Guitar care advice needed

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CrystalSky

CrystalSky

Well-known member
I couldn’t find a nice thread on this topic and decided to start one.

Where I am at we don’t have the luxury to try a lot, so tell me what you guys use on a regular basis and can recommend.

Last year my brother got me F One fretboard conditioner/oil from Music Nomad and it seems everybody likes it too.

This year the problem of polishing frets hit me, and after some research I decided to just get 3M polishing sheets which are yet to be found, as I can’t find anything close to 8000 grit among what they offer here. Micro Mesh seems to be a little bit questionable with their grading and much more expensive. Any thoughts on this?

I also stumbled on some string lubes, bot on Music Nomad and Lizard spit. Anyone uses these? Does one actually need them?

Talking about lubes, there are also nut lubes from both companies. I used pencil to do this, as it is that same graphite and always at hand, but want to hear your experience.

I need to decide what to ask my brother to bring me this time. Would be very glad if you help me.

All other product suggestions and experience are welcome here. Thanks in advance to anyone who chimes in.

P.S.- what above the nut string dampeners you use? Need to get myself one.
 
A little bottle of fret oil will last a lifetime - as Monkey Man has said, you don't need to use it more than once or twice a year.
I've switched to Fret Doctor (sometimes Feed & Wax) for on my boards, but I used Formby's Lemon Oil furniture treatment for decades.
I bought a bottle in the 70s and it's still half full, sitting at the back of a shelf.

EDIT: Be sure not to use actual food grade lemon oil - it contains limonene which penetrates deeply and may weaken wood fibers in the long term.
So-called 'lemon oil' treatments for wood are generally mineral oil with lemon scent added.
You can even get a light grade mineral oil ("white" mineral oil) and add your own scents, like rosewood oil or sage oil or whatever you like.

There are abrasive rubber "fret erasers" for polishing frets. Some also use nail polishing pads from a beauty supply store.
Many still use steel wool for polishing frets and scrubbing fretboards. Myself, I never let steel wool anywhere near my guitars.
A simpler fix is Gorgomyte or its equivalent, Miracle Cloth. These will both clean the board surface and shine the frets.

I've found nut lubrication mostly unnecessary if the nuts are cut right - still, sometimes a good nut isn't enough to prevent binding.
In such a case I'd recommend graphite powder over oil or wax-based treatments: these might attract and hold dust.
But I've used beeswax salve, and many things will work in a pinch, like ChapStik or even Vaseline.
 
Last edited:
eclecticsynergy said:
Myself, I never let steel wool anywhere near my guitars.
A simpler fix is Gorgomyte or its equivalent, Miracle Cloth.
Click to expand...
Yup, always used Miracle Cloth myself. IIRC it was advertised as being for polishing tarnished silver.

I bought one back in the '80s and it's still going strong. Shines 'em up nicely.

That said, I've only needed to use it on nickel frets, not SS ones.
 
Stainless frets shouldn't ever need polishing, yes? It's the nature of the stuff.
 
Monkey Man said:
Big Bends Nut Sauce is popular for the nut:

Big Bends Nut Sauce

Finger-Ease is great for maintaining strings. Makes 'em slipperier in a good way too. I apply a light spray followed by a cloth wipe after every play.

Tone Finger-Ease String Lubricant Spray | Sweetwater

Lemon oil every 6 months to 3 years for the fretboard depending on who you talk to.

Prevents cracking and mould.
Click to expand...
Thank you, Monkey Man!

So these string thing actually works it seems ?
Gotta think about getting some probably.

Yeah, not gonna oil it every day, it held up pretty good for years without any oiling actually.

eclecticsynergy said:
A little bottle of fret oil will last a lifetime - as Monkey Man has said, you don't need to use it more than once or twice a year.
I've switched to Fret Doctor (sometimes Feed & Wax) for on my boards, but I used Formby's Lemon Oil furniture treatment for decades.
I bought a bottle in the 70s and it's still half full, sitting at the back of a shelf.

EDIT: Be sure not to use actual food grade lemon oil - it contains limonene which penetrates deeply and may weaken wood fibers in the long term.
So-called 'lemon oil' treatments for wood are generally mineral oil with lemon scent added.
You can even get a light grade mineral oil ("white" mineral oil) and add your own scents, like rosewood oil or sage oil or whatever you like.

There are abrasive rubber "fret erasers" for polishing frets. Some also use nail polishing pads from a beauty supply store.
Many still use steel wool for polishing frets and scrubbing fretboards. Myself, I never let steel wool anywhere near my guitars.
A simpler fix is Gorgomyte or its equivalent, Miracle Cloth. These will both clean the board surface and shine the frets.

I've found nut lubrication mostly unnecessary if the nuts are cut right - still, sometimes a good nut isn't enough to prevent binding.
In such a case I'd recommend graphite powder over oil or wax-based treatments: these might attract and hold dust.
But I've used beeswax salve, and many things will work in a pinch, like ChapStik or even Vaseline.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the advice!

Yeah, I am not crazy about oiling, took me years to even think about it. And another half a year to figure out safest and tried product. I am slow sometimes ?

Fret Erasers are quite new on the market and cost a kidney. With 3M you got more control it looks and a much better price. That is why I lean towards them.

