Indian Laurel Fretboard Care

Welcome Dainick and Happy New Year!
I also have a Squier with an Indian Laurel fretboard and I use Dunlop Fretboard 65 lemon oil to clean and condition with great results.
https://www.guitarcenter.com/Dunlop/Fretboard-65-Ultimate-Lemon-Oil.gc

 

Maintaining enough humidity is more important than any conditioning or oiling you do to a fretboard.

 

Which, if memory serves, should not be a problem in Swansea...

Well, first; If you fretboard's been sealed at the factory - and, according to what I've read; if it's dark, it probably has been - then you don't need to use anything on it. If not? You can use a number of things on it - if you want; and yes, Dunlop 65 works quite well (I've used it myself). But, unless the bass is living somewhere where humidity is just a word in the dictionary (like mine do), just keeping it clean and wiping it down with a clean cloth occasionally, should suffice... And, like I said; if memory serves, Swansea is plenty humid enough...

 

Treat it like rosewood. I won't comment on whether or not you should use lemon oil, linseed, tru-oil, neatsfoot oil or peanut butter. No one agrees, not users, not luthiers, not technicians. But if you treat it the way you would treat rosewood you will be happy.

 

I like Music Nomads F-One oil. After every string change I use it on my rosewood fingerboards.

 

If you look close and check the Indian laurel fretboard carefully, it has a grey tint or coat on the surface. I own one Squier jazz bass with laurel board in past, since I hate it grey dead wood like fretboard, I try minwax stain on it, surprised me that the wood dint assob the stain at all even I leave it more than 24 hours.
I gave up stain so I use Dunlop fretboard condition to clean those stain which left on wooden seam, surprised me again the condition possible clean it easily.

To prove the laurel board use on Squier bass are coated/tinted or not, I sand the wood surface on last fret. Bingo！！！ I sand out the coat and the wood shown it own colour ～ dull light light brown colour.

Later I cover the bare wood area with minwax stain again.

So, base on my experience, fretboard condition dint work on coated Indian laurel fretboard use on Squier bass.

I believe only FMIC knew what they did.

I also found my previous Cort Action dlx V jotoba fretboard has similar coat but with nicer brownish tone compare to grey dead wood tone on Squier.

Hopehelp

 

Same here, Squier CV laurel fretboard, grey and lifeless, ruined the whole appearance of this otherwise gorgeous white bass.

I lightly but thoroughly sanded the fretboard with extra fine grit sandpaper to remove any finish, which I think there was as the sandpaper would gunk up every few frets at first. Then the Dunlop fretboard oil. The board is now dark and lustrous.

The big surprise is the tone changed. It used to be cold and hard, now it is noticeably warmer and rounder, almost like the fretboard went from plastic to wood.

 

I'll embellish. I use and swear-by Howard's Feed 'n Wax. Why? Because I have a big bottle of the stuff which will still have 2/3's of its contents when I shuffle-off this mortal coil. Apply a scant amount, quickly rub-in, and just as quickly remove with a soft cloth. Do NOT allow to marinate as these preparations have a nasty habit of wicking-up thru exposed end grain including fret slots.

Riis

 

So Dainick, what have you done with your laurel fingerboard?

 

I don't like to use F&W where I will be touching the surface. These are the published warnings about use of the product:
"When using do not eat or drink. Avoid breathing mist or vapor. Avoid contact with eyes, skin, and clothing. Use only in well-ventilated areas. Avoid prolonged or repeated contact with skin. Wash thoroughly after handling."

To be fair, there may not be a lot of the product left on the surface of the fretboard. But I prefer products that don't have these warnings.

 

I use universal precautions when handling virtually everything...gloves, eye protection, ventilation, etc.. Here's the MSDS: https://www.howardproducts.com/files/sds/HOW-100_Feed-N-Wax-1.pdf

Riis

 

Now that's curious and not normal.

Riis

 

Yes...what's slipping?

Riis

 

My MSDS is a bit newer:

https://www.howardproducts.com/file...ish and Conditioner - US - English (2020).pdf

 

You didn’t need to sand it initially to remove the finish to allow the oil to get to the wood?