Fast Fret

[bluesparky]

Hi all, i have been known to use [url="http://www.gear4music.com/inventory-detail/index/?int_product_id=9533&gad=COO_5foBEgjUTSM1_6-iXBi0mZL_AyDfv5AR"]Fast Fret[/url] to add a bit of zing to my strings and make them feel a little smoother and silkier.
Then someone (who's opinion i value) said it eats away at the wood in the neck and doesn't do it any good in the long run.
Does anyone know anything about that? Or does anyone use any product on their strings to add like to them?

I'm sure it's probably been covered before in a topic somewhere but i couldn't find anything about it.
Thanks

[bremen]

[quote name='bluesparky' post='335377' date='Nov 24 2008, 12:03 PM']Hi all, i have been known to use [url="http://www.gear4music.com/inventory-detail/index/?int_product_id=9533&gad=COO_5foBEgjUTSM1_6-iXBi0mZL_AyDfv5AR"]Fast Fret[/url] to add a bit of zing to my strings and make them feel a little smoother and silkier.
Then someone (who's opinion i value) said it eats away at the wood in the neck and doesn't do it any good in the long run.
Does anyone know anything about that? Or does anyone use any product on their strings to add like to them?

I'm sure it's probably been covered before in a topic somewhere but i couldn't find anything about it.
Thanks[/quote]

I use Fastfret and it hasn't made my neck fall off yet. You're not the only concerned citizen however:

[url="http://www.rickenbacker.com/forum_view_thread.asp?forum=Just_Guitars&thread_name=Fast%20Fret?&thread_id=1824&Page=1"]http://www.rickenbacker.com/forum_view_thr...1824&Page=1[/url]

[BOD2]

That's the first time I've heard this concern raised.

I can see how it might perhaps contribute to "drying out" an unsealed wood fretboard (e.g. a rosewood board) but that happens through time anyway and a touch of lemon oil on the fretboard when replacing the strings will prevent that.

I'd be surprised if it got through a sealed varnished neck, though. It's not like you spray on copious quantities of Fast Fret. I've used it on my 6-strings occasionally and the applicator is quite dry so you're not applying very much of it, and most of it will go on the strings rather then the neck.

I would say as long as you use it as directed (e.g rub it one then wipe down with a cloth) then it shouldn't cause any problems.

As for the contributors on that Rick thread suggesting WD40....no, no, no. Use WD40 on your car by all means, but it's got no place on a guitar.

[bluesparky]

Ok, i may go and get some more then! Thanks guys.
Are there any other similar products on the market, or is fast fret the market leader / best?

I've heard about rubbing certain oils into the neck when changing strings, but i've not really done anything about it.

Does it matter if it's rosewood or maple as to what oil you use?
Is the oil just "lemon oil" or is it an oil specifically marketed for axe wielders?

[quote name='BOD2' post='335388' date='Nov 24 2008, 12:24 PM']As for the contributors on that Rick thread suggesting WD40....no, no, no. Use WD40 on your car by all means, but it's got no place on a guitar.[/quote]
Yeah i saw that, WD40! ha ha, and there was me thinking about Castrol GTX too!

The best use i had for WD40 was to grease up the corners of my scalextric so the cars could drift around the corners, ooh, that takes me back!!

[BOD2]

Lemon oil is for open grained wood fretboards (e.g. rosewood). It needs to absorb into the wood otherwise it just leaves a sticky mess so you cannot use it on varnished maple boards. You use it sparingly when changing the strings. It is a product developed for guitars (most guitar accessory shops will have some). It's NOT the stuff that comes in a yellow plastic lemon that you squirt on your fish....

For a varnished maple board you can use just about anything if you are careful. Ordinary furniture polishes will work but it's best to avoid ones containing silicones. A standard guitar polish will do the job.

[johnnylager]

[quote name='BOD2' post='335402' date='Nov 24 2008, 12:44 PM']It's NOT the stuff that comes in a yellow plastic lemon that you squirt on your fish.... [/quote]
Oh no, what have I done!

[casapete]

Best thing to do is remember to wipe your strings after a gig - unless you sweat buckets, this lengthens string life no end.
Also playing with clean hands helps! Personally have never felt need for stuff like Fast Fret etc,but then i do seem to have dryish hands!
Lemon oil (Dunlop do one)from most guitar shops is great on rosewood boards, but apply sparingly and remove excess. I usually do mine every other restring, keeps the board from drying out,and enhances the lovely dark finish too!

Edited November 24, 2008 by casapete

[Adrenochrome]

I use fast fret and get very long string life, despite being very hard on my basses and grinding frets down fast. I'm not entirely convinced that it's not the fact that I'm wiping the sweat/crud off the strings regularly rather than the lubing qualities of fast fret itself. I know our new guitarist doesn't rate it but it works for me for whatever reason.

[Waldo]

It's just mineral oil, since when did mineral oil eat away wood? Would a company really market and sell a string life product that had any chance of damaging the wood on your guitar?

