Maple Neck Getting Extremely Dry? Help!!

**dwells** · 02-02-2012, 04:17 PM

hey guys
im in Australia where it is extremely dry and harsh heat and im finding especially on my Maple neck on the Reflex that its getting extremely dry and feels like the strings are too?
my other guitars with rosewood are nowhere near as bad, so i was just wondering what the best remedy for this is?
i used lemon oil for a while but some guitar luthier told me to stay away from it?
im sure u guys will know whats best?
cheers
Dean

**Norstorm** · 02-02-2012, 04:24 PM

Well... I don't know if it's the hype or what :P
It's like.. You know you'll stick to one brand of strings, right.. and you swear you'll be able o tell the difference between that and something else.. But do you really, on that one string :P

Anyway.. I feel the same about oil, and I use boreoil on my fretboards. The sky is the limit here, but..
Check this out:

Bore Oil for the Fife and Fret Doctor

No added chemicals, or nothing..
Suppose to be more healthy for the wood.
I use it, and I swear I can tell the difference.. :P It's like the wood picks it up faster :S

Hype??

**Defender2000** · 02-02-2012, 04:49 PM

Lemon oil is perfectly fine to use on the neck and it won't hurt it any. But i'd give it the ole Birchwood Casey gun stock oil and wax treatment!

**browndog** · 02-02-2012, 05:09 PM

I have a neck that needs work but there is a couple things I hate about this topic?

There are hundreds of threads on this and hundreds of different theories.

I wish there was one definitive answer.

**luv** · 02-02-2012, 05:11 PM

Originally Posted by Defender2000

But i'd give it the ole Birchwood Casey gun stock oil and wax treatment!

+ many! My 25th was dry when I got it new....had been sitting in a GC for a year +. One application of the oil and wax and buttery goodness everywhere.

**Bluplirst** · 02-02-2012, 05:41 PM

Yeah lemon oil will kill your strings. Other than gun stock oil and wax treatment every year or so, I would try white mineral oil, as used in Fast Fret. Keeps your neck moisturized and strings last longer.

**fsmith** · 02-02-2012, 05:54 PM

I've been using this for years, I love it. I use it at least twice a year, I'll probably have to reorder more soon.

Originally Posted by Norstorm

Anyway.. I feel the same about oil, and I use boreoil on my fretboards. The sky is the limit here, but..
Check this out:

Bore Oil for the Fife and Fret Doctor

No added chemicals, or nothing..
Suppose to be more healthy for the wood.
I use it, and I swear I can tell the difference.. :P It's like the wood picks it up faster :S

Hype??

**ozzyrules** · 02-02-2012, 06:29 PM

EBMM neck and fretboard conditiner(wonder wipes) for minor periodic maintenance. Whatever oil is in it(thought it was lemon) keeps my necks from drying out. Otherwise, for heavy duty oiling, birchwood-casey then gunstock wax.

**BrickGlass** · 02-03-2012, 01:26 AM

Originally Posted by Bluplirst

Yeah lemon oil will kill your strings. Other than gun stock oil and wax treatment every year or so, I would try white mineral oil, as used in Fast Fret. Keeps your neck moisturized and strings last longer.

You shouldn't put enough lemon oil (or any other oil) on to cause any problems with your strings. Lemon oil is fine, just don't use it on a finished neck/fretboard.

**Spudmurphy** · 02-03-2012, 02:18 AM

Hiya Dean

The reason why a Luthier would say "stay away from Lemon oil" is when it is used too much.
For example when they do a refret they sometimes put a load of lemon oil on the neck and leave it overnight.
This seeps under the frets into the fret slots and helps prevent "tear out" in the wood when the frets are removed - the fret tangs holding the frets in, will tear the wood when they're removed and the lemon oil helps prevent this. The lemon oil when used like this hygroscopically seeps under the frets and can cause them to lift. I have experienced this on a friends guitar. The "supposed Luthier" said that he leaves lemon oil on the fret board overnight. When he picked the guitar up and took it home the neck "choked" and this was due to frets lifting because of the over use of lemon oil.
Another reason they say for not using lemon oil is that it can cause a gunky type residue. However, it is ok to use it liberally, and if used in this way will be ok on your guitars. Incidentally, a little tip passed onto me, and I have posted this before ... .... Johnsones baby oil used on Rosewood necks is the "DB"!!! It's thicker and has less tendancy to creep under the frets. Just make sure you use a lot of "elbow grease" to make sure you remove all the residue.

On a separate note, I've been working away and have some Dream Theater footage loaded on my netbook. I noticed that when you see close ups of JP's neck it has a slick on it which seems to fade a bit as he uses the guitar in the concert. Obviously he's using something on the neck that aids him "slipping and sliding" around on the neck - I've no idea what this is.

Oh yeah, think of when you leave garden furniture out in the sun - it gets all dry and an application of "Teak oil" gets it looking and feeling better. Lemon oil, used liberally on a guitar neck will have the same effect. I've been using it for years and years and my experience is that Lemon oil has caused no problems whatso ever.

The Ernie Ball neck wipes will also give you good results - Can't endorsees get a supply of wipes from EB?

Over and out!!

Edit

I've only now realised that your thread is about necks not fret boards!!

However, I have used lemon oil on the neck itself and have had great results. If you feel uncomfortable about this, use the Bircwood caset tru oil.

Edit #2 Is that substance used on the fretboard by JP = finger ease?

**lumberjack** · 02-03-2012, 05:06 AM

Doesn't lemon oil darken the neck.

**Norstorm** · 02-03-2012, 05:12 AM

after a loooong ass time I guess..

I use lighter gas or something to clean the fingerboard first.. Dryes it out a little bit. When I then apply oil on it.. (((swoop))) Gone! :P

**straycat113** · 02-03-2012, 05:52 AM

As stated there are so many ways to go on this and it is all personal preference. I use both Bore oil and Fret Dr on Rosewood boards. On a neck on an EBMM I stick with Birchwood-Casey and then Gunstock wax. I have seen a lot of necks where guys have used heavy amounts of Lemon oil over the years and it almost gives the neck a finished look and feel as well as tinting them yellow. Whenever I use oil I never leave it on for more than a minute or two and then use a lot of elbow grease or else the neck feels sticky. Dean I really do not think that is having anything to do with your strings going dead though. Depending on how long you were woodshedding even after putting on a new set, it is possible to kill a set pretty much in a day. I have done this many times especially when I used to play more than 8 ours in a day and certainly if I did not wipe them down. I have really become a fan of coated strings which I was not at first, but they have come a long way.