Fret Doctor - Before and After Pictures

[delawaregold]

I use Fret Doctor!


Click here to learn more about Fret Doctor

[brockburst]

wow niceeee

[Tuxedo Kaz]

On my R8:

[riffs246]

Hey-It's nice to see folks discovering fret doctor. I have been using it for about a year and I'm a believer. The guy who makes this stuff was formerly Director of Biology and Physiology at a major optics company (Carl Zeiss?)
He has electron microscopy photos of his product penetrating wood vs. other products. It's nice to see a product based on scientific research rather than something made in some guys garage and called Gorilla Snot or whatever. What this stuff does for wood is amazing. I actually use it around the house for other wood objects to bring out the grain and natural beauty of the wood. It has such good spreadability that a small bottle will last you years. This is a really special product, and the guy who created it deserves to do well, although he is a really humble guy who invented the product as a bore oil for woodwind instruments. Your beautiful photos really tell the story. Check out his website forgood scientific explanations why you shouldn't use lemon oil on a fretboard. Because he is a PhD in physiology, he knows wood better than most people and I trust his judgement.

[songwriter]

I used a kitchen scrubbing spongeon my fretboard on my washburn acoustic electric- the kind with the rough surface on one side- to clean the grime off the fretbord. It did such a nice clean job I didn't apply anything else on top of it but I hear that lemon oil is about the best thing you can apply. not sure if it's better than fret doctor?

[watchunglava]

1967 gibson b 15

scraped it cleaned it oiled it .

42 years of gunk



ahhhh brazilian rosewood









after a night of soaking

[5F6-A]

fret doctor is marvellous

I've been a believer for a long time now and the stuff is simply amazing

[lazz]

i dont think i can get it here had to make do with bore oil.

[watchunglava]

Originally Posted by lazz

i dont think i can get it here had to make do with bore oil.

fret dr is bore oil! only specially formulated using the most exotic oils , no petrolium oil packaged as bore oil .

maybe i should start reselling it on ebay for international folks . allthough i don't see why the guy wouldn't ship it to you . you do have to pay first ya know.

email him and ask he is a really cool guy.

[5F6-A]

it ships worldwide

[dspelman]

Interesting and all -- but I've gotten exactly the same results by using plain old lighter fluid (naptha, as recommended by Gibson before they sold their own fretboard gunk) to clean, 0000 steel wool to polish the frets a bit, and garden variety mineral oil applied to the fretboard.

As for the darkening and subsequent lightening of the fretboard surface mentioned in the posts, you should note that this also happens with mineral oil (and even with that 'lemon oil polish" stuff for furniture, which is generally a mix of mineral oil, naptha as a solvent and absolutely no real lemon oil)). Again, mineral oil is what Gibson recommended before they began to sell their own stuff.

[Jason]

Originally Posted by dspelman

Interesting and all -- but I've gotten exactly the same results by using plain old lighter fluid (naptha, as recommended by Gibson before they sold their own fretboard gunk) to clean, 0000 steel wool to polish the frets a bit, and garden variety mineral oil applied to the fretboard.

As for the darkening and subsequent lightening of the fretboard surface mentioned in the posts, you should note that this also happens with mineral oil (and even with that 'lemon oil polish" stuff for furniture, which is generally a mix of mineral oil, naptha as a solvent and absolutely no real lemon oil)). Again, mineral oil is what Gibson recommended before they began to sell their own stuff.

Yup. I am pretty sure that Fret Doctor itself is just white mineral oil with a scent added to it anyway. I just use some "lemon" oil that I picked up for cheap at the grocery store.

[mikemack]

Originally Posted by Alex

It was time for me to change strings today and this was also my chance to use Fret Doctor for the first time.

Before applying Fret Doctor, I used a cotton cloth to wipe the dirt from the fingerboard. Alternatively, you could use a toothbrush.

Before pictures:








Fret Doctor website: Bore Oil for the Fife and Fret Doctor

That is a beautifull board

[beanhead]

good stuff. some nice lookin fretboards here

but am i the only one who never replaces ALL of the strings at once, but one at a time to maintain tension?

btw thanks for the pics, now I want an Iced-Tea...

[lazz]

i remove all the strings at once.I dont think the 5 minute change in tension will make any difference to the neck at all,in fact if you watch the how to vids on strings all the pro techs cut all the strings at once.

[bfcg]

I think it is good stuff. I appreciate all of the photos and the time some of you spent on bringing this to the rest of us....but, when taking before and after photos, couldn't you try to replicate the lighting conditions, angle and framing for each picture.
If I were dubious about the product, I certainly would not be convinced if those were product shots.
Again I really do appreciate your efforts but I will get the flame suit on anyway.

