cleaning ebony?

[johans]

hi guys,

those of you fretless guys. ..

how do you clean some fretmarks your flatwound left on your fretboard?

thanks

[WezV]

I havnt got a fretless bass but ebony cleans well with 0000 wire wool, that removes most fretboard grime.

[pkr2]

Originally Posted by WezV

I havnt got a fretless bass but ebony cleans well with 0000 wire wool, that removes most fretboard grime.

Good advice but be sure to mask off the pups first. The magnets will pull steel wool fragments in and they are really aggravating to get off even with sticky tape.

A 3M pad works well also without the steel wool fragments getting where they aren't supposed to be.

[JAL]

Shield the pickups (steel wool is a NIGHTMARE when its caught in there).
Get some 0000 grade steel wool, and lightly (with the grain) buff it gently. Then, apply some fingerboard oil sparingly (i use fabulous Gerlitz Guitar Honey), and wipe off, restring, and enjoy. :-)

[fretlessrock]

Originally Posted by johans

hi guys,

those of you fretless guys. ..

how do you clean some fretmarks your flatwound left on your fretboard?

thanks

This might be an anti-answer, but I wouldn't bother, or I would do it as little as possible. The steel wool solution is fine, but if you are using flatwounds on ebony then you might have some cosmetic marking that will come right back after a few hours of playing. Keep the board and strings clean and don't sweat a little marking. The wear and tear of constantly polishing the board with steel wool is worse than anything that flats will do to the board.

[WezV]

Yeah, i always mask my pickups without thinking about it. Forgot to mention it. All fretboards can do with a good clean and oil everynow and then. It wont get rid of string grooves, and i agree that that would be a pointless endevour. But they do get grimy and this treatment helps to keep the fretboard feeling slick. I would do it once or twice a year, 0000 steel wool aint going to wear the fretboard down unless you do it 10 times a day.