👕 Get New Ernie Ball Merch Now!
  • Ernie Ball
  • Music Man
  • Sterling by Music Man
  • Security notice: Ernie Ball staff will never send you a direct message about a prize or giveaway, and will never ask you to click a link to "claim" anything.
    If you receive a message like that - even from an account whose name looks official - do not click the link. Please report it using the Report link on the message so the moderators can act. A scam campaign impersonating admin accounts was blocked on 29 July 2026; those accounts are banned and their messages have been deleted.
Axis 30th Anniversary

im confused

M

marshmellomann

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 9, 2003
Messages
111
Location
Illinois
hey sorry to bother everyone but is orange oil bad or good for the neck on my guitar? some people say lemon oil is good and some people say its horrible for the guitar whats the difference between orange oil and lemon oil?
 
We're talking about the fingerboard, not the neck, aren't we?

I hope so.

They say that orange oil is better because it doesn't contain mineral spirits and so is non-flammable.

If you read the caution statement on, for example, the lemon oil product that comes with some guitar care kits it will say that the petroleum distillates (mineral spirits?) in the oil can be toxic and irritating to skin & eyes.

Dunlop makes a "rosewood board" care kit and whatever is in that stuff works pretty well.
 
By the way, the above applies to rosewood boards, not maple. I sometimes make assumptions I shouldn't make.
 
orange oil works pretty well for fretboards. i tried it on a ibanez 7 string i have with a rosewood board and it worked very well. not to mention the lack of mineral spirits like bovine mentioned. *its smells good too!* i'm reluctant to try it on maple tho, don't know if the orange color will stain the maple or not. that would be bad. *tho the neck will smell yummy :p *
 
Is lemon oil for the back of the neck or the fretboard? Should you put anything on the back of the neck?
 
hey yea does it do any damage? what if i put orange oil on the back of the fret board is that like a total no no or what? i also have a maple neck so yea i dono
 
Here's another vote for orange oil. I use it to nourish all my rosewood and ebony fingerboards. It's also a good all purpose cleaner for necks, but make sure you wipe off any residue once you've finished cleaning.
 
It sounds to me like Orange oil is more popular and has better results than lemon oil. I would go with Orange to be on the safe side.
 
you can really use orange or lemon on the necks or fretboards for cleaning. i have and have used both with good results. after you clean the neck and fretboard with either oil *your choice* i'd get some "000" grade steal wool and rub them down very slightly. then you can seal with birchwood casey's gunstock wax. don't clean the wood often, aside from too much moister damaging the wood in the long run it can also cause it to bow and frets to lift out. like EB reccomends maybe 1-2 times a year at most.
 
also i would avoid tung oil, the neck has already been sealed with EB's wax blend and at most just needs a minor coat here and there with their reccomended birchwood casey gunstock wax.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Classic Rock N Roll Slinky
Back
Top