Guitar neck care

[Haitham Jaber]

Hello:

I have in my house:
1. Camelia Oil
2. Pure not boiled linseed oil
3. Pure tung oil
4. Walnut oil
5. Hemp oil

Which one can I use to clean and take care of my guitar neck?
I know guitarists using camelia oil but it is a non-drying oil.
I ask it here because it seems to me the right place considering your knowledge on wood finishing.

Thank you,
Haitham

[Derek Kessler]

You've got a good set of options. Among the oils you mentioned, I'd recommend using pure tung oil for your guitar neck. Smooth feel, excellent protection, and looks good too.

[Haitham Jaber]

You've got a good set of options. Among the oils you mentioned, I'd recommend using pure tung oil for your guitar neck. Smooth feel, excellent protection, and looks good too.

Thank you Derek

Some people say (say say say) that Tung Oil would remain tacky. I will leave the guitar neck drying for two weeks since I'm playing another instrument now.
What d'ya think

^^

[Edward Weber]

Ie there currently a finish on the neck now?
Arre you asking about the back or the fret board?

[Bob Jones 5443]

Gibson Guitar Polish keeps my necks clean and smooth.

[David Carroll]

Are you talking about the fingerboard? or the neck itself? (mahogany, spanish cedar, or maple) Stewmac sells a fingerboard oil that I like, for the neck itself, just a polish is enough.

DC

[roger wiegand]

What is the neck finished with? I don't think oiling a conversion varnish finished neck will accomplish anything, for example.

[Jimmy Harris]

What kind of wood is the fretboard and what kind of finish is the neck?

Here's the deal. Don't oil an ebony or rosewood fretboard unless it gets really dry. Putting too much oil on it too often will weaken the wood fibers and damage the fretboard around the frets. Usually, if it's kept in a temperature controlled house and inside its case most of the time, you won't ever need to oil these fretboards. Your finger oil will provide enough oil for them through normal use. But if you've got them out on display and don't play them often, then you may benefit from the occasional light oil. In that case, go with any non drying oil that won't go rancid. So mineral oil or a product made for ebony or rosewood finger or fretboards will be best. Never use boiled linseed oil, tung oil, hemp oil, camellia oil, or walnut oil, as they all have the tendency to dry to a hardened finish and/or go rancid over time. These oils have lots of useful applications in furniture, but should never be used on musical instruments (well maybe drums or something like that). But you wouldn't want to put any of them over the finish on your guitars neck, and NEVER use them over the unfinished wood of the fret/fingerboard, as that wood is designed to be left unfinished.

Now, depending on what kind of finish the body and back of the neck are covered in, or if the fretboard is maple or some other finished wood, you can apply just about anything that's meant to go over that particular wood finish. I'd avoid Minwax or anything with silicone, as that can cause problems in the long term. But carnauba wax, beeswax, or any high-grade furniture polish should be fine. It all depends on what gives the guitar the feel that you like best. I prefer Howard's Feed N Wax wood conditioner. It makes the guitar neck really slippery, which I like. Though most guitar players do not. So just experiment around and find out what you prefer.

[Haitham Jaber]

Jimmy Harris.

Your answer is what I was looking for.
Due to my not native english, I confused the neck with the fingerboard. I meant the fingerboard. The body and the neck are lacquered so they don't need anything to be put on. I didn't know that the fingerboard was an unfinished part. I don't know what wood is. It's an 800 euros guitar so it may not be rosewood. Oil fingers seems the best. But there is some finger grease build up on the fingerboard near the frets. How can I take care of that? Just mineral oil? I have to make some research on the subject since I don't want to mess up everything.

Dictum in Germany sells this: https://www.dictum.com/en/cleaning-c...l-75-ml-450264

It would be interesting to know what's in it... since its quite pricey

[Jim Becker]

I use a lemon oil product from Crimson Guitars out of the UK called "Fretboard Restorative".

[Terence McGee]

I have been maintaining a couple of guitars as well, and for the neck, I'd suggest sticking with either lemon oil or a light mineral oil.


Here's my take on the options you've mentioned. Camelia oil is great for guitar fingerboards, but it's not ideal for guitar necks because it doesn't "fully" dry. The surface can gather dust and grime.


The other oils - linseed, tung, walnut, and hemp - are not well suited for guitar necks because these are drying oils. They'll polymerize and create a film. For guitar necks that are used a lot, the film would quickly wear away.


Meanwhile, lemon oil is a great option because it cleans well and leaves behind a light protective layer without building up. Mineral oil works similarly. They both will gently clean the wood, condition it to prevent drying out, and won't leave a gummy residue. Just apply a few drops, rub it into the wood with a clean cloth, then wipe away any excess. Hope this helps!

[Haitham Jaber]

First sorry for choosing the wrong section for this thread.

Terence. Thank you, your thorough answer was very explicative. I think I'll stick with camelia or starrett oil then that is very refined.

Very informative the difference between non drying and building up oils.

Cheers

[Rob Luter]

Under normal circumstances, raw rosewood or ebony fingerboards don't require oiling more than every couple years. If your climate is exceptionally dry you might do it more often. Nearly all of the products marketed as "fingerboard oil" are nothing more than refined mineral oil, sometimes with a scent added.

I have had the most success using bore oil. It's a product used on woodwind instruments. A Google search for Bore Oil will yield many options. It's inexpensive and lasts a long time.

Screenshot 2024-01-19 064453.jpg

[Haitham Jaber]

Thank you

Interesting how they try to sell you mineral oil under different names and prices.
Here in italy a refined and odorless mineral oil for sewing machines costs just 4 eur
Then Starrett and 3-i-one jump up to 14 eur
Then they put a specialty name for instruments like Bellacura and you go even higher

I've read about ballistol being very good for instruments:

1. https://www.ballistol-shop.de/Kann-B...zen:_:122.html
2. https://www.ballistol-shop.de/Musiki...tol:_:147.html


^^

[Haitham Jaber]

One last question guys.

In the bellacura website on the usage instructions, they say to pay extra attention to the frets when applying the oil.
What do you think they mean?

Thank you