Olive Oil On a Rosewood Fingerboard?

[::::BASSIST::::]

I read somewhere (probably TB) about someone using Olive Oil on a rosewood fingerboard.

pros / cons?

[meev992]

delicious if you added salt?

[Jazz Ad]

Yeah and basil will protect your frets.

[SUNNyday r.]

It says somewhere on TB that food grade oils will rot or go sour as they are intended to cook with and not preserve. There are alot of oils out there with the specific purpose of being used on instruments. Not trying to be a jerk but why would you want to use olive oil and possibly gum up your bass?

[::::BASSIST::::]

Just curious bro... not actually going to do it.

[MAGUS®]

I would imagine ( not being a scientist ) that the viscosity of oil used for cooking is way too thick and syrupy for wood duties.

If you look at the usual suspects - teak, tung, danish, lemon, - they are a lot thinner and someone correct me if i'm wrong, but isnt there some form of varnish in wood oils ??

[PSPookie]

There is varnish in some wood oil products such as Tru oil, but one can also get wood oils without the varnish.

Olive oil sounds like a bad idea -- unless you're looking for a way to add some funk to your playing

[SUNNyday r.]

I use a product called Guitar Honey. I know at most GC's they will have Fender guitar care products. I know one is a fretboard conditioning oil. I woud say that would be your best and most easily obtainable bet. I have bought a few used basses and a few had some really dry fretboards. The board conditioner did wonders.

[BillMason]

Originally Posted by SUNNyday r.

It says somewhere on TB that food grade oils will rot or go sour as they are intended to cook with and not preserve. There are alot of oils out there with the specific purpose of being used on instruments.

This is true - anything organic will eventually rot or turn rancid. You also would not want to use olive oil to preserver a cutting board in your kitchen for the same reason.

[dominic]

you could try almond oil, i know that works for you're fingerboard

[gomez hacienda]

Almonds grow on a tree, pretty much like olives do.

[hasbeen]

it is NOT safe to use olive oil: olive oil will reduce the cholesterol in your bass and it won't sound fat anymore.

[Fender32]

What about chicken grease?

If it was good enough for Jaco .....


(j/k)

[bucephylus]

I don't think the wood cares what kind of oil you use. Probably anything from motor oil to olive oil would work, as long as you wipe the excess of the board. However, those oils purposely formulated for this purpose are most likely preferable. I also use the guitar honey. It's great and lasts forever.

One trick I have been shown using organic oils is to break the brazil nuts in half and rub them on your string surfaces. Try it - its pretty slick. The fellow who showed me this was Bob Gladstone, who was principle bass in the Detroit Orchestra for many years. I've never noticed any "rot or turn rancid" issues.

[mello_bedwetter]

Just asking, but would something like Old English furniture wipes work. They are for dusting furniture and other wood products and they have a little bit of lemon oil in them.
I have an Ibanez SR500 which has the mahogany body. I wonder if I could use these wipes to clean it? They are for dusting wood, furniture etc..

[Thunderitter]

Originally Posted by hasbeen

it is NOT safe to use olive oil: olive oil will reduce the cholesterol in your bass and it won't sound fat anymore.

Very funny!!

[scootron]

a little white mineral oil would help

[blackcrayon]

You might want to try Fret Doctor http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm


About 3 weeks ago I put some on my "dry" Ibanez guitar's fretboard except for the first fret so I could see the difference after a few weeks...

Olive oil will definitely go rancid and smell- I have to throw out my cooking oil periodically because of that, and that's when it's in a closed bottle

[One Drop]

The best stuff I've used is boiled linseed oil. It dries pretty quickly, darkens the board a bit, and creates a thin hard film which protects the fretboard. I tried lemon oil but that dried out pretty fast in the very dry air here.

You can get it at art supply shops and at good hardware stores. Smells nice, too, like old furniture.

[Warpeg]

I like clarinet bore oil. It's nice and thin, keeps the wood protected, has a nice shine to it, lasts a long time, and is designed for wood.