Two Things My Techy/Luthier Told Me...

[electracoyote]

Color me skeptical about Point 1 as well (lemon oil, oiling the board, etc.).

Here in the Denver area (arid high desert climate), you darn well better put a light coat of an appropriate oil on your darkwood board once a year, being sure to go light and wipe off excess. I use Fender Fretboard Conditioner by Meguiers, cleans and gently lubes.

When I lived in Ohio I didn't oil my boards at all.

 

[two fingers]

That's not nerd. That's smart.

Lots of things on stage use batteries, like pedals.

Duplicate cables, strings, picks, and anything else that saves the day all fit in a laptop sized bag. My bag includes sticks and a drum key, too.

Two is one. One is none.

Tool box loaded with basic repair gear including solder and soldering iron usually stays in the car.

I get the feeling that if you and I were in the same band we could build a deck during a set break with just the tools and materials we brought with us.

 

[fhm555]

Congrats I have the exact same bass which in my opinion is one the best basses Fender has ever produced but I heard that even in the off position it's still drawing juice?I think the "off" position is more of a kill switch?

Don't quote me on this as I suffer from a serious case of CRS these days, but I seem to recall the (mimeographed) instruction sheet that came with my bass saying the off position disconnected the battery.

There is also the fact that after I got out of the hospital and wanted nothing at all to do with music, I would take spells where I'd get it out and see if my attitude had adjusted any back toward wanting to play, and I'd sometimes leave it sitting for days plugged in so all I had to do was turn on the amp and flip the switch to get noise, and the battery never went dead, even if I left it plugged in for a week or so at a time.

Last of all, I agree that the US Jazz Plus is one of, if not the best bass Fender ever produced. Built at the height of the post CBS renaissance when quality was at a historical all time high, Light, easy to play, a preamp that is actually functional and delivers a very wide range of tones, but for some reason it never really caught on. I did have a local Fender fanatic make fun of my "disco bass" one night, even after admitting it had one of the sweetest tones he'd ever heard, so maybe the problem was one of perception. Either way I think I'd need to be living under a bridge before I consider parting with it.

 

[wraub]

Color me skeptical about Point 1 as well (lemon oil, oiling the board, etc.).

Here in the Denver area (arid high desert climate), you darn well better put a light coat of an appropriate oil on your darkwood board once a year, being sure to go light and wipe off excess. I use Fender Fretboard Conditioner by Meguiers, cleans and gently lubes.

When I lived in Ohio I didn't oil my boards at all.

FWIW, I moved several basses from the AZ desert to NYC and back, and never applied anything but my playing time to them.

Random adjustments as needed simply crush random applications of "stuff" as desired, anytime. Every time.

 

[pfox14]

I don't agree that you should not oil your fingerboard. Lemon oil is not good, but I use teak oil and it really helps seal the wood, protect it, and keep it from getting brittle or too dry. All you need is a very fine coat once every 1-2 years.

 

[electracoyote]

FWIW, I moved several basses from the AZ desert to NYC and back, and never applied anything but my playing time to them.

Random adjustments as needed simply crush random applications of "stuff" as desired, anytime. Every time.

I think it might be a little luck of the draw, but darkwood fingerboards have been known to crack and split if they stay too dry for too long.

 

[SamJ]

any natural wood will need some kind of oiling... period. It's not a debatable point. Finished woods (depending on the finish) can go without, or at least go without for long periods, but a fretboard which is natural need oil at a minimum of once a year if you live in a dry climate, 2-3 times.

 

[wraub]

And, I do agree, that unfinished woods need some attention. I only play unfinished wood boards. And, again, I have never needed to apply oils, resins, waxes, etc. to the 'boards of my basses, regardless of outside climate.

I simply play them, wipe them down, and go on with my day. I adjust truss rods as needed (hardly ever), I dust, and I play them. I have toured them, gigged them, cased them, and simply owned them. They are nice to simply look at.

Regardless, I am of the opinion that, if normal attention/adjustments are dealt with, regular, dedicated play time will deal with all the lubrication/moisturizing the average fingerboard needs.

tLdr; Play more, keep your bass(es) clean, avoid extra gunk (pretty much every where), brush your teeth more and use your turn signals. Seriously, if you had blinking lights for no reason you'd be a Christmas tree.

 

[grinx]

i've been using lemon oil on unfinished rosewood, BEM and ebony fretboards for 30 years with no problems. Carvin recommends lemon oil.

 

[Joedog]

I've used Formby's Lemon Oil Furniture Treatment on my 1/4 sawn ebony board for 20 years. Still rock hard, not a hint of a crack, dimple, or any other kind of problem. Still looks like brand new, and beautiful. Thanks for the advice, but I reckon I will keep on using it.

 

[SirMjac28]

Don't quote me on this as I suffer from a serious case of CRS these days, but I seem to recall the (mimeographed) instruction sheet that came with my bass saying the off position disconnected the battery.

