Question Caring for a BFR Rosewood Neck

[bkrumme]

Just sent Customer Service an e-mail and I'm waiting on a reply, but I figured I'd ask the forumites as well.

Is there any difference in caring for a BFR Rosewood neck vs. a Maple neck?

For instance you would use gunstock oil and gunstock wax on a maple neck, lemon oil on a rosewood fretboard, etc.

So...would I use the Birchwood-Casey gunstock oil/wax on my new rosewood neck, or would I use lemon oil?

 

[TonyEVH5150]

I'd use a good quality lemon oil. I don't think that you're supposed to use B-C oil/wax on rosewood necks.

 

[josheyre]

I'm curious about the rosewood neck care as well for my new-ish rosewood ASS.

On a side-note... I just found out Birchwood-Casey is right by my work, which I thought was about as random as you can get.

 

[bkrumme]

Sweet! Thanks Dargin!

 

[TonyEVH5150]

Interesting note. The FAQ recommends not using B-C oil/wax on rosewood fretboards. Wouldn't the same reasoning be true for a rosewood neck???

How do I clean and maintain my Music Man neck?
To clean the neck, use a high-grade of lemon oil. If the neck is very dirty, try Murphy's Oil Soap diluted 3:1. Some players have found that using a toothbrush for cleaning is very effective.
Since the neck is finished only with the gunstock oil/wax blend, it is more susceptible to humidity changes. A very infrequent dose of gunstock oil will help to keep the neck maintained; we recommend Birchwood-Casey Tru-Oil, but any good quality gunstock oil will work. Use a small amount, leave it on for just 5 minutes, then it off with a paper towel. After that, apply Birchwood-Casey Gunstock Wax. Be sure to douse the paper towel with water before disposing of it! Read the wax and oil manufacturer's instructions regarding disposal of these used paper towels.

Birchwood-Casey products are available at most sporting goods or gun stores or directly. Their web address is Birchwood Casey

Rosewood fingerboards should not be treated with the gunstock oil; instead they should be treated with a high grade of lemon oil. Again, for cleaning, try using the same high grade of lemon oil to clean the entire neck, both maple and rosewood fretboards. Ernie Ball Wonder Wipes Fretboard Conditioner are excellent for frequent cleaning and maintenance as they are very effective and string removal is not necessary.

If the neck is very dirty, you can use a small amount of Murphy's Oil Soap, diluted 3:1 to clean it. Keep in mind that if the dirt has gotten into the wood, it cannot be removed except by sanding it down, which we do not recommend. It is better to keep it clean in the first place. Washing your hands first helps! On an unfinished neck, some discoloration after many hours of playing is normal. Be sure to follow all of the manufacturers recommended safety precautions when using any of these oils or waxes.

 

[Dargin]

Touche! We use EB WW fretboard conditioner.

 

[brokenvail]

Thank God! I have been using the fret board cleaner to maintain my RW neck. My thought was that if it was made for RW fret boards it should be good for a RW Necks. I am good to g with this mind set right? The truth is I need to know how to maintain my maple neck when it was a RW fret board. Caring for the fret board I have down but caring for the back of that neck is still a mystery.

 

[bkrumme]

Well GOOD! I happen to have some of those Wonder Wipes. Very handy

 

[Slingy]

I don't think you guys need to get crazy with the back of the neck cleaning, just wait until it looses that new guitar smell which is about a year in my case. Rosewood fretboards can dry out and stuff so take care of those as needed.

 

[Mikey]

I think they use or used Briwax dark brown wax on the rosewood necks. But I'm not sure they still do.
Maybe I will use WW Fretboard Conditioner on my rosey as well in the future, if that's what Dargin recommends.

 

[bkrumme]

Just because I'm nutty like that, I tried one of the Wonder Wipes last night...worked out great. The neck actually feels a bit smoother afterwards...like when you clean your RW fretboard really well.