Cleaning and oilng a maple board?

[Evil Undead]

I've searched and can't find what I'm looking for.

I would like to know what is the best thing to use to clean and oil a maple fretboard.

Of course, lemon oil is no good (I do use that though on my wenge boarded Warwick) and I don't much fancy using boiled linseed oil, so what else is good?

Thanks in advance

[nervous]

Aren't most maple board finished and not 'open' or 'oiled' like a rosewood or ebony board would be? If that is the case then it won't require oiling and any normal cleaner, like naptha, is fine. Even in the case of ebony and rosewood I have wiped them with naptha and re-oiled w/ lemon or mineral oil.

[happyg]

Orange oil for maple. I haven't used it, but that is what Lakland recommends.

[Johnny Crab]

This is the method I prefer since they use it on "not inexpensive" basses.
From the Musicman FAQ:

How do I maintain the neck on my new Music Man bass?

[Evil Undead]

Originally Posted by Johnny Crab

This is the method I prefer since they use it on "not inexpensive" basses.
From the Musicman FAQ:

How do I maintain the neck on my new Music Man bass?

I'm confused. Here it says use lemon oil on maple, but on the dunlop bottle of lemon oil it says don't use on maple boards.

[walterw]

the key is whether and how the maple is finished.

on fenders, the neck is painted just as much as the body; don't bother with anything except cleaners like guitar polish.

on music mans, the neck has a tru-oil finish, which is not a hard shell layer, and can be replenished with more tru-oil.

[Evil Undead]

Originally Posted by walterw

the key is whether and how the maple is finished.

on fenders, the neck is painted just as much as the body; don't bother with anything except cleaners like guitar polish.

on music mans, the neck has a tru-oil finish, which is not a hard shell layer, and can be replenished with more tru-oil.

Mine's an Ibby SR505 maple. It's not a gloss finish, doesn't look or feel like it's finished at all but probably has something on.

[96tbird]

If a maple neck is unfinished it would be grey from sweat, oil, dirt and dead skin. Even poly coatings can be applied in micro thin coats and satins are nearly undetectable.

[nervous]

Anyone know how the Lakland maple boards are finished, Korean specifically ?

[walterw]

you can safely assume that any korean or japanese instrument is gonna be fully painted, even if it's a satin finish.

as such, you want nothing but cleaners like guitar polish, no "oils".

[nervous]

Originally Posted by walterw

you can safely assume that any korean or japanese instrument is gonna be fully painted, even if it's a satin finish.

as such, you want nothing but cleaners like guitar polish, no "oils".

it is satin and that's what I had hoped. Thanks very much.

[pflash4001]

I had read about this stuff called Gorgomyte in an email from StewMac. I looked online and saw so many raves I was a bit skeptical, but I went ahead and tried it. That stuff is great! It's scary to see how much crud came off the fretboard. Says safe for all types a d finish fretboards. That stuff was great. I will definitely be getting more when I run out.

[happyg]

This is off the FAQ from Lakland:

Q. What recommendations do you have for maintaining the neck on my US made Lakland bass?

A. The back of the neck is a hand rubbed oil finish with a thin wax coating. We recommend occasionally cleaning the neck with pure orange oil and reapplying a coating of clear paste wax or bowling alley wax. After applying the wax, allow to dry for five minutes then wipe off the excess. The wax can be scuffed with fine steel wool to produce a satin finish or polished to a dull luster depending on your preference. Avoid cleaners and polishes that contain added thinners or silicone.

We also recommend orange oil for cleaning the fingerboards. The maple fingerboard does not require any sealer after cleaning. We recommend Howard Brand Feed N Wax after cleaning for our rosewood and ebony fingerboards.



Q. What recommendations do you have for maintaining the neck on my Lakland Skyline bass?

A. The necks on our Skyline series are relatively maintenance-free but should be cleaned with pure orange oil periodically. Avoid cleaners that contain added thinners or silicone.

We also recommend orange oil for cleaning the fingerboards. The maple fingerboard does not require any sealer after cleaning. We recommend Howard Brand Feed N Wax after cleaning for our rosewood and ebony fingerboards.


Hope this helps.

[Evil Undead]

Originally Posted by walterw

you can safely assume that any korean or japanese instrument is gonna be fully painted, even if it's a satin finish.

as such, you want nothing but cleaners like guitar polish, no "oils".

Does the finish come off at some point down the line, or is that there for good?

[96tbird]

It's going to wear off eventually, but in spots of high finger traffic first. I have a Gibby G3 that has spots all over the neck, mostly from the 3rd to the 12th, on the board and the back. It's probably nitro though and newer finishes are much tougher. Poly finish is readily available if you should ever want to diy, bit the Orange oil would work well to clean and just wax over any wear spots; then the bass will remain in original condition.