How to clean Stingray maple neck?

[keefman]

Any tips on what to use for cleaning my Stingray neck, in particular the fret board?

I heard lemon oil should only be used with dosewood and pau ferro necks?

Look forward to your insights.

[Hamster]

I bought a pack of these and they're very good imho - [url="http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/0438717/details.html"]http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/0438717/details.html[/url]

Just wipe off any excess.

[simon1964]

[quote name='Hamster' post='711278' date='Jan 13 2010, 01:47 PM']I bought a pack of these and they're very good imho - [url="http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/0438717/details.html"]http://www.musicroom.com/se/ID_No/0438717/details.html[/url]

Just wipe off any excess.[/quote]

+1. I always use those on my maple board 'ray

[Mr. Foxen]

Very slightly damp cloth and some detergent if the finish is intact should get the grub off.

[hillbilly deluxe]

Baby wipes,without the E.B sticker.£1.

[martthebass]

+1 on the MM wipes.

Tend to find these work well if used fairly often (i.e. before the maple board gets too dirty). Not sure how well they work on a very grimy board. If you're talking about cleaning a rosewood/pau ferro board - I'd keep it to lemon oil, waste of money messing with the wipes.

Edited January 13, 2010 by martthebass

[mrcrow]

[quote name='Mr. Foxen' post='711345' date='Jan 13 2010, 02:36 PM']Very slightly damp cloth and some detergent if the finish is intact should get the grub off.[/quote]

exactly..wood doesnt like being immersed in chemicals or water for too long
but a perfunctory clean with a water based cleaner...wash up...and then a quick dry and then polish..no chemicals
would be the best way...
a small toothbrush used prior to this to ease any deposits at the fret base would be ok

i then use a mean wipe of linseed oil...but thats on my rw necks

[Al Heeley]

nope - I use lemon oil on my mm stingray maple fretboard no problem - the solvent content cuts thru the grease well, use very sparingly but I don't believe it will do any damage.

This is from the Ernie Ball website:
[quote]For cleaning, try using the same high grade of lemon oil to clean the entire neck, both maple and rosewood fretboards. Keep in mind that if the dirt or grease has been worked into the wood, it cannot be removed except by sanding it down, which we do not recommend unless exercised with extremely fine sandpaper (1200-1600 grit), and even then very sparingly. It is better to keep it clean in the first place. Washing your hands first helps!

Some discoloration after many hours of playing is normal on unfinished necks.[/quote]


Solvent content is said to drive off natural oils found in woods such as rosewood, but maple is very hard and dry, the lem-oil i have is basically naphtha-based, (lighter fluid!)very volatile so it cuts thru the grease and evaporates off really fast. I feel happier using that than water-based products which are much less volatile and may sink in more which can cause swelling.

Edited January 13, 2010 by Al Heeley

[Al Heeley]

This from a post on the EBMM forum:
[b]Fretboard Care[/b]
To oil, or not to oil...
One of the questions most often asked in the newsgroups is 'How do I take care of my guitar's wood?' It is also a discussion that is plagued with misinformation and half-truths. This article should clarify many of the misconceptions about fretboard care.
The vast majority of guitar fretboards are made of rosewood, ebony or maple. These are dense woods with different characteristics. Maple fretboards are almost always sealed with a varnish or lacquer coating and require very little care other than cleaning. The sealant coat prevents dirt and grime from getting into the pores of the wood and accumulating.
Rosewood and ebony are left untreated and the natural oils in the wood protect them. The cleaning products that can be safely used on maple are unsuited to these woods. The same care that is used for these would apply to other dense natural finish fretboards (unvarnished).
General rule number one about fretboard care is to avoid any products that contain silicone. While silicone oils are inert substances, problems over the long term will be avoided by not using them.
General rule number two is to avoid products that contain waxes. This includes carnauba, paraffin and silicone waxes. You do not want to apply a waxy residue to the fretboard, you merely want to clean it and leave a very thin oil protectant.
What about furniture care products like "Lemon Pledge"? Aerosol furniture polishes contain waxes, petroleum distillates, emulsifiers (detergents), and lots and lots of water. A very light spray on maple to clean it is fine, but aerosol polishes should not be used on unvarnished fretbaords. We do not want to apply products containing water to the natural finish of a guitar neck and fretboard.
A statement that is seen many times in the newsgroups is "use only 100% lemon oil". First, there are NO furniture care products that actually contain nothing but lemon oil, and even if there were, you would not want to use it on a wood finish. Pure cold-pressed lemon oil is very expensive and could not be marketed for $3 or $4 per bottle like the furniture oils you see in stores.
"But Product XYZ says that it contains 100% lemon oil." Yes, I've seen products with that on the label, and I assure you it is a false and misleading statement. It is used in the context that the product contains 100% lemon oil conditioner as opposed to a cheaper steam-distilled citrus oil or synthetic duplicate made from pine tree wood. Typically 99% or more of the product is a mineral oil with less than 1% lemon oil.
Pure lemon oil (or other citrus oils) is composed of d-limonene at an amount of 90% or more. There are other minor components that give each of the citrus oils its own unique flavors and fragrances. These ingredients include citral, linalool, geraniol, nerol, citronella, pinenes and other terpenes.
Since d-limonene is the majority of lemon oil (or orange oil), we can look at its properties to determine why it is not suited for fretboard care. First, and most importantly, d-limonene is a very strong solvent. It is used to remove glue, paint, grease, oil and other substances. If an oil with a high percentage of d-limonene were applied to a fretboard, it might even begin to loosen the bindings, fret markers or other trim. Additionally, it could soften some varnishes or lacquers used on necks and bodies. Also the vapors of d-limonene are flammable with a flash point of about 124 degrees F.
What are petroleum distillates? The type of petroleum distillates used in furniture cleaners is a very thin, purified and deodorized mineral oil. Normal paraffin and iso-paraffin oils are generally used since they are less agressive to finishes and have lower odors. They are also flammable but the flash points are usually above 200 degrees F.

