Lemon Oil on My Larrivée Ebony Fretboard?

[bluesman67]

Good point.

I guess the olive oil wasn't very funny, I unsuccessfully suggested it in jest.

[hatofthecat]

Just trying to muddy the waters...

I think the guy who had my Eko 12-string before me may actually have tried muddy water  .... the gunk I cleaned off that fret board with....... yup, lemon oil     All I'd say is spray the lemon oil on the cloth not the board as that way you'll put no more on the board than needed and it won't be splattering onto any other part of the guitar.

I used to carefullly oil my wooden kitchen chopping board with olive oil after washing it as that was what I saw to do on some cooking programme once..... but stopped when a food technologist friend of mine explained how I might as well just get a jar of bacteria and spread that on instead 

Pete

[ducktrapper]

Ducktrapper,

Just as a matter of clarification ... I started this "Subject", not 'Flatlander', so you can let him off the hook.  He just seems to be going with the flow.

I'm canoe65, the guy who DID start this thread and I'm not saying I "want to use Lemon oil on my fingerboard".  Read up to the beginning.  I said I used lemon oil previously on 'rosewood' fretboards.  NOW I'm asking for opinions about using it on my Larrivée 'ebony' fretboard.

I'm not set on doing anything.  I'm just asking the gang (my friends) at the Larrivée Guitar Forum.   

Yes and I answered I wouldn't. Then added the part quoted. Did you detect something "unfriendly" about it? Wasn't intended as anything other than an observation. We now take you back to our regular programming.

[jimmy buffett]

I guess the olive oil wasn't very funny, I unsuccessfully suggested it in jest.

Hey bluesman,

I guess I figured that if members are saying that they polished their headstock with toothpaste, nothing would surprise me about what people will put on their guitars! 

mmm...olive oil and ebony.  A culinary delight...



jimmy

[ducktrapper]

http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/GenMaint/Cleaning/cleaning02.html

Frank Ford is the expert. Cut to the chase? Use lemon oil if you want to. It won't do much except for appearances and could actually do some damge if you're not careful.     

[flatlander]

In the search for the truth, I'll add this link which leans toward Duck's take. I like it because it's a little more scientific and detailed. You have to read the whole thing though because it explains that many popular lemon oil products for furniture have very little actual lemon oil in it and may be ok to use sparingly. It's funny because he says at the start that he's addressing a topic of many internet newsgroups.

http://www.muzique.com/schem/fret.htm

[bluesman67]

Hey bluesman,

I guess I figured that if members are saying that they polished their headstock with toothpaste, nothing would surprise me about what people will put on their guitars! 

mmm...olive oil and ebony.  A culinary delight...



jimmy

Yeah, I forgot about the toothpaste trick.  Toothpaste, olive oil, mix in a little oragano and garlic...don't forget to brush between your headstock!

[jimmyd]

http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/GenMaint/Cleaning/cleaning02.html

Frank Ford is the expert. Cut to the chase? Use lemon oil if you want to. It won't do much except for appearances and could actually do some damge if you're not careful.     

Thanks for the validation of my opinion from a real expert. I still think that Auggie Loprinzi recommending lard is the most interesting fretboard treatment.

[Queequeg]

from the CF Martin Co. FAQ pages...
   Can I use lemon oil on my fingerboard?
   We do not recommend using lemon oil on our fingerboards. The acids in lemon oil break down the finish of our guitars. It may also aid the corrosion of the frets and lessen the life of the strings.

[dave42]

from the CF Martin Co. FAQ pages...
   Can I use lemon oil on my fingerboard?
   We do not recommend using lemon oil on our fingerboards. The acids in lemon oil break down the finish of our guitars. It may also aid the corrosion of the frets and lessen the life of the strings.

Nice post, as I'm a Martin guy.   

I've had a small bottle of Gibson Fretboard conditioner for years. At the very most, I'll use it on a guitar once a year... at the very most! Just a drop or 2 on a rag for the whole board.

[flatlander]

from the CF Martin Co. FAQ pages...
   Can I use lemon oil on my fingerboard?
   We do not recommend using lemon oil on our fingerboards. The acids in lemon oil break down the finish of our guitars. It may also aid the corrosion of the frets and lessen the life of the strings.

The wearing of the frets is a new point on this thread I think, and sounds like a valid consideration.