Miracle Cloth looks tempting, but I decided to avoid wet/moist fret polishing solutions for now. And what happens when it’s dirty? Can’t wash it probably, right?

Nut is doing well, I just thought “if there is a product, maybe I need it to make better”, so basically a victim of marketing ?
 
mineral oil would work for the fretboard if you did not have anything else...and if you get constipated drink a little...lol...as far as polishing frets steel wool should do the trick.
 
CrystalSky said:
I couldn’t find a nice thread on this topic and decided to start one.

Where I am at we don’t have the luxury to try a lot, so tell me what you guys use on a regular basis and can recommend.

Last year my brother got me F One fretboard conditioner/oil from Music Nomad and it seems everybody likes it too.

This year the problem of polishing frets hit me, and after some research I decided to just get 3M polishing sheets which are yet to be found, as I can’t find anything close to 8000 grit among what they offer here. Micro Mesh seems to be a little bit questionable with their grading and much more expensive. Any thoughts on this?

I also stumbled on some string lubes, bot on Music Nomad and Lizard spit. Anyone uses these? Does one actually need them?

Talking about lubes, there are also nut lubes from both companies. I used pencil to do this, as it is that same graphite and always at hand, but want to hear your experience.

I need to decide what to ask my brother to bring me this time. Would be very glad if you help me.

All other product suggestions and experience are welcome here. Thanks in advance to anyone who chimes in.

P.S.- what above the nut string dampeners you use? Need to get myself one.
Click to expand...
Music Nomad F-One oil and their guitar polish. I have guitar polishing cloth and microfiber cloth, and I just wipe everything down after playing.

Even when playing a guitar frequently, I don't recall needing to do anything with my nickel frets. I think if you keep things clean as you go you can minimize the need for more extensive cleaning.
 
JackBootedThug said:
mineral oil would work for the fretboard if you did not have anything else...and if you get constipated drink a little...lol...as far as polishing frets steel wool should do the trick.
Click to expand...
Thanks man!

Steel wool drops particles that get everywhere. If my pickups die I am in trouble. No trustworthy tech in the whole country. That’s why I play safe and think about those super fine polishing sheets, so I cant even sand the fret too much.

rsm said:
Music Nomad F-One oil and their guitar polish. I have guitar polishing cloth and microfiber cloth, and I just wipe everything down after playing.

Even when playing a guitar frequently, I don't recall needing to do anything with my nickel frets. I think if you keep things clean as you go you can minimize the need for more extensive cleaning.
Click to expand...
Thanks!

I din’t use any polish, just some natural rag. What cloths do you use? Something regular or from specialty shops?

My frets are Evo Gold. There is nothing too bad, just a little bit “clouding”, which is okay after nearly 10 years I guess. Fretboart is super clean, I wipe it with a rag every time after I play, so keeping clean is intact.
 
Yeah I should’ve mentioned about taping off and covering the pups. You don’t want all that shit getting on your pups….
 
JackBootedThug said:
Yeah I should’ve mentioned about taping off and covering the pups. You don’t want all that shit getting on your pups….
Click to expand...
Yes, taping is a must anyways, still those little fuckers can set me back for much more that a pack of good polishing papers.
 
JackBootedThug said:
mineral oil would work for the fretboard if you did not have anything else...and if you get constipated drink a little...lol...as far as polishing frets steel wool should do the trick.
Click to expand...
Yep. Fast Fret is just mineral oil. The Fast Fret applicator dries out after a while so I just add some mineral oil once in a while. It's way cheaper, easy to find, and also takes care of cutting boards!
 
CrystalSky said:
Thanks man!

Steel wool drops particles that get everywhere. If my pickups die I am in trouble. No trustworthy tech in the whole country. That’s why I play safe and think about those super fine polishing sheets, so I cant even sand the fret too much.


Thanks!

I din’t use any polish, just some natural rag. What cloths do you use? Something regular or from specialty shops?

My frets are Evo Gold. There is nothing too bad, just a little bit “clouding”, which is okay after nearly 10 years I guess. Fretboart is super clean, I wipe it with a rag every time after I play, so keeping clean is intact.
Click to expand...
If the frets aren't too bad you can use a silver polishing cloth like you would use for jewelry.
 
had no idea and I used to use fast fret for years...lol....I have toxic fingers. I can kill a set of strings fast for some reason.
 
CrystalSky said:
Thanks man!

Steel wool drops particles that get everywhere. If my pickups die I am in trouble. No trustworthy tech in the whole country. That’s why I play safe and think about those super fine polishing sheets, so I cant even sand the fret too much.


Thanks!

I din’t use any polish, just some natural rag. What cloths do you use? Something regular or from specialty shops?

My frets are Evo Gold. There is nothing too bad, just a little bit “clouding”, which is okay after nearly 10 years I guess. Fretboart is super clean, I wipe it with a rag every time after I play, so keeping clean is intact.
Click to expand...
Ernie Ball microfiber polish cloth. I use cotton rags (old white undershirts) with the polish, and only use the polish on gloss finishes. The polish cloth I use to wipe down the guitars after playing, satin and gloss finishes.
 
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