And as for WD-40, tell me, do any of you actually know whats in it? You don't do you, and yet you're balking at using it on your guitar! It's mostly an oil emulsifying solvent which quickly evaparates and the rest is............mineral oil. The exact same mineral oil that's in your stick of fast fret.

So why has it 'got no place on a guitar' ?

Edited November 24, 2008 by Waldo

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='Waldo' post='335604' date='Nov 24 2008, 04:08 PM']It's just mineral oil, since when did mineral oil eat away wood? Would a company really market and sell a string life product that had any chance of damaging the wood on your guitar?

And as for WD-40, tell me, do any of you actually know whats in it? You don't do you, and yet you're balking at using it on your guitar! It's mostly an oil emulsifying solvent which quickly evaparates and the rest is............mineral oil. The exact same mineral oil that's in your stick of fast fret.

So why has it 'got no place on a guitar' ?[/quote]

You beat me to it!

I've found WD40 excellent for cleaning up gunky greasy fingerboards and I've used it on natural finish Warwick bodies many a time. It isn't my #1 choice of cleaning product, there are better products but I've got a tin on my workbench for loads of bass related jobs (great as a lubricant for polishing frets when used in conjunction with a fret masker). I've yet to have a bass fall apart on me or the wood crack/dry out and I've used WD40 on basses I've had for 16 years.

[bluesparky]

OK, i guess i didn't think about it, but then again i'd think all of us could be wary about putting something they're not 100% sure about onto their pride and joy if they didn't know if it'd do it any good or harm.

To be honest, i didn't / don't know the ingredients of WD40, (i just know what it stands for!) so wouldn't know whether to judge if it'd be detrimental to the health of my beasts and i've only used it on big pieces of machinery that take a regular beating in all weathers.

[budget bassist]

Yeah WD40 is pretty good stuff for pretty much anything. I find it has more place as a cleaner than a lubricant. It's too think to be a good lubricant but it gets rid of muck magnificently! I've only ever used it on my bike before, but if it's pretty much mineral oil and people have used it before i wouldn't hesitate to use it on my bass as it's pretty good stuff. Though unless you've got a proper grime build up i wouldn't imagine you'd really need it.

Edited November 24, 2008 by budget bassist

[Waldo]

[quote name='budget bassist' post='335656' date='Nov 24 2008, 05:29 PM']Yeah WD40 is pretty good stuff for pretty much anything. I find it has more place as a cleaner than a lubricant. It's too think to be a good lubricant but it gets rid of muck magnificently! I've only ever used it on my bike before, but if it's pretty much mineral oil and people have used it before i wouldn't hesitate to use it on my bass as it's pretty good stuff. Though unless you've got a proper grime build up i wouldn't imagine you'd really need it.[/quote]

As I said before, WD-40 is mostly organic solvent, which explains why it's so good at cleaning. Furthermore, it's very good at emulsifying grease (ie. the finger grease on your strings), so if you combine it with some soap, you have a very good string cleaner

[Paul Cooke]

I recharge my fast fret stick with a few drops of 3-in-1 oil and WD40 to chase it in with... it was rather greasy at first, but after a few weeks soaking in, it really does the job... I now have two FF sticks, one in use, the other soaking in...

I use the flap of one of those plastic document wallets between the strings and the fretboard when I'm rubbing the stick against the strings... stops the fretboard getting messed up... also allows me to press real hard to get the windings clean.

I clean my rosewood fretboards every couple of months using Lem-oil and a clean cloth... my maple fretboard gets cleaned with a slightly damp cloth and then wiped off with a dry one.

There's nowt wrong with WD40... the guitarist with The Hamsters has been using an old FF stick with WD40 for well over a decade now and he's never had any problems... he wipes his strings with the stick every few songs during the set. Keeps the stick in his back pocket.

[MB1]

MB1.
If Fast Fret affects the fingerboard of my bass i know who to claim from..... Fast fret...... because it wouldnt be doing what it says on the tin!(plastic container)
Havent seen anything on WD-40 to sugest its usable on a stringed instrument (making any kind of claim, should it affect your instrument ....could prove difficult!)

[BOD2]

[quote name='Waldo' post='335604' date='Nov 24 2008, 04:08 PM']And as for WD-40, tell me, do any of you actually know whats in it? You don't do you, and yet you're balking at using it on your guitar! It's mostly an oil emulsifying solvent which quickly evaparates and the rest is............mineral oil. The exact same mineral oil that's in your stick of fast fret.

So why has it 'got no place on a guitar' ?[/quote]

OK, I agree that it's not going to kill you, but it does carry a warning that repeated contact with the skin may cause irritation and dryness ...

[url="http://www.wd40.co.uk/media/adobe/2/0/WD-40_aerosol_MSDS.pdf"]http://www.wd40.co.uk/media/adobe/2/0/WD-40_aerosol_MSDS.pdf[/url]

I've used WD40 a lot in car maintenance before and I'd certainly prefer not to get it on my hands regularly so I wouldn't want to apply it as a string cleaner. I suppose it's not been formulated with skin contact in mind.

But then some people might also say that about Fast Fret !

It's also not the best product to use on guitar electrics because it does leave a greasy film to which dust will stick and this combination of grease and dust on pots can cause them to clog up or become noisy. Much better to use an electrical cleaning product like Super Servisol for that.

