It does darken the fretboard a little bit. It is a mineral oil base with extra oils. Lemon oil is also a mineral oil base with a fragrance. On the cheap you can use off the shelf mineral oil. I recommend getting pharmacy grade or food grade if you go that route since can also use it to season and maintain cutting boards.
I have pretty much used them all. Gerlitz is the best so far. No complaints here and all my customers love it too. I haven't used Fret Doctor but I have been meaning to grab a bottle to try since I have a couple new customers that want "all natural" products.
I use bore oil for conditioning dry, faded fretboards. I think it's the best thing you can use to treat wood. It was originally made for wooden instruments like older clarinets, flutes, etc.
I use bore oil for conditioning dry, faded fretboards. I think it's the best thing you can use to treat wood. It was originally made for wooden instruments like older clarinets, flutes, etc.
I switched to Fret Doctor last year (Kyser Lemon Oil before) and can definitely recommend it... works very well, and yes, it darkens the wood a bit (especially if it was dry before).