silverfoxnik Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Hi Folks Picked up a Gibson Thunderbird on Friday and - apart from it being a great sounding and fun bass to play - it needs a bit of a clean, especially the neck which is a bit gunky around the frets etc. What are your suggestions for the best products and ways of doing that job as quickly and safely as possible? Many thanks Nik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-Bay Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 I use a foam wood dash cleaner for cars. It's very gentle but lifts the dirt well. Then a treatment of lemon oil if it's rosewood. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JapanAxe Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Cut an old credit card in half, on a 45-degree angle. You can then scrape away dirt from alongside the frets without fear of scratching the finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sirmuppet Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 Some very fine steel wool. Make sure to keep the filings away from the pickups. This technique is used in one of the official Taylor guitar videos on how to clean and maintain a fretboard. Also lemon oil or some kind of specific fretboard wood oil will be good after you've done it, but yeah steel wool gets the fret clean very quickly and they sparkle like new afterwards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted October 1, 2017 Share Posted October 1, 2017 I use washing up liquid and paper towels for cleaning fretboards - cleans all the gunk with no effort and you're pretty sure that the "chemicals" involved won't harm the fretboard - you can also be sure that you have the required "tools" at home too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted October 1, 2017 Author Share Posted October 1, 2017 Cheers chaps! Will let you know how I get on and yes, it's a rosewood board.. Nik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LITTLEWING Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 Ronson lighter fluid. Cleans brilliantly and evaporates quickly so won't soak in, then fine wire wool. Lightly do the frets too with wire wool including the fret ends and the edge of the fretboard. Lemon oil when all clean. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kev b Posted October 2, 2017 Share Posted October 2, 2017 I thought lemon oil was for cleaning fretboards and dried them out? I use boiled linseed oil on rosewood fretboards. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bolo Posted October 16, 2017 Share Posted October 16, 2017 [quote name='kev b' timestamp='1506971343' post='3382463'] I thought lemon oil was for cleaning fretboards and dried them out? I use boiled linseed oil on rosewood fretboards. [/quote] Either works fine on rosewood, the linseed is better on maple as it stains less. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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