Best way to clean frets?

[Martin1989]

Hi, I have a musicman stingray with a maple fretboard and was wondering whats the best way to clean the frets? I have this guitar polish but I think there is probably something i can use first to remove the dirt?
Thanks.

[zymeth]

i usually just use metal polish but if theres a better way then id like to know too.

[MichiBass]

Originally Posted by Martin1989

Hi, I have a musicman stingray with a maple fretboard and was wondering whats the best way to clean the frets? I have this guitar polish but I think there is probably something i can use first to remove the dirt?
Thanks.

That's how I do it:

1. Get a toothpick and remove the extra hard dirt from the frets, and also the green stuff...
2. Get a tootbrush and rub all other dirt off...
3. Mask of the fretboard with tape, so that only the frets are coming out...
4. Rub with 0000 steelwool lenghtwise the fret for first, and along the board at the end...
5. Rub with polish cloth, remove the tape and that's it...
(6). Lemon oil on the rosewood fretboard...

Remember :

- Mask off the body when working with steelwool, it gets into the pickups and other cavitites
- Use only 0000 steelwool, it is perfect for this use

That is what I've done so far:

[69nites]

I use a dremel rotary tool to polish my frets to a wicked high shine.

[Azoore]

I use the same method as MichiBass. Frets turn out like brand new.

[TrooperFarva]

Originally Posted by Azoore

I use the same method as MichiBass. Frets turn out like brand new.

+1

[7string]

Originally Posted by Azoore

I use the same method as MichiBass. Frets turn out like brand new.

Me too

[Fender32]

Do yourself a favour and buy one of these metal fret-polishing templates:



I bought mine here: http://www.rockinger.com/ , but you can probably find one in the USA, too.

You just lay it over the frets and then you can polish them with whatever the hell you want and there'll be no marks at all on the fretboard.

I bought mine to use on my maple board StingRay too, as once you get black marks on that bare wood , it's pretty much there for life .

[DeanT]

Get yourself some EBMM Wonder Wipes Fretboard Conditioner and some Wonder Wipes String Cleaner. They work wonders together.

[7string]

Originally Posted by Fender32

Do yourself a favour and buy one of these metal fret-polishing templates:



I bought mine here: http://www.rockinger.com/ , but you can probably find one in the USA, too.

Yup, they're great. I bought a set of them from StewMac. Saves taping up the whole 'board.........

[dabbler]

Originally Posted by MichiBass

That's how I do it:

1. Get a toothpick and remove the extra hard dirt from the frets, and also the green stuff...
2. Get a tootbrush and rub all other dirt off...
3. Mask of the fretboard with tape, so that only the frets are coming out...
4. Rub with 0000 steelwool lenghtwise the fret for first, and along the board at the end...
5. Rub with polish cloth, remove the tape and that's it...
(6). Lemon oil on the rosewood fretboard...

Remember :

- Mask off the body when working with steelwool, it gets into the pickups and other cavitites
- Use only 0000 steelwool, it is perfect for this use

That is what I've done so far:

I do this pretty much, EXCEPT I no longer use steel wool. One of those green pads like for cleaning dishes will get the crud off just as well and you won't have to tape off the body to keep strands from getting stuck to your pickups. Once the crud is off, the polish takes care of the rest. And yes, Dremels (even off-brand ones like mine) are wonderful!

[Martin1989]

what about for cleaning the wood itself, is there a good way to do that on a maple fretboard?

[Fender32]

Originally Posted by Martin1989

what about for cleaning the wood itself, is there a good way to do that on a maple fretboard?

I believe that Ernie Ball recommend this stuff:




I use the cleaner on my EBMM 'Ray and finish it off with a little of the lemon oil. Works OK!

[Fender32]

Originally Posted by 7string

Yup, they're great. I bought a set of them from StewMac. Saves taping up the whole 'board.........

Not only that, but tape can easily rip out little fragments of the wood from around the frets (on rosewood boards). It can also remove huge chunks of lacquer from (lacquered) maple fretboards, especially on older instruments.

I'd never use tape again, myself .

[Martin1989]

thanks for the suggestion fender32, will that be ok on a maple fretboard aswell?

[WarriorJoe7]

i use wide masking tape and it hardly even sticks to the wood to cause problems. them I move the 2 pieces of tape up the board for every fret. I might go through 4-6 pieces of tape (and I also use the masking tape to tape over the top of the pickups.

[Fender32]

Originally Posted by Martin1989

thanks for the suggestion fender32, will that be ok on a maple fretboard aswell?

Yeah, the actual "cleaner" is pretty mild stuff, I reckon. It gets off light grime, but I wouldn't fancy its' chances against ground-in dirt .

The lemon oil is fine, as long as you don't swamp the fretboard in it. It will actually stain the neck lemon colour, if you go mad with it, as I found when I tested it out on a piece of pine .

Anyway, don't trust me, here's what Ernie Ball say:

Q: How do I maintain the neck on my new Music Man bass?
A: For everyday cleaning, use a small dose of high-grade lemon oil. For the fretboard, use Ernie Ball Wonder Wipes Fretboard Conditioner. If the neck is very dirty, give us a call or email us at musicman_customerservice@ernieball.com.

Since the neck is finished only with gunstock oil and wax blend, it is more susceptible to humidity changes. An occasional truss rod adjustment will halp keep your bass playing factory-new. If you are getting fret buzz (plugged in only, of course) raise the action by turning the trussrod wheel counter-clockwise, to lower the action turn it clockwise.

An infrequent dose of gunstock oil will help to keep the neck maintained; we recommend and use Birchwood-Casey Tru-Oil, but any good quality gunstock oil will work. Clean neck first. Use a small amount of Tru-oil, leave it on for 5 minutes, then wipe it off with a paper towel. Then apply Birchwood-Casey Gunstock Wax. Be sure to douse the paper towel with water before disposing of it! Read the wax and oil manufacturer's instructions regarding disposal of these used paper towels.

Birchwood-Casey products are available at most sporting goods or gun stores, or direct. Their web address is http://www.birchwoodcasey.com.

Rosewood fingerboards should not be treated with gunstock oil; instead they should be treated with a high grade of lemon oil.

For cleaning, try using the same high grade of lemon oil to clean the entire neck, both maple and rosewood fretboards. Keep in mind that if the dirt or grease has been worked into the wood, it cannot be removed except by sanding it down, which we do not recommend unless exercised with extremely fine sandpaper (1200-1600 grit), and even then very sparingly. It is better to keep it clean in the first place. Washing your hands first helps!

Some discoloration after many hours of playing is normal on unfinished necks. Be sure to follow all of the manufacturers recommended safety precautions when using any of these oils or waxes.

[bass-shy]

Originally Posted by WarriorJoe7

i use wide masking tape and it hardly even sticks to the wood to cause problems. them I move the 2 pieces of tape up the board for every fret. I might go through 4-6 pieces of tape (and I also use the masking tape to tape over the top of the pickups.

I used this method on one of my ESP's today with great results. I polished the frets with an old T-shirt and Gibson Metal Polish that came in a "Gibson Vintage Restoration Kit". Good stuff.

[DeanT]

Originally Posted by Fender32

I believe that Ernie Ball recommend this stuff:




I use the cleaner on my EBMM 'Ray and finish it off with a little of the lemon oil. Works OK!

Not any more. Now they have their own Wonder Wipes line.

[alexofc69]

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Fretting...abrasives.html