Question What's the proper way to clean and maintain an unfinished neck?

[gtrman66]

It's getting near the time for me to do my first round of neck maintainence on one of my lukes and I've got a little bit of first-time jitters lol. I tend to sweat a bit and it feels a little grimy and tacky/sticky on the neck (could be the jagermeister i spilled on it a few months back ). There seems to be a couple of different methods that EBMM recommends and I'm not sure which is the best way so any advice would be much appreciated. Here's da links:

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=24yWr2LRmJY]YouTube - Caring for your Music Man neck & Fretboard[/ame]

 

[ScoobySteve]

For me personally:
1. Wonder wipes
2. Paper towel
3. ????????
4. Success

 

[Stratty316]

For me personally:
1. Wonder wipes
2. Paper towel
3. ????????
4. Success

Scooby, what is #3 ?????????..... I just wonder wipe the neck then towel it off and its good to go... haha

 

[makama]

Just have your roadie clean it!!! My roadie is my 9 month old daughter... she seems to have pleanty of wipes on hand...


(no, not really)


Seriously - I think the natural oils from your hand will condition the neck and then just a wipe with a cloth towel and a bit of water to pick-up the grime is all you need.

 

[gtrman66]

It's getting near the time for me to do my first round of neck maintainence on one of my lukes and I've got a little bit of first-time jitters lol. I tend to sweat a bit and it feels a little grimy and tacky/sticky on the neck (could be the jagermeister i spilled on it a few months back ). There seems to be a couple of different methods that EBMM recommends and I'm not sure which is the best way so any advice would be much appreciated. Here's da links:

YouTube - Caring for your Music Man neck & Fretboard

UPDATE:
Materials used:
Murphy's oil soap spray cleaner
3M Blue painter's masking tape
600 and 1000 grit sandpaper (hard to find in hardware stores like Lowe's, Home Depot etc but auto parts stores usually carry them)
Birchwood-Casey gunstock wax
Generic brand napkins (forgot to get paper towels but I had lotsa napkins lol)(
I decided to use the oil soap,sandpaper and gunstock wax method from the video with a couple of minor adjustments. I masked off the neck as shown with 3M blue painter's masking tape,then used the Murphy's oil soap spray on a napkin,cleaned the back of the neck and let it sit for a few minutes. I carefully sanded the neck with the 600 grit then wiped off the neck with a clean napkin. I used the 1000grit next,then wiped off the neck with another clean napkin. I grabbed the birchwood casey gunstock wax,put a little on 2 folded napkins then rubbed it into the neck. I let it sit for a few minutes then put on a second coat and let it sit for 30 minutes. I grabbed a couple of fresh napkins then buffed it out.
To clean the fingerboard I used a soft bristle toothbrush (worked like a champ and no scratches),wiped the board with a napkin and hit it with the wonderwipe,then let it sit for 30 mins before wiping off the excess. It feels and plays even better and faster than when I bought it so if you're on the fence about doing this yourself go ahead and do it! As long as you follow the directions and don't get heavy-handed with the sanding,gunstock wax and fretboard conditioner it's easy and well worth the effort

 

[guitar ER]

great video...

Dr Ducks Axe Wax is amazing to condition the rosewood afterwards. A drop literally does the whole fingerboard.

 

[banjoplayer]

good thread about ist is here: http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-guitars/16263-gunstock-oil-axis-unfinished-neck.html

especially this post: http://www.ernieball.com/forums/mus...tock-oil-axis-unfinished-neck.html#post215488

 

[Stevie]

What's an alternative/s to Murphy's oil soap?

 

[ScoobySteve]

Scooby, what is #3 ?????????..... I just wonder wipe the neck then towel it off and its good to go... haha

Elbow grease!

 

[joe web]

what makes me wonder is, that on the Murphy´s homepage they say:
don´t use Murphy´s oil soap on unfinished woods

but EBMM use it on the necks?

 

[tommydude]

good thread about ist is here: http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-guitars/16263-gunstock-oil-axis-unfinished-neck.html

especially this post: http://www.ernieball.com/forums/mus...tock-oil-axis-unfinished-neck.html#post215488

Two Suggestions:

1) This should be added to the FAQ section of the MusicMan website !

2) How about adding the FAQ section to this Forum page in an obvious place?

 

[mikeller]

So, the use of Gunstock Oil isn't neccessary?????

 

[phatduckk]

FWIW i take the easy way out and haven't had an issue on 15+ different MMs (basses and guitars)

1) 0000 steal wool
2) wonder wipes fretboard conditioner on neck
3) wipe with paper towel

 

[gtrman66]

what makes me wonder is, that on the Murphy´s homepage they say:
don´t use Murphy´s oil soap on unfinished woods

but EBMM use it on the necks?

I'm pretty sure that means on raw wood. The gunstock oil/wax blend EBMM uses helps seal the wood similar to a tung oil finish. It just requires more maintenance than a standard satin or gloss but imho it's well worth the extra effort.

 

[gtrman66]

So, the use of Gunstock Oil isn't neccessary?????

Probably couldn't hurt to use it along with the wax....I just decided to try the video method out first to see how it worked. Next time I'll use the gunstock oil then the wax and see if it makes a difference.

 

[mikeller]

Yeah Scott, I have always used the Oil in the past, I just only leave it on a few seconds.

 

[GoKart Mozart]

So, the use of Gunstock Oil isn't neccessary?????

I was watching the video yesterday and was wondering the same thing. After doing a search, I found a thread where Drew cleared this question up:

http://www.ernieball.com/forums/music-man-guitars/34882-gunstock-oil-still-recommended-necks.html#post553870

 

[veniculum]

This thread of a particular interest of mine..not just because I just purchased an Axis with an unfinished neck..but I own three Charvels with similar unfinished necks. And as with these guitars, the Charvel FAQ/forums recommend gunstock oil as well.

But in the course of doing some more research (now that it's getting time to start thinking about finishing my necks)...this is a much more complicated thing than I thought...or at least all the info makes it more complicated.

I should start by saying that I clean my guitars quite a bit...so the gunk that people talk about really doesn't have a chance to build up on my guitars.

To clean my maple necks (and I might get blasted here)...I use a litte 'Finger Ease' on a micro-fiber cloth. It seems to be gentle enough, it smooths things out, and it gets rid of the small amount of grime. I use it on both the neck and fingerboard (of my unfinished maple neck guitars).

After reading all of these same (and different) methods of cleaning/maintaining, I think I might be trying something new. I just ordered the gunstock oil and wax...and as I understand it, it's just a little of each, and don't let seep in for too long.

So that's the treatment of the neck..but I'm still not sure about cleaning. I would imagine a paper towel and some mild soap would be the easiest and safest way (aside from my 'finger ease method'..which could be completely wrong ).

But perhaps someone could shed some light on the proper way to CLEAN the unfinished maple neck AND fretboard. My guitar came with the EB fretboard conditioning wipes. Would these be safe for cleaning both board and back of the neck? I will not use lemon oil no matter what, as I've just read too many warnings about that and maple boards.

In a nutshell, I'd like to know the best (and more importantly the safest way) to clean these unfinished maple necks. I will try the gunstock oil/wax over time.
Thanks

Todd