good stuff...no silicone or petroleum byproducts. Was wondereding if any U.K. Friends have run into it...

BTW...check out the Crimson Guitars YouTube channel. He looks to be a very good luthier and has a ton of information on guitar building.  It also cracks me up that they way he looks just does NOT go with the way he sounds.  :laughing7:

 

[AirCap]

That guy is a moron IMO.

Pro builders and repairman use Howards Feed & Wax....

 

[amigarobbo]

BTW...check out the Crimson Guitars YouTube channel. He looks to be a very good luthier and has a ton of information on guitar building.  It also cracks me up that they way he looks just does NOT go with the way he sounds.  :laughing7:

That sort of posh clipped South African accent? It is rather unusual. But I do wish he'd get some more tattoos on his temples, as it looks like he's got male pattern baldness of the tattoos going on.  :evil4:

 

[Kostas]

I'm using this for fretboards and unfinished necks.

 

[musicispeace]

We never "oiled" rosewood boards back in the day and I never knew anyone who's fretboard had issues. Still want to do horrible things to the moron tech who oiled my cocobolo fretboard against my instructions. Still watching it slowly regain itself.

 

[Ace Flibble]

Every wood needs different treatment. There's no one product you can use on everything.

That said, for finished necks (e.g. maple) you can use any regular body cleaner/polish, as you'd use for the body; just make sure the product you use is safe for nitro finishes if your neck has a nitro finish. (Poly finishes can take basically anything.)
For unfinished necks (e.g rosewood) the most commonly-used conditioner/cleaner is mineral oil (frequently sold as lemon oil; it's the same thing, just with a citrus scent added) and this should be applied only when the wood absolutely needs it. Most unfinished necks don't need any kind of cleaning or conditioning any more frequently than once every 18 months, but it does vary depending on use, the nature of your sweat, how the guitar is stored, the specific species of wood, etc.

As far as Crimson Guitars go, I can't say I'm a fan. I've had to fix a couple of their guitars for people. Nothing severe, just electronics becoming scratchy/losing connection and a new nut, but still, not things you expect to ever have to think about with a £2,000+ boutique guitar. Small issues, and there are hundreds of people who have their guitars and love them without issue, I'm sure, but still, for a boutique company it rubs me the wrong way. Especially when there are many other makers in the UK making just-as-good-if-not-better instruments for less.

 

[Cagey]

I don't use anything special. If the neck needs cleaning, then naphtha works great whether the neck is finished or not. It's cheap, easy, effective, and it doens't hurt anything. If the fretboard looks a bit dry after that, then about 2 drops of mineral oil on a rag will make it look like new. Other than that, I never oil necks. Your fingers will provide more than enough oil by a large margin. In fact, that's often why the neck needs cleaning in the first place. It's built up with a sludge made of sebum (skin oil), dead skin cells and general purpose dirt. Maybe a little hooker dust if you play a lotta bars  :laughing7:

 

[Godzooky75]

Wow, no love for Crimson, huh? Can't speak to the quality since I've never held one, but he does crack me up. What can I say? I'm easily amused.

Thanks for the cleaning/conditioning recommendations.

 

[stratamania]

I have actually met Ben, from Crimson. No idea about the product being asked for.

I did not find him to be a moron. Far from it.

 

[BigSteve22]

IMHO: Naptha to clean, Bore Doctor to condition(?), and darken.  Although I remember reading somewhere that Martin used 3-in-1 oil! :icon_thumright:

 

[AirCap]

Although I remember reading somewhere that Martin used 3-in-1 oil!

Old wives tale.

 

[Cagey]

Right. Thing would be unplayable.

 

[AirCap]

Back in the late 70's I had to refret a Tele with a rosewood board that the owner wiped down with motor oil once a week. The thing reeked of rancid motor oil, and the rosewood was getting spongy. I pulled the frets out with my fingernails!!! There were little puddles of oil in the bottom of the fret slots.

After slicing off the old fingerboard, I bathed the neck for 2 weeks in lacquer thinner until the oil finally stopped blotting onto paper towels. Glued on a fresh rosewood board with fresh frets and a new nut. Refinished in amber lacquer, and the guy was still playing it last time I saw him in the 90's.

I always meant to ask him his brand of motor oil, but I never did. Trop-Artic, Havoline, Pennzoil?