[Dale_I]

Old fart here... used lemon oil forever. However, I'm VERY careful not to get it on the finish of the guitar and wipe excess off before installing strings. I usually wipe it on, then change to a dry terry cloth and buff it off. Wait a couple minutes, then buff again for any excess. I'll polish my guitar (Martins Guitar Polish) AFTER conditioning the fretboard.

That said, I can definitely see where the actual percentage of lemon in the oil may contribute to acidity. I've used Kyser Lemon Oil, similar to the previous poster. I think the science behind the lemon acid is to break down any build up, which is buffed off, while the oil conditions. The instructions say that if, after buffing, you don't have a luster, reapply and let sit for 20 minutes and then rebuff. This could be to allow the acid to take more affect?  Realistically, it would also depend on the percentage of lemon to oil that would create an over acid mixture that might contribute to damaging the neck (frets, etc) and how long it is left on to affect it. I might doubt that what little lemon acid that it actually contains coupled with what small percentage might actually absorb into the wood could do any dramatic damage. I would consider it more of a surface treatment... but I've been wrong before.

I've read numerous posts over the years and scores of opinions. Never really sure this subject is ever definitely defined. To each his own...

[mika]

I had a small bottle of woodwind oil that I used on my fretboards.  The bottle lasted over 25 years.  Don't know what kind of oil it was and I haven't used anything since it ran out.   

[rockstar_not]

OK,

Who here has heard of Elderly Instruments in Lansing, MI?  I bought a bottle of this Lizard Spit:
http://elderly.com/accessories/items/LSFC.htm

When I visted that acoustic guitar mecca of Michigan several years ago.  I've used it on my Larry's ebony fretboard with about 2 applications per year - really helps clean in the crevices next to the frets.

I respect the folks at Elderly and they highly recommended this stuff.

Note that it has ORANGE oil rather than lemon oil.  I don't know if that makes a difference or not.  It works; the ebony looks nice, hasn't cracked, and haven't had issue with the frets corroding (actually it claims to slow the oxidation process)

I'm typically a 5-fret club player as well (well, maybe 10 fret or so!) so my natural finger oils are in heavy concentration down by the nut and nearly non-existent past 12th fret.

Larrivee have been wrong in the past (evidence to me in my own Larry with the terrible job of the cutout they made for the on-board pre-amp I bought installed at the factory).  They've also changed their tune on certain items from what I can recall - I swear they said bearclaw was bad in the past and saved it for low-end 02 and 03 models, whereas now they charge a premium for it.

As a previous poster stated - I've seen ebony fretboards with cracks in them due to lack of care (particularly above the 12th fret - imagine that!).  Perhaps these guitars did not have proper humidification, perhaps not.

-Scott

[markyboy]

What about using 100% Pure Extra Virgin Olive Oil?

I'd add a pinch of salt, garlic and rosemary, and let simmer for about 20 minute at low, before applying. You don't want to toast the garlic.. You want to infuse it..

[markd2522]

you should use a light touch of Tung oil. 

I just can't seem to get enough oil out of my tongue to do the job.

[wilblee]

... I bought a bottle of this Lizard Spit...

I don't care if it works or not.  I've gotta have a bottle of Lizard Spit in my notions cabinet.  I'll put it right next to the Gorilla Snot.

[Chasjax]

A luthier told me to use ALMOND OIL once or twice a year.  I haven't looked, but he said you can find it at the grocery store. 

[golfer]

From a purely woodwrking point of biew, lemon oil is not a good idea.  If you look at historical preservation, those oils tend to build up and become gummy.  It higly unrecommended.
Tung oil does not get gummy, it will build up, but can be removed from the surface.  Lemon oil and the like soak deeper into the wood when attempting to remove them.  They also do little to protect the wood.
  A suggestion if you must, clean the board with alchol, and if it loks dry, apply a coat of tung oil.

[flatlander]

I'd like to hear some stories of where a particular kind of oil caused damage to ebony fretboard. I've used grocery store lemon oil for almost 30 years on L-10. It is not gummy. I've never cleaned it with alcohol. That seems counter intuitive to me. The lemon oil cleans any dirt off of fret board. Not much in my older age as I always wash hand b4 playing to preserve strings. The board will dry out some and then absorb fresh oil. I used to put it on pretty thick. Never any damage to finish on neck. Someone said it could wear down frets. I don't know about that, could be. Any observed problems from using any particular oil?