Double Bass Should I oil my fingerboard?

[MichelD]

I have never applied any oil to my fingerboard.

Had the bass in to a luthier for a set up and refurb about 20 years ago.

Should I?

 

[Matthew Tucker]

i’m of the view that you should treat your bass as you would a young child. Carry it carefully, keep it clean, don’t leave it in a hot car or in the rain or unsupervised in a public place. Take it out for regular exercise. Take to a professional for a checkup every now and then.

So no, i wouldn’t put oil on it.

 

[BassJuju]

I think the answer is… it depends. What is the fingerboard material? Is it finished?

 

[Ed Fuqua]

I think the answer is… it depends. What is the fingerboard material? Is it finished?

Double bass fingerboards tend to be unfinished. When I got my German back form Jeff Bollbach, he rubbed the fingerboard down with bowling alley wax, that was it...

 

[BassJuju]

Double bass fingerboards tend to be unfinished. When I got my German back form Jeff Bollbach, he rubbed the fingerboard down with bowling alley wax, that was it...

My apologies… did not pick up on the DB notation. Carry on.

 

[Don Kasper]

I don't have a dipstick on my DB/fingerboard, but every month or so, (for the past 25+ years), I apply a very light coat of Lemon Oil, let it sit for 5 minutes, then wipe it down with a clean cloth.
Removes any Schmutz and/or Schmaltz that has accumulated, and makes it look real purty and shiny.
("It couldn't hurt!")
IMFO.
TMI.
Thanks.

 

[Tom Lane]

I don't have a dipstick on my DB/fingerboard, but every month or so, (for the past 25+ years), I apply a very light coat of Lemon Oil, let it sit for 5 minutes, then wipe it down with a clean cloth.
Removes any Schmutz and/or Schmaltz that has accumulated, and makes it look real purty and shiny.
("It couldn't hurt!")
IMFO.
TMI.
Thanks.

I have a wonderful resource who installs fingerboard dipsticks at a very reasonable price. Message me and I'll set you up and probably even get you a discount. But be warned because it doesn't come cheap!

 

[KUNGfuSHERIFF]

Guitar-family and violin-family instruments generally benefit from fingerboard oiling, but don’t go nuts because acidic oil can dissolve the glue that turns the fingerboard to the neck.

 

[Ed Fuqua]

I don't have a dipstick on my DB/fingerboard,

Let it be acknowledged that I am passing up a perfectly good straight line here...

 

[Don Kasper]

Let it be acknowledged that I am passing up a perfectly good straight line here...

Noted...
"You're a better man than...." No, wait. Cancel that.
Blessed Day, Etc.

 

[statsc]

I don't have a dipstick on my DB/fingerboard, but every month or so, (for the past 25+ years), I apply a very light coat of Lemon Oil, let it sit for 5 minutes, then wipe it down with a clean cloth.
Removes any Schmutz and/or Schmaltz that has accumulated, and makes it look real purty and shiny.
("It couldn't hurt!")
IMFO.
TMI.
Thanks.

Are you using chicken fat to grease your fingers?

 

[Don Kasper]

Are you using chicken fat to grease your fingers?

Yeah. Doesn't everybody?
Thx!

 

[Flamingo21]

Honestly, can someone please explain what a dipstick is?

 

[Don Kasper]

Honestly, can someone please explain what a dipstick is?

In an internal combustion engine, it is a long metal stick used to check the oil level in the engine.
See below:

Thanks.

 

[Crawforde]

from wiki
A dipstick is one of several measurement devices.

Some dipsticks are dipped into a liquid to perform a chemical test or to provide a measure of quantity of the liquid.

There are other slang usages …

 

[Flamingo21]

I am not a native speaker of English. I get by on TalkBass but sometimes I need to look up an English word.

I knew what a dipstick is, but not in a bass context.
So I looked up dipstick in a bass context and found nothing. Since at least two different posts here had already used the word dipstick in what is clearly a bass context, I considered my question to be clear enough. Well, apparently it wasn't.

 

[Don Kasper]

I am not a native speaker of English. I get by on TalkBass but sometimes I need to look up an English word.

I knew what a dipstick is, but not in a bass context.
So I looked up dipstick in a bass context and found nothing. Since at least two different posts here had already used the word dipstick in what is clearly a bass context, I considered my question to be clear enough. Well, apparently it wasn't.

My use of the term "dipstick" was used sarcastically for comedic effect. There is no "dipstick" on a Double Bass.
Thanks.

 

[Crawforde]

I believe the bass reference was done in humor. idiomatic and sarcastic humor often do not translate well.
I work with a pretty mixed group, Chinese jokes don’t always translate well to American English or Arabic or Yoruba.
Actually, English sayings don’t always translate well to English.
made in all the jargon from differing specialties and things can get funny.
Communicating is hard.

 

[Flamingo21]

My use of the term "dipstick" was used sarcastically for comedic effect.

I just re-read your earlier post. Now I get it. Thanks for the reply.

 

[bassically_eli]

I don't have a dipstick on my DB/fingerboard, but every month or so, (for the past 25+ years), I apply a very light coat of Lemon Oil....

This is just a funny way of saying that he doesn't know the exact amount of oil he applies.