Cleaning Panga Panga fingerboards

[lownote]

About to clean and restring my Ibanez Portamento 5 for the first time.  The panga panga fingerboard's got nice light grain and I'm worried Lemon Oil will darken it down too much. Never had a bass (other than those with maple boards) that hasn't been oiled so not sure of the way forward.   Any first hand experience?

•  

[ambient]

Have you looked on their website to see if they tell you how to clean and maintain it? They sometimes have a ‘frequently asked questions’ section or even a downloadable manual.

[lownote]

Haven’t found anything yet

[Reggaebass]

Do you know what finish is on it now, if you can determine that then you can look into the next step , according to the wood database Millettia stuhlmannii, is  a close relative to wenge

[Islander]

Crimson sell a fretboard cleaner and also a restorative that isn't lemon oil based.

 

[ambient]

It’s apparently a more eco-friendly, and denser version of wenge, not sure if that helps at all.

[lownote]

Can’t find anything definitive. So I’m just going to go with a cautious dry wire wool to get the worst crud off. If that doesn’t look right I’ll simply go for a little lemon oil. Life’s too short to faff. 

Edited January 5, 2021 by lownote12

[ped]

Planet Waves Hydrate is worth a look. I always use that on unfinished woods. 

[Reggaebass]

2 hours ago, lownote12 said:

So I’m just going to go with a cautious dry wire wool to get the worst crud off

If you’re going to use wire wool Don’t forget to mask your pickups up well, the fibres will stick to your magnets , and everything else 🙂

Edited January 5, 2021 by Reggaebass

[dmccombe7]

I use Briwax on my Thumb bass. It was recommended by a well known luthier when bass was in for some work.

He said beeswax leaves a sticky feel to the wood whereas Briwax doesn't.

Briwax International Inc - Furniture Wax, Polish, & Restoration Products

I also have the Dunlop cleaner but i prefer the briwax on unfinished wood.

Dave

[lownote]

Well FWIW, not much change already. Gently rubbed down the fb after protecting the pups from wirewool dust.  Looked slightly cleaner against the light - as in probably not hugely dirty to start with.  I then cautiously tried a little lemon oil. Just sort of sat there rather than soaking in and rubbed off OK. Only slight darkening of the board wood, if any. It might have been oiled before of course, which would explain that.  So nothing to worry about I suggest, although not sure I gained anything with the exercise either.  In case that's useful to anyone. 

Edited January 5, 2021 by lownote12