Cleaning Stuff

[BodomiC]

Hi, im a guitarist and I wanted to ask about neck cleaning cosmetics. I heard that there is something that "oils" your neck and it helps to keep the guitar neck out of being dry.

Do you guys know any of thoise cosmetics?

 

[FrostGiant]

I use guitar honey. It works great. That and a toothbrush will also get off that finger gunk. Some people use lemon oil but I guess that can soak into the wood and soften it. It's organice so it rots or something like that. Also some people will use #0 steel wool to work that finger gunk off. I don't trust myself with that so I just use the tooth brush and guitar honey. It takes a little while but it works.

 

[Sunbane]

What they call "lemon oil" - I don't think it will go bad inside the wood, because according to what I heard, it's really just mineral oil with lemon scent added to it. Some people prefer tung oil over lemon oil though.

If you have an unfinished neck and/or fretboard, it will be a good idea to oil it once in a while. The oil will be absorbed into the wood and keep it flexible to avoid cracking. This is especially important if you live in a dry climate and also more important for ebony fingerboards than with rosewood. However, if you have a laquered neck (such as maple/maple), there's really no need to bother with the oil until the laquer has worn down.

'bane

 

[BodomiC]

Cool, thx guys, Ive got maple/maple I think (its Kramer Pacer Custom USA '88) so Ill just stay with what I have

Thx once again...

 

[Ravenous Enemy]

Yeah, rosewood fingerboards are prety robust, but I'm not sure about maple, however, if you don't trust yourself with wire wool what works best (for me) is to mask off (with masking tape) the whole fret board, inlcuding any binding, leaving the actual frets uncovered, and then you can clean them with the wire wool without a risk. Also, it is a good idea to occasional (but not too often) clean your fretboard with lemon oil.

 

[Dýri_Oakenspear]

What about cleaning drums? I got a yamaha stage custom 9 piece and where I live there's a friggin gravel road and the dust and shit just sticks to the black drums like stink on a skunk. Seems a never ending job to keep them clean, even though I always cover it up when I'm not playing them. Any help here would be greatly welcomed.

 

[BodomiC]

Tell me more about this lemon oil, is it something special or just typical squeezed lemon juice

 

[Fifth_Horseman]

Uh, it's definitely not lemon juice...

As far as I know (and as Sunbane said before), it is mineral oil with a lemon scent.

I think I remember that on my bottle of lemon oil at home there's a warning like: "Fatal when swallowed"... so no, it can't be normal lemon juice, right?

 

[FrostGiant]

Well, it's supposedly the whole mineral thing that's bad. (I'm just relaying what I've read.) That stuff is supposed to get into the wood and rot, moreso on the Rosewood necks. But yeah, if you've got a maple neck you shouldn't need this stuff cuz it's got a finish on it. You really won't be conditioning anything as it cannot (should not anyway) get thru the finish. But that guitar honey works great. I used lemon oil for a while and then switched to this stuff. This just seems to do a better job.

 

[Sunbane]

Well, it's supposedly the whole mineral thing that's bad. (I'm just relaying what I've read.) That stuff is supposed to get into the wood and rot, moreso on the Rosewood necks.

I highly doubt that, since minerals do not rot (they're not organic). I'm not accusing you though, since you're only relaying what you heard. But it sounds pretty silly to me. People I know have been using that for years - on highly prized collactable guitars no less - without any ill effects.

Then there's people using linseed oil (which is an organic oil), also with good results.

I used lemon oil for a while and then switched to this stuff. This just seems to do a better job.

*nods*
I also prefer it over lemon oil.

'bane

 

[FrostGiant]

Yeah, I don't know how much truth there is to it considering linseed and lemon oil have been used for a long time without any real problems.

 

[BodomiC]

Ok then, where a guy from Europe can order this stuff? And how expensive is it?

I really need something, cuz my neck becomes white in various places after long period of playing. It must be due to sweat comming out of my finger tips...