[dspelman]

Originally Posted by beanhead

good stuff. some nice lookin fretboards here

but am i the only one who never replaces ALL of the strings at once, but one at a time to maintain tension?

There's absolutely no reason to do that (replace just one string at a time).

Internet myth.

In fact, I've stored guitars for 10 years by cutting off the strings and loosening the truss rod until it no longer put any tension on the neck. At the end of that time I cleaned it all up, put some mineral oil on the fretboard overnight, wiped it all down, put on new strings and did a complete setup on it (including truss rod). Waited a day, made any necessary adjustments and it's been fine ever since.

[dspelman]

Originally Posted by Jason

Yup. I am pretty sure that Fret Doctor itself is just white mineral oil with a scent added to it anyway. I just use some "lemon" oil that I picked up for cheap at the grocery store.

The guy that makes the stuff swears that it's an exotic formulation of some sort and not mineral oil based.

I've got a 1939 Epiphone Emperor (non-electric) that has had the mineral oil treatment all its life and the fretboard looks gorgeous. I have no idea how much better it could look with "fret doctor" but I'm guessing that a generous bottle of mineral oil purchased in 1939 for a few cents would have been enough for 70 years worth of treatment.

Honestly, virtually any oil will work on fretboards -- Neal Schon swears he uses salami <G>. Not HIS Salami, I'm thinking -- the store-bought kind. Other people I know use and swear by olive oil. Why not?

Spend what you want to spend, believe whatever advertising copy you want to believe -- but so far there's no evidence whatsoever that you need anything more exotic than plain old mineral oil.

[dspelman]

Originally Posted by watchunglava

2. a guy who worked for years in conjunction with an academic university , employing the use of crazy electron microscopes studying the wood at that insane level ,to develop the best conditioner for wood came up with this stuff fret dr.

its a real bore oil. using only the most exotic ,rare ,and natural oils .

i heard someone say salami oil! look read the guys site. salami oil will turn rancid quickly and olive oil will as well after time. this will destroy your wood .

its not about looks . yea oiling your fret board looks good whatever. fret dr is about protecting your fretboard against time and nature .

You'll have to take this Salami stuff up with Neal Schon. I have no idea how his guitar smells or if the wood is rotting off it. Same with the folks who use olive oil. There are even people who use motor oil. Honestly I don't think it makes a lot of difference, nor have I *ever* heard of a fretboard rotting because the olive oil went rancid. Since this guy doesn't publish what's in fret doctor, you have NO clue what's in there (rare, exotic, natural, right...). You're just drinking his Kool-Aid and buying whatever advertising copy he's putting out. More power to you, I'm sure it's good stuff and it's your money. I think that if plain old mineral oil works (and has been recommended for years) there's not a whole lot of reason for me to pay the bucks for the new hot ticket just because some guy slps up a website and claims his stuff is the best since sliced...uh...salami <G>.

[Sinster]

Originally Posted by Alex

It was time for me to change strings today and this was also my chance to use Fret Doctor for the first time.

Before applying Fret Doctor, I used a cotton cloth to wipe the dirt from the fingerboard. Alternatively, you could use a toothbrush.

Before pictures:






A few more for comparison:





I'll then wipe the excess oil. By the way, I use Q-tips to apply Fret Doctor. Some like to use their finger or a cloth.





And the end result...





Here's another member with before and after pictures: Fret Dr!

Fret Doctor website: Bore Oil for the Fife and Fret Doctor

What did you use before you started to use Fret Dr.

[jtmann]

Fret Doctor vs. Roche Thomas Premium Fingerboard Oil
I have been research for a while what is best to use for my Ibanez electric rosewood fingerboard. I have narrowed down to Fret Doctor vs. Roche Thomas Premium Fingerboard Oil. To my uneducated eye they look to be the same ingredients?

Does anyone know? I can't get an answer out of either manufacturer

thanks

Edit - here are the URLS
http://www.rochethomas.com/p-121-pre...d-oil-2oz.aspx
Bore Oil for the Fife and Fret Doctor

[watchunglava]

the colors looks different the roche looks more golden the fret dr looks more yellow

[jtmann]

Cleaning/oiling fretboard - how to with strings ON?

I recently bought a new guitar and unless my memory is failing me, I recall the manual saying to change strings one at a time to help neck/tuning stability.

Does that sounds right? Reasons I aks is that I was about to clean the frets/fretboard and then apply some Fret Doctor. Obviously that would be easier to do if all the strings were off but I do not want to compromise my current action.

Any suggestions or comments on this? thanks