W4RP1G

I don't know what fretboard cleaners contain, but naptha is one of the most recommended cleaners for wood because it evaporates really fast. You don't always have to add oil after using naptha, but if you use a lot of it, it's best to apply mineral oil to the fretboard after cleaning.

Basically, the idea is to add mineral oil after cleaning it to avoid that dryness that you noticed. I'm not saying it's the most ideal solution, but introducing moisture to a fretboard is generally going to be a worse idea than using a cleaner and then adding oil due to the fact that water changes wood more than oil.

Fortunately for you, if you regularly oil a fretboard, adding a little water won't do much because the oil will prevent it from seeping in. But if your fretboards are dry, I urge you to use something, like naptha, because if the wood soaks up water it will swell, and the last thing you want to do is swell something that is holding your frets.

__________________
Homemade pickup winder!

Sledgeman

Get some Fret Doctor, it's great!

__________________
_____________________
Sledgemanguitar on youtube

DeathByDestroyr

I use glass cleaner (Windex)... Haven't tried the stuff with ammonia, don't recommend it.

__________________
"The creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity. The creative mind plays with the objects it loves."

C. G. Jung

Tom 1.0

God bless EG.

__________________

tubetime86

+1

Been doing it over ten years that way.

__________________

zl1288

I realize that. In my original post I said that there is nothing wrong with wiping the body (a finished surface) down with a slightly damp cloth, to which you responded with "There is so much wrong with that, I don't even know where to start." So did you misread my post, or am I missing something




Good info! Napthalene is a component of lighter fluid, right? I remember reading that many luthiers/techs will clean grimey fretboards with lighter fluid.

For anybody that's confused about cleaning products, it's worth noting that many luthiers have posted cleaning tips online. Definitely worth a read.

MrFlibble

Okay, nope, that's it, I'm out. You can all have fun wrecking your guitars. Gonna go hang myself because

__________________
Yes, I know everything. No, I can't play worth a damn.
A child is trafficked and sold for sex slavery every 30 seconds. Support Love146.

Arby911

Sorry to hear that, glad you're doing better.

You're still wrong.

And given that microfiber cleaning products have only been readily available for about a decade, one wonders what you think was used previously?

__________________
The man who holds to a belief because of tradition, or hides it because he fears he may be shown to be wrong, does not love the truth but manifests a coward’s faithfulness to his prejudices.

MrFlibble

Ultrasuede.

__________________
Yes, I know everything. No, I can't play worth a damn.
A child is trafficked and sold for sex slavery every 30 seconds. Support Love146.

Arby911

Yeah right, nice try though. Ultrasuede is a closed fiber, rather than a split-fiber microfiber, making it useless for cleaning.

__________________
The man who holds to a belief because of tradition, or hides it because he fears he may be shown to be wrong, does not love the truth but manifests a coward’s faithfulness to his prejudices.

MrFlibble

Dude here at V&R swears by it and he's going to town on 50s, 60s and even 40s guitars on a daily basis. I rather trust his methods more than anything someone on the internet tells me.

__________________
Yes, I know everything. No, I can't play worth a damn.
A child is trafficked and sold for sex slavery every 30 seconds. Support Love146.

Arby911

As you wish.

Do even a modicum of research, you'll see how silly that is. Ultrasuede is designed specifically to NOT absorb anything (dirt, water etc.), whilst microfiber cleaning cloth is designed to be super absorbent.

__________________
The man who holds to a belief because of tradition, or hides it because he fears he may be shown to be wrong, does not love the truth but manifests a coward’s faithfulness to his prejudices.

terribleguitar

Checkmate.

MrFlibble

Not really, I literally just have to repeat my previous post. Which would be pointless because you can just look up and re-read it. So go on. Look up. Now re-read that. Yup. There.

__________________
Yes, I know everything. No, I can't play worth a damn.
A child is trafficked and sold for sex slavery every 30 seconds. Support Love146.