Low End Posted February 21, 2008 Share Posted February 21, 2008 I'm currently reviving and old and ugly japanese Hohner and there is a serious amount of old gunk on the fretboard. Is it important what kind of detergent I use to clean the frets or will I just use small amount of soapy water , anyone any ideas? When my 4 yr old noticed I was in a pickle she suggested I put the neck in the dishwasher......"It'll be like new".....she reckoned...... Kenny Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
noisedude Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 No - don't use detergent! If it's a rosewood or ebony fingerboard, follow these simple instructions. For lacquered maple, don't. Start with Silvo or Brasso metal polish wadding (about a quid for a tin, will last for a decade). Give it a good scrubbing and see how black the wadding comes up. It's also (not surprisingly) good for polishing your frets. Then use lemon oil or almond oil (almond oil is better for feeding the wood, lemon oil is better for cleaning but sold at a ridiculous price by guitar shops, I usually use a 50/50 mix of the two, almond oil is a couple of quid for a lifetime-sized bottle from any pharmacy) to clean and feed the board. Do this with a a bit of kitchen roll folded up, with a tiny amount of oil on it - literally hold it over the top of the oil bottle, turn upside down and back and that'll probably do a third of the board easily. Rub it into the board and once you've done the whole board, rub it down in the same way with a clean piece of kitchen roll. Repeat this stage until there is no more oil coming off onto the kitchen roll. Repeat the whole process if needed, but done properly this should be once-through only, and a ten or fifteen minute job maximum in total. Hope that helps, if my explanation is imperfect, sorry, it's late at night! Nik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neepheid Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Alternatively, I've used lighter fluid to clean up rosewood fingerboard before. Lifts dirt then evaporates. Before and after: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jase Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Lighter fluid? You'll be doing a Jimi Hendrix next Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigjohn Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Lighter fluid - naptha (real zippo fuel) rather than petrol. It's higher grade and the stink stays less. Watered down malt vinegar can be useful too. Lemon oil smells nice after Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted February 22, 2008 Share Posted February 22, 2008 Scrape the worst of the crud off between the frets with an old credit/loyalty card type thing, then something like Dr Duck's Ax Wax (honest) to take off the grime. That can then be buffed up or if it's still dry lemon oil. If you are going to buff the frets and do a decent job invest in some of the stuff you can get from Stewmac. Polishing pads are great, as are fingerboard guards. [url="http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Finishing_supplies/Abrasives,_polishes,_buffers/Micro-Mesh_Soft_Touch_Finishing_Pads.html"]http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Finishing_supp...shing_Pads.html[/url] [url="http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_supplies/Polishing_and_abrasives/Fingerboard_Guards.html"]http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting_suppl...ard_Guards.html[/url] Buy your cleaning bits from there too and you are set for life. Have a browse you'll be amazed what you 'need' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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