Question How long should you leave Fretboard Wonder Wipes on the fretboard/neck etc.?

[Kaleekyo]

Hi all - a few (basic) guitar maintenance questions:

Is it okay to use EB Fretboard WW on both the fretboard and the neck? I have a JP15 with an ebony fretboard and roasted maple neck.

How long do you let it sit before wiping it off?

Can you use the wipes with old strings on (I would want to keep the floating bridge in position so would rather not take off the strings if can be avoided)?

Would you do anything differently if you were dealing with a finished maple fretboard?

Thanks in advance!

 

[Pink]

Hello and welcome.

I cannot answer all of your questions, but will try to be as informative as I can.

Do not worry about your floating tremolo if you need to change your strings. When you replace them, the string tension will pull your trem back into correct position.

 

[DrKev]

I work against the light so I can easily see that the oil is evenly applied across the fretboard. Then I leave it sit for a few minutes and look to see if the wood has soaked up any of the oil. If there are obvious dry patches where there was oil when just applied, I'll go again. If not, I will wipe the excess oil off with a paper towel and then buff with another paper towel or two.

You can apply with the strings on but it'll be a pain in the face, better to take string off, in my humble opinion. Use a stack of post it notes or playing cards under the back of the bridge to block in place so it stays in floating position when you detune the strings. Then you can loosen or remove the strings as necessary and re-stringing or re-tuning becomes a lot faster.

Edit: When you are done, refold the wipe, place it back in it's pouch and keep in a little ziplock bag. I get 8 to 10 uses out of each fretboard conditioner wipe.

Don't use fretboard conditioner wipes on a lacquered or varnished wood. It'll just make on oily mess and won't go into the wood anyway.

 

[beej]

What Kev said.

You don't need to do this too often. This is one of those things to do from time to time, when you change strings.

 

[Spudmurphy]

As above. NEVER leave oil for a long period of time on the fretboard. It will wick under the frets and possibly cause the frets to lift. I've seen it happen on a friends guitar .

 

[beej]

I have too. You don't want the fretboard to get too moist.