It might get you out a tight spot, though.

[el-gnomo]

Aaaaagh WD40 !!

Actually the main problem I have with it's use on guitars is..... it's a spray, and in a previous life as a sound engineer I found all guitarist's who use it also have electric fans behind them, thereby ensuring they blow it in the eyes of the first 5 rows, monitor engineer, etc.... every few songs !!!!

I don't know what's in it, but it stings !!

[Jase]

[quote name='Adrenochrome' post='335590' date='Nov 24 2008, 03:56 PM']I use fast fret and get very long string life, despite being very hard on my basses and grinding frets down fast. I'm not entirely convinced that it's not the fact that I'm wiping the sweat/crud off the strings regularly rather than the lubing qualities of fast fret itself. I know our new guitarist doesn't rate it but it works for me for whatever reason.[/quote]

Works ok for me too. Seems to sustain some life in the strings, more so if you've got a wet fresh one but for me it's mainly to get rid of that awful sticky drag you get, rather than sustaining the strings life.

[Balcro]

[quote name='bluesparky' post='335377' date='Nov 24 2008, 12:03 PM']Hi all, i have been known to use [url="http://www.gear4music.com/inventory-detail/index/?int_product_id=9533&gad=COO_5foBEgjUTSM1_6-iXBi0mZL_AyDfv5AR"]Fast Fret[/url] to add a bit of zing to my strings and make them feel a little smoother and silkier.
Then someone (who's opinion i value) said it eats away at the wood in the neck and doesn't do it any good in the long run.
Does anyone know anything about that? Or does anyone use any product on their strings to add like to them?
I'm sure it's probably been covered before in a topic somewhere but i couldn't find anything about it. Thanks[/quote]


This subject is just apt for me, as I've just ordered my first ever bottles of Fast-Fret. One for me and one for a mate.

Elsewhere, in the "Repair & Technical Issues forum, "Mottlefeeder" makes a good observation when talking about cleaning his Warwick. He uses boiled linseed oil to nourish the wood and a Colron polish for the body. Now that makes sense to me.

I think I'll use the F-F for a [u]quick clean[/u] of the rosewood neck. I guess it may have some astringent qualities which will neutralise a build up of finger grease. I'll rub it on to clean, then quickly rub off with a dry cloth to remove the grime and oil residue.
There's no way I'm going to rub in WD40. If you've ever had a really mucky session under the bonnet you'll know it has a tendency to dry up your skin something rotten. So what's it going to do to the natural oils in wood? Why would you rub a mineral oil into wood when there are plenty of wood related oils?

To nourish the wood, it's Linseed oil for me. Apply generously, rub in, wipe of the excess and leave to dry for a day or so. Before use, thoroughly wipe down the neck again with a clean dry cloth. You don't want to get any of these products on the skin for any length of time.

Any more takers for Linseed oil?

Balcro.

[Mr. Foxen]

WD40 irritates your skin due to the organic solvent part of it dissolving the oils out of you skin. Thus solvent evaporates so it should cause the same irritation if it is on your strings. I use lemon oil on boards and don't do much with my strings. Might throw some in some meths in a sealed tub, see if it rejuvinates them though.

I bought a guitar with sticking out fret ends and put loads of lemon oil on the really dry board, left it to soak and kept reapplying till it stopped going in, after a few days the ends didn't stick out any more.

[Paul Cooke]

[quote name='Balcro' post='335891' date='Nov 24 2008, 10:21 PM']I think I'll use the F-F for a quick clean of the rosewood neck. I guess it may have some astringent qualities which will neutralise a build up of finger grease. I'll rub it on to clean, then quickly rub off with a dry cloth to remove the grime and oil residue.

There's no way I'm going to rub in WD40. If you've ever had a really mucky session under the bonnet you'll know it has a tendency to dry up your skin something rotten. So what's it going to do to the natural oils in wood? Why would you rub a mineral oil into wood when there are plenty of wood related oils?[/quote]

the only listed ingredient on the Fast Fret sleeve is Light Mineral Oil...

[fumps]

Yep
i work with chemicals & a few industrial chemists , Mineral oil is'nt in any way going to knack strings or any kind of varnish.

Now i know it's mineral oil i think i'll whip some up in the lab .....cool

[Waldo]

Why has the discussion moved to using fast fret/wd-40 to clean the wood/electronics on your bass? Don't recall anyone suggesting that

[quote]Why would you rub a mineral oil into wood when there are plenty of wood related oils?[/quote]

Not bothered reading the rest of the thread eh?

Edited November 25, 2008 by Waldo

[thebeat]

I use Dr Stringfellow by Keysers for me strings and lemon oil for me fingerboards...works for me.

[The Burpster]

Well heres an oddity, I never put brand new strings on without cleaning them (have you seen how much oil and preservative is on them?), which I normally do with WD40 and then alcohol.

Once installed I clean them after every use with a Fast fret stick, none of mine have shown any adverse effects and yes it IMHO it does improve string life. It does make them feel a little slicker too....