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[Lisa]

If you have a rosewood or ebony fingerboard, you can clean the fingerboard and frets with 0000 steel wool. First, take off the strings and prep the guitar. If you have a floating tremolo, you can put a small block or a stack of paper or cards under the bridge to keep the bridge at the usual height. Cover the pickups with masking tape to protect them from steel wool dust, which will stick to the magnets. Be careful with the tape and make sure you don't damage the guitar's finish. You can cut down on the stickiness of the tape by sticking it to your tshirt a few times first. Also, cover up any f-holes or soundholes (if it's an acoustic). Rub the steel wool with the grain of the wood - in the same direction as the strings, going over the frets and removing all dirt from the wood. Don't rub in the direction of the frets because you'll make scratches in the wood. This should definitely take off all of the gunk and polish up the frets nicely. When you're done, you can put some oil on the fingerboard to condition the wood. I like Luthier's Choice, which is easy to find in most guitar stores.

 

If you have a lacquered maple fingerboard, then you might be able to use regular guitar polish to clean up the wood. You can tape off the fingerboard and clean the frets individually with steel wool. I don't recommend that you use steel wool on the lacquered wood because it will take off the finish and make scratches.

 

After you're done cleaning up the fingerboard, restring the guitar as usual and recheck the intonation. You should recheck the intonation periodically and make adjustments as needed. Removing all the strings from your guitar shouldn't affect the intonation. If you're using the same gauge strings and it was correct before, it should still be correct, unless any of the saddles or bridge height was affected (for instance, if you change the bridge height on a tuneomatic bridge by moving the height adjustment wheels). If you change to a lighter or heavier set of strings, intonation will need to be adjusted.

 

Hope this helps!

 

Lisa

[lynx]

Not to be contradictory to Lisa here, who otherwise made a lot of good suggestions, but I would never use steel wool for anything on a guitar other than to clean corrosion off certain metal parts (and a very fine grade #000 or #0000) and only if I could not first find another way. Even very fine steel wool will remove the patina off the neck on rosewood and ebony and as Lisa said, dull or remove the finish on lacquered necks, which is very undesirable on older guitars or those likely to appreciate in value.And there is the messy metal residue. What I have used for years is the following: Murphy's Oil Soap (used for wood floors but suitable for any wood application) mixed with water per instuctions on the bottle. Wet down the finger board a few frets at a time and GENTLY scrub with the grain (towards the frets) with a PLASTIC scrubber like the yellow ones used for Teflon surfaces on cookware(Dobie,O-Celo,etc.). This will quickly remove the gunk while at the same time nourish the the wood on the fretboard. Use a used plastic guitar pick(I use Fender mediums) to get out stuff up against the frets, if needed. Cut the edge to a point with a scissors and you have a safe tool for scraping the fretboard and at the edges of the frets. Wipe dry immediately, allow to completely dry and apply your favorite wax/oil. I like Olde English Lemon Creme(hmmm, sounds like a dessert...) Furniture Polish. Doing the above will protect the wood and have it come out gleaming like new.

As far as the one string at a time myth goes, I lived in fear of this for awhile when I first started playing but I soon wearied of it and have taken everything off all at once as fast as I can on all types of guitars with no ill effects for years and years now.

[gtrmac]

A lot of guitar repairmen use steel wool to clean and polish the wood on a guitar with a rosewood or ebony fretboard. I avoid this method but only because it's a lot of trouble to keep the steel wool particles from sticking to the magnets in the pickups. Lisa's method of covering the pickups with tape would certainly work but it does seem like a lot of trouble. I suggest using a Scotchbrite non metallic abrasive pad. I tried it once since I had one laying around and it's very good. I put a few drops of lemon oil on the wood and it helps cut the gunk deposits. Then I wipe the wood with a clean cloth and rub some more lemon oil on it.

 

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Mac Bowne

G-Clef Acoustics Ltd.

Osaka, Japan

My Music: www.javamusic.com/freedomland

[Chip McDonald]

Lemon oil works pretty good by itself as a solvent for fingerboard gunk. A soft toothbrush works best for cleaning fingerboards in my experience.

 

 

 

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New and Improved Music Soon: http://www.mp3.com/chipmcdonald

[Scott from MA]

Originally posted by lynx:

apply your favorite wax/oil.

 

I've been told by a few luthiers/repairmen that you should NEVER use anything that contains WAX on a rosewood board! Stick with lemon oil (I use either Dr. Stringfellow or Luthier's Choice).

 

A quick note about Lem-oil: Keep it away from your pets, especially cats. It makes them go NUTS! I've even found our cat, days later, licking my guitar.