Fret Doctor review thread and comments from TB-ers

[bassman_al]

Hi all,
I have never done this before, but I was so happy with Fret Doctor fingerboard oil/cleaner/preservative, that I decided to start this thread.

Fret Doctor is an expensive ($20 shipped for a 30ml bottle) but highly effective oil for rosewood fretboards. It also is useful for conditioning and cleaning other wood surfaces, but its price point makes it an expensive choice.

I used Fret Doctor recently to clean all 3 of my rosewood fretboards and the results were wonderful.

I don't want people to think that I am connected with Fret Doctor in any way. I am not here to solicit or sell anything . For that reason I am not including any links to the product. if you want that, you can PM me or research it yourself. Not hard to find on the web.

So please leave your comments, thoughts and ideas about this product. Positive or negative. Please be specific about your own experience with Fret Doctor, and let us know if you have actually used it before.

Thanks guys!

[walterw]

i've grown skeptical of the entire idea of slathering oil, especially inert mineral oil (which is all 90% of any "lemon oil" you buy is), on raw fretboard wood.

notice how widely opinions vary, with people using everything from olive oil to dish soap on their fretboards, apparently with no significant effect one way or the other.

that said, to paraphrase the dos equis guy, "i don't always oil my fretboards, but when i do, i choose fret doctor."

[j_nition]

what is the point of oiling a fretboard? Is there a tonal result or is it cosmetic?

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by walterw

i've grown skeptical of the entire idea of slathering ...inert mineral oil (which is all 90% of any "lemon oil" you buy is), on raw fretboard wood.

Bingo! That's the thing, all the time you see people proclaiming how great a given oil is, when really it's usually just a cheap petroleum product mixed with a solvent and a fragrance. "Mineral" oil is not mineral, and "lemon" oil is mostly not lemon--like 0.1%.

In most cases a solvent is only needed if you want to remove a buildup of gunk in/on the wood grain--and even then, why go on to add petroleum gunk right back in?

Mostly I let my finger grease be all the oiling my fretboards need, but in the occasional cases where the wood seems too dry, I'll use the Fret Doctor.

[bongomania]

Originally Posted by j_nition

what is the point of oiling a fretboard? Is there a tonal result or is it cosmetic?

Both of those, plus a structural element too. Tonally, oiling the wood changes its density (especially over a period of years), and density is a part of what makes one wood sound different from another. How much of a difference does it make? Weeellll.... realistically anywhere from "none" to "I think I heard something, maybe". Cosmetically, oiling gives a nice depth of color and a "rich" appearance to woods that might otherwise look flat or dry. Structurally, if a wood is so dry that the grain starts to separate, oiling swells the grain and brings it back together. And over a period of many years, it will even crystallize, essentially petrifying the wood. But honestly, we're talking about a hundred or more years--this crystallization phenomenon is discussed mostly around antique violins, cellos, etc.

[bassman_al]

Thanks Bongo! Great additions to this thread. I am told by Ed Boyle (the guy who sells FD), by the way, that Fret Doctor is definitely not mineral oil. I am no chemist, so I'll leave the comments to the more knowledgeable on this board.

[BurningSkies]

Interesting. I always am skeptical of most fingerboard treatments and was about this one, but after checking his site, he addresses about 99% of the 'issues' I have with fretboard products.

http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm