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help with cleaning frets?

C

curly bassist

Mar 28, 2011
46
3
#1
Wasn't really sure where to put this but it seemed to fit in here..?

I own an Ibanez BTB and a Fender BG-29, both have rosewood fret boards and dirty frets!!

I want to clean the frets but have absoluely no idea how to :confused:
Two years ago i did some work experience at guitar shop (the shop was my countries equivalent of GC from what i hear on TB). While working here i learned a bit about guitars and how to clean and maintain them. However after browsing TB for a while a lot of there techniques seem to be very...unpopular.

They taught me that in order to clean the frets all you need to do is apply lemon oil to the fretboard and rub the frets down with steel wool. After doing a search it seems that both of these techniques aren't too good for my basses :rollno:

So yeah, sorry for going on a bit, i tend to do that :D

What's the best way to clean my fretboard and frets?

Thanks
Curly Bassist
 
#2
Dirty frets or dirty fretboards?

I used an entire pad of 0000 steel wool cleaning the fretboard on my Jazz Special when I got it, and before oiling the board (prolly had not been done in 20 years). That's how much gunk had built up on the board. This worked great.
 
#7
I reviewed a cleaner on my blog called Chrome Frets. You don't even have to remove the strings. Link Removed

If you steel wool, definitely cover your pickups. I use blue painters tape, but anything will work.
 
#8
if you do a search or even scroll through this section you'll see this has been discussed dozens of times with two active threads in the last week. If you want the easiest method known to man I recommend Gorgomyte: Gorgomyte Fret And Fingerboard Conditioner

And if you insist on using an abrasive, use anything but steel wool, there's just no reason to use a product that requires you to mask off your pickups for fear of contaminating them with magnetic steel wool fibers. 3M makes synthetic pads that are the equivalent of 0000 steel wool and for fret polishing Micro Mesh abrasive cloth (12000 grade) is even better. Invalid Link Removed

But nothing is as good or as fast as Gorgomyte.
 
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#9
Well, there is one reason. Those micromesh sheets are $3 a piece. The same pack of steel wool I bought for $5 has lasted me ten years or so now. And Naptha? Well, there's a million uses for Naptha and anyone who owns guitars should have some laying around. If you don't want to use steel wool, wipe it down with naptha.


$19 for a rag? No thanks.


If you wipe your fretboard and strings down with something like Fast Fret every time you play, you really shouldn't need to do much to it anyway.
 
#10
Floyd Eye said:
Well, there is one reason. Those micromesh sheets are $3 a piece. The same pack of steel wool I bought for $5 has lasted me ten years or so now. And Naptha? Well, there's a million uses for Naptha and anyone who owns guitars should have some laying around. If you don't want to use steel wool, wipe it down with naptha.


$19 for a rag? No thanks.


If you wipe your fretboard and strings down with something like Fast Fret every time you play, you really shouldn't need to do much to it anyway.
Click to expand...

Since this only something to be done once or twice a year this is a small investment that should last a decade, be it $3, $5, or even $20. In defense of Gorgomyte, that $20 cloth is enough to clean/polish 20 fretboards and it replaces the need for cleaners, abrasives, conditioning oils, and fret polishes while eliminating the need for any masking or prep work. Plus it takes about 90 seconds to apply and 60 seconds to buff off.

It's ok if you have those other items lying around as they have proven their ability to get the job done but I still think Gorgomyte is the path of least resistance and does the best job of fret polishing of the lot.
 
#11
Unless I'm doing other fret work where the frets are already taped off, I typically rub down the frets with Gorgomyte. A good fret taping job (at least for me) takes way too long. Gorgomyte works well and is relatively fast, but if you intend to get down in the corner between the fret and the fingerboard, be prepared to have worn-out hand-squeezing muscles and a sore thumb. It's worth it, I'm just warning you. Don't do it right before a gig or your handwriting class or something. Depending on the case, I then sometimes go back and wipe down the fingerboard with a fresh piece of Gorgomyte, trying to avoid the frets when possible, so my fresh piece doesn't turn black (from the chemical reaction) and rub black all over the wood I'm trying to clean. When you're finished, or periodically, see if you can wipe off some of the black from the frets so it doesn't transfer. Definitely do it when you're done so the frets look all nice and shiny!

In my experience you can get the frets a little shinier in other ways, but Gorgomyte makes them look real nice and is quick and simple. And really, do you need to be able to see your reflection in your fret? To check your hair? I often have to remind myself that sometimes practicing is a better use of my time than obsessing about details. Then I usually tell myself to shut up.

