Pau Ferro fingerboard ? maintenance

[madjazzbass]

I have a few questions about the Pau Ferro fingerboard on my newly acquired Fender Player Plus V Jazz Bass. I've never owned a Bass with a Pau Ferro neck/fretboard before and was wondering if there's anything that needs to/should be done to it in terms of care. I've seen people (on YouTube) putting things likes Montypresso wax or Liberon spirit wood dye on their fretboards but I believe it's ONLY for looks. So my questions are; Is this a one time procedure? How often do you have to do this to your fingerboard? Does this stuff rub off on your fingers? Is it recommended/or really necessary? Does it help in preserving the neck? or is it purely for esthetics? Thanks in advance Guys/Girls, Much Appreciated.

 

[totalnoob]

I treat it exactly the same as rosewood fretboards, and just as seldom.

 

[Turnaround]

Pau Ferro does not need any special treatment that differs from Rosewood. So if you like oiling your Rosewood fretboards go ahead and oil the Pau Ferro. If you don't oil your Rosewood, don't oil your Pau Ferro. Pau Ferro is as close as you can get to a real Rosewood without actually being Dalbergia species. Dye it if you want.

 

[Bevan777]

I’ve tried a few things, when I first got my my Pau Ferro jazz bass I just noticed it was really dry so used a couple of Ernie ball wonder wipes to condition it and give it a slightly oiler, richer look and feel.

I have since become interested in darkening it (purely for looks) I tried the montypresso stuff but didn’t make much of a change, I then tried some walnut wood stain which worked really nicely, it’s a few shades darker now. Doesn’t come off on your fingers.

 

[Bevan777]

Here’s a pic alongside a stock pau ferro (Fretless) neck, the fretboards were both the same colour originally. I’ve also added tinted lacquer to the maple parts too, but that’s another story.

 

[madjazzbass]

I’ve tried a few things, when I first got my my Pau Ferro jazz bass I just noticed it was really dry so used a couple of Ernie ball wonder wipes to condition it and give it a slightly oiler, richer look and feel.

I have since become interested in darkening it (purely for looks) I tried the montypresso stuff but didn’t make much of a change, I then tried some walnut wood stain which worked really nicely, it’s a few shades darker now. Doesn’t come off on your fingers.

Thank you; Is that the purpose of the "wonder wipes" to restore the ... luster? or just to clean it? I'll check them out, Thanks again.

 

[Bevan777]

It kind of does both it’s a fretboard conditioner, you wipe it on leave it for a bit and wipe it off, cleans and conditions.

 

[madjazzbass]

Here’s a pic alongside a stock pau ferro (Fretless) neck, the fretboards were both the same colour originally. I’ve also added tinted lacquer to the maple parts too, but that’s another story.

View attachment 5013738
View attachment 5013739

WOW! That looks friggin' Awesome! Great Job! ... I just get the feeling that mine wouldn't come out that nice; ... then I'd have to buy a new neck 'cause I couldn't live with an ugly looking neck outside of natural wear and tear.

 

[bassdog]

play it.

 

[sixstringsensei]

I have a pau ferro board on my Fender Powercaster guitar. I'm looking to upgrade a Player P-Bass to a Player Plus neck. Most people don't like pau ferro as compared to maple. It seems the maple necks sell more quickly. It's too bad... I believe Fender should include pau ferro into some MIA models to make it more appealing. I actually really like how it feels. It's a little fuzzy as compared to rosewood. However, it does stain and get dirty more quickly. I feel I have to oil pau ferro more often than I have to oil rosewood. There is one big upside to pau ferro over maple. If you want to roll the edges, or have to deal with filing due to fret sprout... you'll be removing finish on the maple, where on pau ferro or rosewood, it doesn't matter, because there's no finish.

 

[SulzerType2]

I found Pau Ferro to require less maintenance than rosewood. I had a Stratocaster for a couple of years and the usual detritus built up, but cleaned off easily.

I never found Pau took on stain or dye very well at all. That lighter red cocoa colour cannot really be neutralised or darkened in any way that would make it pass for rosewood. My guy feeling was that it was quite a dense, hard wood that didn't require any further finishing or oiling. Fender seem to mist a coat of poly onto it and/or leave it finished a bit hairy? A stock Fender MIM Pau neck can be improved with light burnishing.


I have the Montypresso stuff and I do wonder about the long term implications of forcing dyed wax into the wood in the quantities the manufacturer suggests. It certainly cannot be removed. I wonder, totally casually and speculatively, if it would make a refret trickier in the future.

 

[totalnoob]

I found Pau Ferro to require less maintenance than rosewood. I had a Stratocaster for a couple of years and the usual detritus built up, but cleaned off easily.

I never found Pau took on stain or dye very well at all. That lighter red cocoa colour cannot really be neutralised or darkened in any way that would make it pass for rosewood. My guy feeling was that it was quite a dense, hard wood that didn't require any further finishing or oiling. Fender seem to mist a coat of poly onto it and/or leave it finished a bit hairy? A stock Fender MIM Pau neck can be improved with light burnishing.


I have the Montypresso stuff and I do wonder about the long term implications of forcing dyed wax into the wood in the quantities the manufacturer suggests. It certainly cannot be removed. I wonder, totally casually and speculatively, if it would make a refret trickier in the future.

It shouldn't affect refret, but I am also not big on fretboard conditioning. I do it once in a lifetime, just about.

 

[amper]

I have a few questions about the Pau Ferro fingerboard on my newly acquired Fender Player Plus V Jazz Bass. I've never owned a Bass with a Pau Ferro neck/fretboard before and was wondering if there's anything that needs to/should be done to it in terms of care. I've seen people (on YouTube) putting things likes Montypresso wax or Liberon spirit wood dye on their fretboards but I believe it's ONLY for looks. So my questions are; Is this a one time procedure? How often do you have to do this to your fingerboard? Does this stuff rub off on your fingers? Is it recommended/or really necessary? Does it help in preserving the neck? or is it purely for esthetics? Thanks in advance Guys/Girls, Much Appreciated.

Of the five basses I've owned in my life, four of them gave had pau ferro (Libidibia ferrea) fretboards or fingerboards. No special care is needed. if it gets dirty, wipe it with a cloth dampened with water and a bit of vegetable oil soap, then with a cloth dampened with just water, and allow to dry.

If you feel you absolutely must treat it with anything, use fine arts conservation grade unrefined, cold-pressed linseed oil, or food grade flaxseed oil with no added anti-oxidants, use only a tiny amount (just enough to spread it to the whole board), wipe away all excess, and leave it alone to cure for a couple of weeks, until it is dry to the touch. You won't need to do this more than once a year, at most. You could use shellac, as well, which dries much faster, since it doesn't need to cure.