[b]What to Use[/b]
To clean a natural finish fretboard or neck, little is required in the way of chemical treatment. Basically you use a clean rag to remove as much of the dirt build-up as possible. Around the frets, grime often gets packed in and is very hard to remove. A plastic scrubbing pad is recommended since it will be softer and less likely to scratch, although very fine grades of steel wool (000 grade) may be used with care. Either type of scrubber should be plain; NO SOAP as is often in SOS pads or similar. Watch the steel wool because any fine bits of metal that are shed by the pad will be attracted by the magnets of guitar pickups.
A furniture oil may be placed on a clean rag and wiped around the hard to clean spots to assist the pad in removing the dirt. Once the fretboard is clean, wipe the entire surface with the oil dampened cloth to seal it. The furniture oil that is left behind will replenish the oil lost from the surface of the wood and help retard further losses. Use as little as possible; you just want to put a slight gloss on the surface. Select a furniture oil that contains petroleum distillates. It is required by Federal law to have a child resistant cap and to state on the label: "Contains petroleum distillates. Harmful or fatal if swallowed". Lemon oil makes the product smell better and might add a little cleaning action due to its solvency, but is not required. Avoid silicones and waxes. Buy a good quality furniture oil. Since you use it sparingly and only clean once or twice per year, a typical bottle will last a lifetime.

[ikay]

FAQ from EBMM below (see paras in bold). I use EB wonder wipes to clean the fretboard. Lemon oil can also be used for both rosewood and maple boards. Re the bit about a very occasional treatment with gunstock oil - only ever do this on a neck that is already clean or the dirt will be sealed in and never us wax on the fretboard. If a maple board is really ingrained then very fine sanding is the only way to clean and the sanded part should then be treated with gun oil to seal it (not wax!). I found several suppliers for Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil and Gunstock Wax (for the back of the neck) on ebay and use this to maintain my SR5 neck.

[b]How do I maintain the neck on my new Music Man bass? [/b]
For everyday cleaning, use a small dose of high-grade lemon oil. For the fretboard, use Ernie Ball Wonder Wipes Fretboard Conditioner. If the neck is very dirty, give us a call or email us at [email protected] This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
Since the neck is finished only with gunstock oil and wax blend, it is more susceptible to humidity changes. An occasional truss rod adjustment will halp keep your bass playing factory-new. If you are getting fret buzz (plugged in only, of course) raise the action by turning the trussrod wheel counter-clockwise, to lower the action turn it clockwise.

[b]An infrequent dose of gunstock oil will help to keep the neck maintained; we recommend and use Birchwood-Casey Tru-Oil, but any good quality gunstock oil will work. Clean neck first. Use a small amount of Tru-oil, leave it on for 5 minutes, then wipe it off with a paper towel. Then apply Birchwood-Casey Gunstock Wax. Be sure to douse the paper towel with water before disposing of it! Read the wax and oil manufacturer's instructions regarding disposal of these used paper towels.[/b]

Birchwood-Casey products are available at most sporting goods or gun stores, or direct. Their web address is [url="http://www.birchwoodcasey.com"]http://www.birchwoodcasey.com[/url].

Rosewood fingerboards should not be treated with gunstock oil; instead they should be treated with a high grade of lemon oil.

[b]For cleaning, try using the same high grade of lemon oil to clean the entire neck, both maple and rosewood fretboards. Keep in mind that if the dirt or grease has been worked into the wood, it cannot be removed except by sanding it down, which we do not recommend unless exercised with extremely fine sandpaper (1200-1600 grit), and even then very sparingly. It is better to keep it clean in the first place. Washing your hands first helps![/b]

Some discoloration after many hours of playing is normal on unfinished necks.

Be sure to follow all of the manufacturers recommended safety precautions when using any of these oils or waxes.

[Grand Wazoo]

[quote name='keefman' post='711266' date='Jan 13 2010, 01:33 PM']Any tips on what to use for cleaning my Stingray neck, in particular the fret board?

I heard lemon oil should only be used with dosewood and pau ferro necks?

Look forward to your insights.[/quote]


It's all here: [url="http://www.ernieball.com/faq/4-MusicMan-Bass-Guitars-FAQ"]http://www.ernieball.com/faq/4-MusicMan-Bass-Guitars-FAQ[/url]