Fretboard Cleaning

Catman
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Tue Aug 25, 2009 2:57 pm

While restringing my guitar I noticed that the fretboard is dirty, with gunge (is that the correct luthier's jargon?) starting to build up between the strings and around the frets.

How should I go about cleaning this?

And how does one avoid it in the first place?

Thanks,
CatMan


lmc831
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Tue Aug 25, 2009 3:02 pm

catman,
Always wash your hands before u play your guitar. That will help with keeping your fingerbroad clean.
Lisa


BigBear
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Tue Aug 25, 2009 3:09 pm

Catman wrote:
While restringing my guitar I noticed that the fretboard is dirty, with gunge (is that the correct luthier's jargon?) starting to build up between the strings and around the frets.

How should I go about cleaning this?

And how does one avoid it in the first place?

Thanks,
CatMan
David- The grunge on the fretboard is mostly finger oils and the dirt that comes along with it. There are two schools of thought for cleaning the fretboard.

The organic method is to use any vinegar except balsamic and with a cotton ball clean the board. Then apply a very light coating of olive oil. Works good.

The other approach is to buy one fo the many fretboard cleaners on the market. Dunlop makes a good one as do many others. They usually use some type of lemon oil and work fine.

Good luck, again!! :cheer:


sl83
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Tue Aug 25, 2009 5:32 pm

The all around best fingerboard/fret cleaner I've ever used (and I've used a lot!) is Gorgomyte. Steel wool works too but is messy and wears down the fingerboard quicker. Gorgomyte leaves the fingerboard like new and the frets better than new! It's easy to use and not too expensive. I use it every, or every other, string change. Try it once and see...


goldleaf
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Tue Aug 25, 2009 11:30 pm

Gorgomyte, where do you buy it, Musiciansfriends.com??. Any suggestions on what to use on a Nitrocellulose finish to clean and keep looking good?? Thanks, Gary


BigBear
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Wed Aug 26, 2009 1:16 am

goldleaf wrote:
Gorgomyte, where do you buy it, Musiciansfriends.com??. Any suggestions on what to use on a Nitrocellulose finish to clean and keep looking good?? Thanks, Gary
Musician's Friend and Guitar Center both sell Gorgomyte for about $19/bottle. I haven't tried it yet but based on Gary's recommendation I may try it out soon.

For your guitar finish I still really like Martin's Guitar Polish. I've used it forever and it doesn't build up and always puts a like-glass shine on my guitar.

I was at my luthier's shop recently and they said they use Meguiar's liquid car wax. I thought he said Number 9 but I don't see a product by that name so I may not have heard him correctly. They swear by it for that really deep shine. I've used Meguiars on my cars for years and I don't believe there is anything better but I've never tried it on my guitar. Just don't get a cleaning was which may have abrasives in it!

Cheers! :cheer:


Chasplaya
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Wed Aug 26, 2009 3:16 am

Instead of providing the link i've copied what it says on Frets. Com about guitar cleaning:

As you wipe down the finish, particularly on the top and back, you may notice some spots or areas that don't come perfectly clean. Fingerprints, smudges, and other dirt may respond well to a trace of moisture. "Huff" some warm breath on the surface the way you would if you were about to wipe the inside of your car's windshield. Just that little bit of condensation may be enough moisture to allow you to wipe the offending area clean.

If your instrument seems to have a persistent "haze" on the surface of the finish, you'll probably need to use a lot of wiping cloths. Rewiping with a used cloth can deposit that contamination right back on the surface. So, if you're wiping down an instrument with a lot of surface haze, you'll need to keep using new cloths as you go. I've sometimes run through more than half a roll of those blue wipers doing a single guitar! Don't use the kitchen rolls with the weave pattern!! Old cotton T's do the job, just make sure any logo or printing is turned inside.

If you need a bit more cleaning power, try moistening the wiping cloth with a little mild detergent in water. Spray the cloth, not the guitar. That way you'll be able to control how much water actually gets on the surface. The idea is to use as little moisture as possible, to avoid it getting into any tiny voids in the finish. Follow the damp wiping by buffing with a dry cloth to remove any streaks.

There are lots of commercial guitar polishes and cleaners on the market. They are basically of three types - water based cleaners, creamy, water based cleaners with very fine abrasives, and oils. Most of these are fine products, and, used according to directions, will give good results.

Oils will remove oily smudges, but may not have any effect on water soluble dirt. Water-based cleaners (which look semitransparent in the bottle) should be sprayed on the cloth rather than on the instrument, and will clean up water soluble dirt best. The creamy polishes may have a slight abrasive, and are best avoided if you have a "matte" or dull finished guitar. Too much polishing can cause a semi-gloss finish to become shiny in patches.

As you play your guitar oils from your hands, and other dirt gets mashed onto the fingerboard. In fact, the fingerboard is the dirtiest part of most guitars:When you're changing strings, you have an opportunity to wipe down the fingerboard and really clean things up. (By the way, it doesn't hurt any guitar to take all the strings off at the same time.) If the dirt buildup is really bad, simply wiping with a damp cloth won't suffice. Get some extra fine steel wool (grade #0000) and scrub the fingerboard gently across its surface, parallel to the fret
As you scrub, make sure you don't snag the ends of the frets! There's usually no need for cleaning agents, because the steel wool will scrape the dirt away. Some players talk of "feeding" the unfinished surface of the fingerboard with oil. Fingerboards are not actually hungry and don't really need to be fed, but a light coating of oil gives them a finished and clean look. If you do choose to oil the fingerboard, do it with care. Use a tiny amount of lemon oil or mineral oil on the rag, wipe it on the fingerboard, and then wipe it all off. You don't want to saturate the fingerboard, and you don't want a lot of oil running down into the fret slots. If there are cracks in your fingerboard, consider having them filled professionally, and don't get oil in the cracks. Generally, you'll want to stay away from linseed and other natural vegetable oils, which become sticky and gummy over time:This kind of fingerboard cleaning should be a once-a-year event, at the most. Too much scrubbing and oiling can easily do more damage than good.Lemon oil and other oils are often sold as instrument polish. None of these will injure any finish, and can be used without fear of damaging the finish itself. The oil type cleaners will tend to remove oil soluble dirt, BUT, it is very important to realize that oils and polishes can penetrate any little breaks in the finish, and may make quite a mess over time.


haoli25
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Wed Aug 26, 2009 3:35 am

Good article Chas. Thanks



Bill


Catman
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Wed Aug 26, 2009 3:51 am

Chasplaya wrote:
Instead of providing the link i've copied what it says on Frets. Com about guitar cleaning:

As you wipe down the finish,...
[snip]...
mess over time.
Thanks Chas. Good article and good pointer.

CatMan


Catman
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Wed Aug 26, 2009 4:15 am

gingold wrote:
The all around best fingerboard/fret cleaner I've ever used (and I've used a lot!) is Gorgomyte. Steel wool works too but is messy and wears down the fingerboard quicker. Gorgomyte leaves the fingerboard like new and the frets better than new! It's easy to use and not too expensive. I use it every, or every other, string change. Try it once and see...
Interesting. I'll have to try it just for the name :)

I'll check if it's available outside the US.

CatMan


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