Maple neck

[MusicwoMan]

Hello everyone

How can I clean the maple fretboard and neck on my musicman stingray?
Can I use the Wonder wipes fretboard conditioner for this?

Greets

 

[tbonesullivan]

according to EBMM, the wonder wipes fretboard conditioner would be fine for the maple fretboard and neck for normal cleaning.

If you've got a really dirty neck, you might need to use some oil soap.

How do I maintain the neck on my new Music Man guitar?

 

[metalarch]

I also like to use th Warwick cream...works really good for unfinished instruments (necks)

 

[Gravesend Black]

Wonder wipes do it very well but it won't remove aged grime eaten into the fb.

 

[Mrrstrat]

I used some warm water and a little Murphy's oil soap. Then applied some furniture polish on a rag and wiped neck and headstock down...is this bad?

 

[tbonesullivan]

wouldn't think so. did the furniture polish have wax in it? That's a lot of what gives the neck its feel.

 

[Mrrstrat]

I ended up going to Gander Mountain and bought the Birchwood-Casey Tru-oil and Birchwood-Casey Gunstock Wax as recommended. I then properly treated the neck with the strings off as it probably was never done since 2006.

The Murphy's did a nice job on cleaning the whole bass, and the oil and wax did a nice job in making it looks new.

 

[clareynet]

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.

 

[Mrrstrat]

I also noticed that my neck needs an adjustment since the last time I did about 1 month ago. I never had to do this with my Geddy Lee bass. For a long time I thought that the lacquered necks were better as they were 'more stable'.

What I have noticed that the Musicman SR5 maple neck I have is similar to many other popular basses: Laklands, the new Fender Dimension, and even a Peavey Foundation 5 I have. It seems that this gun stock finish is common and that it's not considered a huge deal to make a last minute adjustment and quickly tune (even at a gig). For years I got rid of guitars and basses where I had to adjust the neck more than once per year...

So I guess it's not a big deal to have to tweak the truss rod wheel as a part of tune up. I wonder how many people have a hard time with this when it comes to a maple neck?

 

[Gravesend Black]

Did it twice last 2 years. Non-laquered maple may soak a bit due to the weather conditions. But maybe my SR needs some oil and wax treatment cuz I'm not sure the previous owner did it for last 18 years before the bass became mine. Personally I used only wonder wipes by far.

 

[tbonesullivan]

the toothbrush really does help get out the grime faster. Just a soft brush. Then I let it dry for a day. Then I rub in some Tru-Oil for about 2-3 minutes, and then wipe off the neck. You really aren't looking for a tru-oil finish. EBMM uses it more as a sealer/filler that soaks in a bit. I let that dry for a few days, and then wax the neck a few times. That gets it really nice and smooth.

If the oil finish has started to get rough/lifting you will probably need some 800 grit sandpaper to LIGHTLY attack any rough areas until they are smooth.

My Stingray 4H was VERY dirty, and had rough spots, so I gave it 3 applications of tru-oil to make sure it was well sealed after all the cleaning I did.

My 5HS was far less dirty, so It just needed a cleaning and one application of tru-oil. it's now drying waiting for wax in a few days.