Neck/fretboard maintenance : Wax on /Wax off?

[Mark-NL]

Hello..

As a MM axe newbie I would like to ask you seasoned veterans 2 questions regarding the TLC needed by my Axis SS. (i've searched the forums and read the FAQ but I could not find the specific answer i'm looking for)

- Is Kysers " Dr Stringfellow Lem Oil" any good for cleaning the neck (lemon oil??)
- Should wax be applied to the fretboard (maple) or just the neck??

Thank you for sharing your wisdom!

Mark

 

[leftyguitarblue]

I can't help you with that particular question, but welcome to the forums!! There are a lot of great, helpful people here. Stick around.

 

[fsmith]

Hello..

As a MM axe newbie I would like to ask you seasoned veterans 2 questions regarding the TLC needed by my Axis SS. (i've searched the forums and read the FAQ but I could not find the specific answer i'm looking for)

- Is Kysers " Dr Stringfellow Lem Oil" any good for cleaning the neck (lemon oil??)
- Should wax be applied to the fretboard (maple) or just the neck??

Thank you for sharing your wisdom!

Mark

Mark,
I've used the Dr. Stringfellow Oil before, but I use wonder wipes now. I used it to clean the back of the neck and on the rosewood fretboard. I believe they mention not using it for maple fretboards? You can get wonder wipes to do everything you need now.

I'm assuming you're talking about the Birchwood Casey for the wax? That should be used on the back of the neck only... I would just use wonder wipes for the maple fretboard.

About once a year I give all my necks the complete treatment, lightly sand with 800 grit, 1000 grit, 1200 grit and then 1500 grit followed by the BC oil and wax treatment. Smooth as glass... In between I use the wonder wipes as needed for cleaning and fretboard conditioning.

Oh and welcome!
fred

 

[Spudmurphy]

He's a big guy to disagree with ol' fsmith but I speak with the advantage of being separated by 1000's of miles.
Jongitarz did say many moons ago that it was ok to apply (very sparingly) a bit of wax to the fretboard - but sparingly!

Personally I don't like using the wax at all as it seems to give a finish thats not in keeping with the neck finish you get from the factory.
Little Spud runs!!

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I have never re done any of my necks. I find that lately the WW's are perfect for keeping that neck feeling good!

 

[Mark-NL]

Those wonder wipes are hard to come by in the Netherlands
(and shipping costs for overseas orders are steepish)

Then again, $2.00 for a qt of Oil soap and some shipping seems allright..

Dunlop 65 lemon oil seems to be readily available though..is that any good? (Hey, if the Ernie people say that lemon oil is good for maple, why doubt them???)

hmmm.. Thanks for the advise everyone.

 

[PBGas]

If you have a rosewood fingerboard, I would personally not use lemon oil. It is acidic by nature. I learned from a popular luthier up here long ago and he showed me a few examples of some necks that had rosewood and the owners used lemon oil fairly frequently. It wasn't pretty.

I put "double boiled linseed oil" on my rosewood necks. It works great and you only really need to put it on once per year.

I don't have any maple necks but I remember someone saying just a simple furniture polish on the fretboard was enough.