Cleaning a non-lacquer fretboard

[thevince]

What's a good way to clean a Ric from the brief non-lacquered fretboard era? I have a 620/12 that is in need of a cleaning, especially the frerboard.

Usually, I wax the body and fretboard all together. I imagine I need to be much more careful not to get the wax on the fretboard with this guitar.

[maxwell]

Naphtha (lighter fluid) is a popular cleaning agent. Apply sparingly to your cleaning cloth (don't dribble it, especially near the nut where it might seep under the nut and affect the glue). It may be a little difficult to find & buy nowadays - I've only seen it at Walmart in the checkout lanes ("Ronsonol" lighter fluid, 8 oz. yellow plastic bottle). I imagine smoke shops carry it.

My local Walmart no longer sells it, apparently, although it's readily available via ordering:

https://www.walmart.com/search?q=Ronson ... 3AIn-store

I'd only buy Ronsonol, which truly has naphtha.


Some use info:

https://duckduckgo.com/?va=g&t=hj&q=nap ... tar&ia=web

As you can see, you might be able to use this on a variety of guitar parts. I'd be really hesitant about applying to RIC finishes... (no, I wouldn't do it). (There's a good chance this could remove unwanted wax.)

[teb]

You should be able to pick up a quart can of naphtha from about any hardware store with a good paint department. It is a commonly used paint thinner and fairly mild as solvents go.

[collin]

*Technically* speaking, all Rickenbacker fretboards over the last 7 decades have been non-lacquer.