There is also the fact that after I got out of the hospital and wanted nothing at all to do with music, I would take spells where I'd get it out and see if my attitude had adjusted any back toward wanting to play, and I'd sometimes leave it sitting for days plugged in so all I had to do was turn on the amp and flip the switch to get noise, and the battery never went dead, even if I left it plugged in for a week or so at a time.

Last of all, I agree that the US Jazz Plus is one of, if not the best bass Fender ever produced. Built at the height of the post CBS renaissance when quality was at a historical all time high, Light, easy to play, a preamp that is actually functional and delivers a very wide range of tones, but for some reason it never really caught on. I did have a local Fender fanatic make fun of my "disco bass" one night, even after admitting it had one of the sweetest tones he'd ever heard, so maybe the problem was one of perception. Either way I think I'd need to be living under a bridge before I consider parting with it.

Well said on all points here is a club you may want to join http://www.talkbass.com/threads/fender-plus-deluxe-club.1047869/#post-15431278

 

[quickfix]

I use nothing on my unfinished fretboards. I could see someone applying BLO occasionally as it's more of a hardening finish rather than mineral oil.
The base ingredient of commercial fretboard treatments is just that...mineral oil.

I've a 1957 ES125 with a beautiful rosewood fretboard and a couple of other types with ebony boards. No problems up here in the frozen, and very dry north. They all sit open in a rack in the living room.

My bass has a finished maple board and requires nothing more than the occasional wipe like the others in the rack.

 

[Weberman]

Some "oils" aren't. Some oils evaporate rather quickly. Some oils "dry", or harden. Some oils, however, persist for long periods of time. Frequent application, specifically against the frets, can lead to a pernicious buildup. Any luthier who has been repairing for a long time has stories about damaged fret slots from overuse of persistent oils. I can't say I have heard about fingerboard gouges from normal use, though.

I don't think any oil is completely effective at preventing fluctuations in the moisture content of the board. Unless you are sealing the surface, water molecules can still migrate in, and out, of the wood. I have seen ebony shrink in dry climates, despite judicious oiling.

Do you need to oil the board? That depends on your goal, and who you ask, it seems. If kept at a proper humidity level, oiling is only useful for aesthetic reasons. Some woods are naturally oily, anyway (like rosewood). At humidity extremes, it can stave off fluctuations in the wood, but not completely prevent them. As I mentioned, I have seen people oil ebony with all sorts of products, and still get sprout, or even cracks, when the guitar is kept in an arid environment for too long.

I just keep my instruments humidified. I use a lemon oil to clean the surface once a year. It does darken the wood, but evaporates relatively quickly. That is it. No issues, despite the crazy weather here.

 

[ChefKen]

I am going to go with Alembic over your techy for care of Alembic basses......Read down to fingerboard care. Now if you do not have a raw Ebony fretboard then maybe not. Maple is sealed and needs no oil. Raw ebony twice per year.


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[Feral Feline]

The guitarist in one of my bands has used more 9v batteries of mine than I have in a lifetime. Always carry a spare 9v.

 

[Hopkins]

any natural wood will need some kind of oiling... period. It's not a debatable point. Finished woods (depending on the finish) can go without, or at least go without for long periods, but a fretboard which is natural need oil at a minimum of once a year if you live in a dry climate, 2-3 times.

Its a totally debatable point. I have rosewood boards that are over 20 years old that have never seen a drop of oil. They are fine, never has one dried out, cracked or split.

 

[RustyAxe]

any natural wood will need some kind of oiling... period. It's not a debatable point. Finished woods (depending on the finish) can go without, or at least go without for long periods, but a fretboard which is natural need oil at a minimum of once a year if you live in a dry climate, 2-3 times.

So ... what you're saying is that my 47 years of experience with acoustic guitars, acoustic bass guitars, upright basses, electric bass guitars, mandolins and banjos never oiling the fretboard and never experiencing any issues ... somehow didn't really happen ... because it's impossible?

You can slop whatever crap you want on your instrument, but you're deceiving yourself into thinking that it's absolutely necessary.

 

[Buzz E]

Since I had never seen finger dimples on a fretboard, I Google'd "finger dimples on a fretboard" and this is what came up. Really...!

 

[Feral Feline]

I've never oiled anything made of wood... never needed to. No issues with any of it, whether in dry parts of Canada or the hellish humidity of Hong Kong.

 

[mdogs]

Yep, another

Since I had never seen finger dimples on a fretboard, I Google'd "finger dimples on a fretboard" and this is what came up. Really...!

View attachment 536349

Well, I sure don't want that cr*p on my fingerboards. In my mind, here comes another opinion from another ahole, the debate (at least for this thread) is not about whether oil is needed, it is about it causing damage to the fretboard. Dimples in the fingerboard from too much oil, that borders on flat out stupid. These are extremely hard woods that we are talking about, I seriously doubt that you could even saturate them with enough oil to put dimples in them.