Can we please get a definitive word about roasted maple maintenance?

[BrickGlass]

This has come up on several occasions and nobody from EBMM is answering that I've been able to find in a search. In the FAQ there is a section about how to care for ebony, rosewood, and maple necks. I'm just wondering if there is anything different that needs to be done about the roasted maple necks and fretboards? Do you still do the lemon oil? What about the gunstock oil and gunstock wax? Just want to hear from the higher ups about this.

 

[MesaBeno]

I'm not somebody from EBMM, so what I have to say is clearly irrelevant.

 

[Awhitlock]

This has been covered quite a bit. I believe the consensus is treat it like normal maple. I don't use lemon oil on maple, but do use the gunstock oil and gunstock wax for the back of the neck. I use wonder wipes for the front of the fret board, or if it needs a little something stronger, I'll use Murphy's oil soap diluted in water.

Super! Another golden nugget of advice delivered. A similar question popped into my head recently. Thank you

 

[Dargin]

There isn't anything you need to do differently on roasted maple compared to "regular" maple.

 

[BrickGlass]

And there we have it. Thank you Dargin.

 

[phatduckk]

Keep in mind that though we have the forum and many folks will chime in with what they’ve learned there’s always the official channel of shooting customer service a quick email.

 

[thejone]

I asked the customer shop about this a while ago and this is what they wrote back:

"Lemon oil is fine on the roasted Maple JP15 neck. We don't have experience trying the Dunlop brand in factory, we use the Ernie Ball Wonder Wipes Fretboard Conditioner or Old English lemon oil if those aren't available. The Dunlop should be fine though since it's intended for guitars."

I have used it a few times and is works great. I am using dunlop lemon oil on the back of my JP6, too for more than 10 years now. The color of maple part went from almost white when it was new to the typical slightly yellowish/slight brown color of maple. I guess this is more related to the time that passed than due to the dunlop lemon oil since there were no sudden changes and I only realize that when I look at the old pictures.

Regards, J

 

[BrickGlass]

Keep in mind that though we have the forum and many folks will chime in with what they’ve learned there’s always the official channel of shooting customer service a quick email.

Yes, that is an option, but I wanted to have the answer here on the forum so that when someone does a future search for this topic this thread will pop up and their question will be answered.

 

[Astrofreq]

FWIW, my maintenance routine consists of doing nothing and my maple necks have been great for decades.

 

[Ernie Man]

FWIW, my maintenance routine consists of doing nothing and my maple necks have been great for decades.

You stole my routine, I've never had a problem.

 

[ksandvik]

I like untreated slippery neck so I fix these from time to time (roasted or unroasted).

 

[mikeller]

I have been doing as I do on my non-roasted EBMM guitars - quick wipe down with Wonder Wipes with string changes, and an annual (or so) clean with Murphy's oil followed by Birchwood-Casey Gunstock wax and oil.

 

[tbonesullivan]

Most important thing for oiled necks: wash your hands before you play. Definitely helps keep the grunge from building up, which is somewhat inevitable. Wonder wipes once a year also helps.

 

[damo_512]

I used Dunlop lemon oil after I emailed CS.

They said "For the fretboard we recommend using our Ernie Ball Wonder Wipes Fretboard Conditioner. You can use any high grade lemon oil on the back of the neck and the fretboard though."

 

[Astrofreq]

Guitar Honey is great too if things feel dry.

 

[Daniel]

This has come up on several occasions and nobody from EBMM is answering that I've been able to find in a search. In the FAQ there is a section about how to care for ebony, rosewood, and maple necks. I'm just wondering if there is anything different that needs to be done about the roasted maple necks and fretboards? Do you still do the lemon oil? What about the gunstock oil and gunstock wax? Just want to hear from the higher ups about this.

Hi BrickGlass,
The care for your rosewood neck is the same as our roasted maple. A simple wipe down with a microfiber cloth after you are done playing and using Ernie Ball Wonder Wipes Fretboard Conditioner on the fretboard/neck when changing your strings will keep your guitar in great shape and prevent the need for extensive cleaning. Depending on your local climate, cleaning your guitar neck with the Tru-Oil and Gunstock wax is recommended once a year. Here is what we recommend doing for roasted maple and unfinished rosewood necks.
Cleaning the back of your neck with an Ernie Ball Wonder Wipes is always a good idea before any sanding or reapplication of oil and wax. Even if it looks clean, you may have some residue that you can't see, plus it won't hurt anything to clean your guitar.
Sanding the neck is not only for cleaning, but it also opens up the wood grain and lets the gun-oil and wax penetrate the wood. Make sure you properly tape off the area near where you are sanding that is painted or glossy before sanding and be gentle. It doesn't take much force to clean the neck. Use a good quality masking tape so you don't leave any residue which you would have to clean off later.
You will want to apply the Tru-Oil before you apply the Gunstock Wax. Make sure you wipe it down with a clean cloth after using the Tru-Oil and let it dry for a couple of minutes before applying the Gunstock Wax. Use a separate rag for each application.
Never apply the Birchwood Casey oils or wax to any fretboard whether it is maple, ebony, rosewood or pao ferro. You can use our Wonder Wipes or high-quality lemon oil.
We hope this helps. Please let us know if you have any other questions. Thanks for playing Ernie Ball Music Man!

 

[BrickGlass]

Thank you Daniel, that is excellent info.

 

[jones4tone]

Never apply the Birchwood Casey oils or wax to any fretboard whether it is maple, ebony, rosewood or pao ferro. You can use our Wonder Wipes or high-quality lemon oil.

Hi Daniel,

Could you elaborate on the reason for not putting the oil/wax on a fretboard? (Curious generally, but my son also recently stripped the back of an old strat neck along with the fretboard, and used the BirchwoodCasey treatment on that maple neck, so wondering if this is going to cause problems down the road. It feels so much better at present than it did.)

Thanks!

 

[ksandvik]

One thing is that a lot of oil on a maple fretboard will loosen up the frets so they might not sit tight anymore. The other thing is that the strings will get oily and you need to replace them more often.

There's no need to use a lot of oil on fretboard. Your fingers will do a lose of greasing and then wonder wipes each time you replace strings or a couple times a year is fine.

 

[Whoismarykelly]

One thing is that a lot of oil on a maple fretboard will loosen up the frets so they might not sit tight anymore. The other thing is that the strings will get oily and you need to replace them more often.

There's no need to use a lot of oil on fretboard. Your fingers will do a lose of greasing and then wonder wipes each time you replace strings or a couple times a year is fine.

The BC Tru Oil mentioned is a finish that hardens and builds a film so none of the issues quoted here are relevant. Most other oils do not harden so you may have issues if you constantly saturate the wood with them. A good test for anything you are going to put on a guitar neck is to put a few drops on a piece of glass and let it sit overnight. If the drops harden and cure then you wont be saturating the board. If the drops dont dry its best to avoid putting that oil on your fretboard.