Hope that helps!
 
#12
SweetMelisma said:
Unless I'm doing other fret work where the frets are already taped off, I typically rub down the frets with Gorgomyte. A good fret taping job (at least for me) takes way too long. Gorgomyte works well and is relatively fast, but if you intend to get down in the corner between the fret and the fingerboard, be prepared to have worn-out hand-squeezing muscles and a sore thumb. It's worth it, I'm just warning you. Don't do it right before a gig or your handwriting class or something. Depending on the case, I then sometimes go back and wipe down the fingerboard with a fresh piece of Gorgomyte, trying to avoid the frets when possible, so my fresh piece doesn't turn black (from the chemical reaction) and rub black all over the wood I'm trying to clean. When you're finished, or periodically, see if you can wipe off some of the black from the frets so it doesn't transfer. Definitely do it when you're done so the frets look all nice and shiny!

In my experience you can get the frets a little shinier in other ways, but Gorgomyte makes them look real nice and is quick and simple. And really, do you need to be able to see your reflection in your fret? To check your hair? I often have to remind myself that sometimes practicing is a better use of my time than obsessing about details. Then I usually tell myself to shut up.

Hope that helps!
Click to expand...

Two things to help you in your Gorgomyte application:
  • First, to get the fret edges where they meet the fingerboard, just use your thumbnail and drag the cloth across the edge in one or two quick passes. Do all the front sides of the frets and then all the back sides. No squeezing pressure is necessary because this is a chemical polish cloth not an abrasive paper. You're just trying to get the polish on the fret and wipe it off. No hand cramping required!
  • Second, you don't necessarily need to apply the Gorgomyte to the frets and the fingerboard in separate applications. The key is proper buffing. The black residue will come off the fingerboard but only if you have a clean buffing cloth. I use a clean t-shirt, rotating it around as the residue starts to build up. I apply mild pressure and move quickly across the entire board and then follow up with detail buffing along the fret ends followed by another pass at the entire board to make sure I've lifted all the residue. Works like a charm and goes really fast.

And for the record, my frets shine like jewelry.
 
#13
I use a cheap nail file/buffer with 3 different grit levels that I got at the local drug store for a couple bucks.

I use the middle "light" grit to clean the fret surface and the smooth "buffer" to make them shine. I don't use the "coarse" grit for frets. I usually don't have to tape off the board either because it is small, light and very controllable.
 
#14
I think the "setup" concern is actually pretty minimal. If you polish whenever you change strings, you're apt to polish the frets more often than twice a year. And you don't have to tape your board off for steel wool -- you can use fret shields like stewmac sells (or that you can get from a drafting supply store) or nothing -- I buff the fb itself with the steel wool. So as long as you don't dig into the wood when doing the frets (going across the grain), there's really nothing to worry about.

And an all-in-one cloth is certainly cleaner than fine steel wool -- no argument there! But I have rags with a hint of dr. ducks ax wax (which I don't use any more, actually) on them in every bag, hanging on guitar stands, etc. and I put a baggie of liberon (0000 steel wool) in my gig bags, etc. That's a level of practicality I'd lose from having the ONE gorgomyte rag to keep track of...at $20 a pop? Then what about being in a band where everyone is like "oooh, hey, can I use it..."

Maybe if money were no object (for example, if I were a member of Rush or Metallica) and I had techs to do that work for me, I might tell them to use it. Or if I had the cash to spend on a bunch so I had them handy -- the reduced mess might tip the scales for me. But at that price, the value just isn't there (for me).

Someday we'll probably find out that those gorgomyte pads are basically silver polishing cloths impregnated with mineral oil...:p
 
#17
Deathblade Eric said:
Regular plastic pan scourers, 10 for 1£ round my way. & +1 on the naphtha (easily obtainable as cigarette lighter fluid).
Click to expand...

For cleaning purposes these products work just fine. For polishing and fretboard conditioning you'll need something else. If you don't believe polishing or conditioning are necessary (a matter of personal preference) then this will work as good as anything.
 
#20
I just picked up an old bass that I wanted to clean the board. This was my first time using Gorgomyte, and while it was amazing, this particular board must have been filthy. The Gorgomyte was jet black by the 4th fret, I used about 5 pieces to wipe down the entire board, then buffed it, and it's still got black coming off!
For a board that is this dirty to begin with, what's a good general initial cleaning method?
 

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