Cleaning frets

[Mook]

Any tips for cleaning the green funk gathering on the frets of my maple neck. From previous posts it seems that silicone free bees wax is the way to go....would that be right? I'm obsessed about not having any sticky texture on the neck when I'm playing so it would have to not leave any residue if possible. Any ideas?

[EBS_freak]

Mask off your fingerboard. Fine wire wool. Come up shiny new and smooth.

[mushers]

scotch pad

[RhysP]

Go to a jewellers & buy a silver polishing cloth. They are impregnated with polish, they're totally non-messy & they bring frets up lovely & shiny.

[woodster]

Search on eBay for 'fingerboard guard'. They make a metal plate with a slot that sits over your fret and protects the board whilst you clean in. Really useful.

[Mook]

Thanks guys, I'll have to get the fingerboard guard...sounds handy

[the boy]

[quote name='woodster' timestamp='1373709974' post='2140778']
Search on eBay for 'fingerboard guard'. They make a metal plate with a slot that sits over your fret and protects the board whilst you clean in. Really useful.
[/quote]
+1 these are great. A bit of scotchbrite and a plastic scraper. The scotchbrite will make the frets a little abrasive so don't forget to buff them once you've finished. You'll be amazed at how it sharpens up the tone. Add some new strings and a tweak of the truss rod and bridge, it will sound like a new guitar.

[Coilte]

[quote name='woodster' timestamp='1373709974' post='2140778']
Search on eBay for 'fingerboard guard'. They make a metal plate with a slot that sits over your fret and protects the board whilst you clean in. Really useful.
[/quote]

Another +1 for these. I use them in conjunction with good ol' "Brasso" to polish my frets. Then buff them with a clean cloth.
They come up a treat.

Edited July 13, 2013 by Coilte

[Kev]

Wire wool is perfect, just be careful if you have a finished fingerboard. Tape should sort you out though

[KingBollock]

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1373708540' post='2140754']
Go to a jewellers & buy a silver polishing cloth. They are impregnated with polish, they're totally non-messy & they bring frets up lovely & shiny.
[/quote]
The stuff I use for polishing silver looks like loft insulation that is impregnated with polish. But it is far, far from non messy. I always wear latex gloves when I use it else it stains your fingers, and everything else it touches, black. I suspect the black crap comes from the tarnished silver, rather than the polish. It is fantastic stuff, though, and well worth the fuss.

[BassTractor]

Cleaning frets?
Our Cleaning Frets™ do this automatically, but still only on 18V basses.
We'll soon have a 9V version ready though. They're in the last stages of testing.
Put in your orders now. I've paid my 20 quid several times.

[TimR]

Old toothbrush.

[stu_g]

i got some wire wool from the poundshop works a treat,i normally clean mine up and if its rosewood use linseed oil on the fretboard its revived a few of my basses

[KingBollock]

[quote name='stu_g' timestamp='1373744797' post='2141248']
i got some wire wool from the poundshop works a treat,i normally clean mine up and if its rosewood use linseed oil on the fretboard its revived a few of my basses
[/quote]
I have had good results with stand oil, which is linseed oil that has been boiled, it is thicker than normal linseed oil. I only tried it because it's what I had, it is used in oil painting. I had a guitar with such a dry fretboard I wouldn't want to wear nylon near it incase a spark set it on fire... The stand oil brought it right back to life.

[skankdelvar]

1. If using wire wool, mask off the pickups. Tiny little bits of wire wool get everywhere and the pups are the last place you want that sh*t.

2. Try the poor man's fingerboard guard - two strips of low-adhesive post-it note butted up on either side of the fret.

[gafbass02]

It's all about gorgomyte. Amazing stuff. Brings up the frets to a mirror like finish. On a Warwick in Particular they look incredible.
Give it a spin, I've sworn by it for years.
http://gorgomyte.com/

[Coilte]

[quote name='gafbass02' timestamp='1373800270' post='2141671']
It's all about gorgomyte.
[/quote]

That stuff seems almost too good to be true. Makes you wonder why it is not more widely known.

[iceonaboy]

[quote name='TimR' timestamp='1373744402' post='2141238']
Old toothbrush.
[/quote]

Or the wifes toothbrush!

[gafbass02]

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1373821586' post='2141952']


That stuff seems almost too good to be true. Makes you wonder why it is not more widely known.
[/quote]

It was a bit of a one man operation. I think he has distribution through JHS now, but it's expensive. I always order direct from JJ.

[steve-bbb]

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1373821586' post='2141952']
That stuff seems almost too good to be true. Makes you wonder why it is not more widely known.
[/quote]

delightful

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif][i][color=#0000CD]Leave it to Jimmy Johnson to come up with a magic potion for cleaning the skank off my basses. I'm one of those guys who sweats through at least four bass changes a night. I also insist on new strings nightly but you can imagine what's left underneath...... a ton of gunk on the frets. Every few songs I need a new horse. Now I play frets that are as smooth as an Orangutan's butt.[/color][/i][/font][/size]

[size=4][font=arial,helvetica,sans-serif]sounds like regular micromesh cloth and snake oil to me ???[/font][/size]

Edited July 15, 2013 by steve-bbb

[gafbass02]

Mobile Post fail.

Edited July 15, 2013 by gafbass02

[gafbass02]

May well be. I've used it since 2005 on most of the 65+ basses ive owned and gigged. It's a slightly odd, stinky, moist feeling cloth, probably impregnated with some Brasso type stuff, it works well though. If it didn't I wouldn't have mentioned it
Or used it since 2005 and recommend it to friends.

Edited July 15, 2013 by gafbass02

[Gust0o]

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1373707081' post='2140727']
Mask off your fingerboard. Fine wire wool. Come up shiny new and smooth.
[/quote]

This! ^

[KingBollock]

This is the stuff I use for silver coloured stuff, such as silver, steel, aluminium and chrome.



You can also get it in a liquid without the wadding.

You do have to be careful with it else it can make a horrible mess that's difficult to remove, especially from hands. I use latex gloves when I use it.

[gafbass02]

That's why I like gorgomyte so much, No masking off, no mess, (apart from black fingertips) no liquids, job done.

Edited July 16, 2013 by gafbass02