ZenBasses Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 Hey, just some advice from all you knowledgeable people. I have my new Shuker now since November. It has the most amazingly figured cocobolo fingerboard.. Oodles of sap wood in it for good measure. Jon said after 6 months I will need to oil the fingerboard. I was wondering which oil to use? I have a bottle of Dunlop lemon oil that I have always used on my basses. Would this be suitable? Or should I be looking more at Danish Oil, tung, linseed oil etc etc? I have a old tin of Danish Oil that has never been open.. Kept in the garage.. Dunno if this is okay to use. Any help greatly welcomed.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PlungerModerno Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 [quote name='ZenBasses' timestamp='1434221034' post='2797788'] Hey, just some advice from all you knowledgeable people. I have my new Shuker now since November. It has the most amazingly figured cocobolo fingerboard.. Oodles of sap wood in it for good measure. Jon said after 6 months I will need to oil the fingerboard. I was wondering which oil to use? I have a bottle of Dunlop lemon oil that I have always used on my basses. Would this be suitable? Or should I be looking more at Danish Oil, tung, linseed oil etc etc? I have a old tin of Danish Oil that has never been open.. Kept in the garage.. Dunno if this is okay to use. Any help greatly welcomed.. [/quote] Assuming it's unfinished (not sealed with a lacquer or hard oil finish) - like most ebony or rosewood fingerboards - it will gradually season and adjust to the environment. This is probably not desirable since the fingerboard has already been seasoned correctly by the builder or wood shop . . . so there are a few options: You can finish the fretboard, although this is a big step - and pretty much irreversible... What I have done with great results is use linseed oil on unfinished wood. It's for cricket bats and things, I use the raw version. With varnish or other resin based finishes you may build up a long lasting finish, which may be perfect, but I would test it on a similar piece of wood before using it on a valuable fingerboard. I'd ask the maker (Mr Shuker) of the bass what he would recommend. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted June 13, 2015 Share Posted June 13, 2015 A small amount of Danish oil applied every couple of months will build up to a lovely, hard wearing, satin finish. Alternatively, look for some natural beeswax and apply a couple of coats every few months. Similar to oil but over the years you'll get a lovely glassy finish that'll really show off the wood! Every time I change my strings I'll clean the fretboard and frets and apply a coat of beeswax. It's getting really lush and it'll only get better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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