Fretboard Care (Inlays, Frets, Board, etc)

[skyn]

I was wondering about general fret board care - any tips from you guys?

Fret Board - Fret Doctor/Bore Oil (I've actually ordered both. Should I apply both at the same time?)

Frets - Clean with steel wool then polish with brasso or autosol?

Inlays - Any fancy cleaning going on here?

[Lance_S]

Stick with Fret Doctor, it's all you will need.

If you are going to sand the board, sand with the grain. You can use steel wool to sand the board. Don't get crazy, just enough to open the pores.

You can polish the frets with brasso, you can also use strap leather (luthiers trick) Tape the board off to protect it.

I actually tape the frets off and the board off individually. Run a strip of masking tape over the fret, get out your razor blade or exacto knife and slice gently along the fret both sides, this will leave a nice clean strip of tape on the fret. Go visa versa for the board.

Nothing fancy for the inlays, use the wool to clean them, again sanding with the grain. If you want to polish them, get a clean shoe string, while the fret doctor is soaking in, you can slide the shoe string back and forth over the inlay (flat). it will polish it.

Don't use too much fret doctor, it can get under the frets and loosen them. Put a small dot on the board and rub it in with your finger, soak up the excess with a paper towel, let it soak in.

For serious fret polishing, I tape off the board, expose only the fret and take a powered wheel with Flitz polish to them. They look like a mirror when your done, but like anything that has power to it, you have to know what you are doing and be comfortable with it. Only you can decide whether you are comfortable with that one.

Enjoy.

L

[Jason]

I would just buy a big bottle of bore oil or lemon oil. It's the same stuff but costs about 1/100th as much as the stuff that is supposedly "made for guitars".

[skyn]

Thanks for the replies!

A guy in my area who is pretty experienced with guitars mentioned that lemon oil eats into the wood as lemon is essentially acidic. He said that you probably wouldn't see the effects immediately, but over many many years you'd probably be able to tell - hence my apprehension towards lemon based oils.

Ah, so regarding Fret Doctor and Bore Oil, which is more applicable? I really didn't know what the difference between either was thus I bought both. I shouldn't put them both on? The difference between them both is pretty ambiguous :/

Would fret doctor affect the fret wire? Cause if it doesn't would there be a point in going through the extra trouble of taping them up before oiling the board?

Also just checking, I should use steel wool on the fret board to first open up the pores? I'm afraid of the scratches that might result, especially on the inlays. Touching on inlays, in the event that an inlay actually falls out, or if I would want to change the inlay, what glue should I use?

Thanks!

[Ole'Lefty]

Fret Doctor is "Bore Oil." It just also happens to be about the best fretboard treatment around. I'm doing the board on my Antique as I type this. NO STEEL WOOL!!! Find the grey or white Scotch Brite( non-woven abrasive pad)-non-magnetic and won't leave nasty little steel splinters to put pain in your vibrato and bends and screw up your pickups.I have bronze wool-it is excellent but about 100 times more expensive than the others I suggested. PURELY MY OPINION.O'L

[joe19680]

Originally Posted by Ole'Lefty

Fret Doctor is "Bore Oil." It just also happens to be about the best fretboard treatment around. I'm doing the board on my Antique as I type this. NO STEEL WOOL!!! Find the grey or white Scotch Brite( non-woven abrasive pad)-non-magnetic and won't leave nasty little steel splinters to put pain in your vibrato and bends and screw up your pickups.I have bronze wool-it is excellent but about 100 times more expensive than the others I suggested. PURELY MY OPINION.O'L

+1 on the scotch Brite pads! and the Bore Oil!

[skyn]

Bore Oil for the Fife and Fret Doctor

When I read that link, I'm confused by the difference between Bore Oil and Fret Doctor. Aren't they both essentially the same? It's definitely 2 separate products!

[krokodyl]

As far as I know, Fret Doctor is just a Bore Oil put into bigger bottles.

[watchunglava]

Originally Posted by krokodyl

as far as i know, fret doctor is just a bore oil put into bigger bottles.

+1

[bfcg]

Originally Posted by skyn

Bore Oil for the Fife and Fret Doctor

When I read that link, I'm confused by the difference between Bore Oil and Fret Doctor. Aren't they both essentially the same? It's definitely 2 separate products!

What confuses me is that he calls that cutting board maple.

[Lance_S]

Originally Posted by Ole'Lefty

Fret Doctor is "Bore Oil." It just also happens to be about the best fretboard treatment around. I'm doing the board on my Antique as I type this. NO STEEL WOOL!!! Find the grey or white Scotch Brite( non-woven abrasive pad)-non-magnetic and won't leave nasty little steel splinters to put pain in your vibrato and bends and screw up your pickups.I have bronze wool-it is excellent but about 100 times more expensive than the others I suggested. PURELY MY OPINION.O'L

Yup,

No worries. I just make sure to tape off the pickups. But that should be done anyway, just to be safe.

[skyn]

Yep, I've just received the Fret Doctor and Bore Oil I ordered. Just to confirm with the above posters, in the documentation coupled with the products, Ed did mention that Fret Doctor is just a larger bottle of Bore Oil. I've tried it out on my fret board with great results - expect pictures soon! I'm a believer!