Cleaning a maple fingerboard

[86kubicki]

Paul, do you have any suggestions as to how one can clean an unfinished maple fingerboard? My 2060 is quite discoloured, but nothing I've tried helps. This pic gives a bit of an idea of the problem:

[beatlefreak]

Have you tried naptha?

[jingle_jangle]

Unfinished maple fretboards are not the best idea...

I'd use 000 steel wool and some naphtha; wipe often with a clean diaper and you'll be surprised how much junk comes off.

However, depending upon how badly the grime is worked into the grain, it might be time for stronger measures.

The material to use here is available at Pep Boys stores, Kragen, and Trak Auto, last time I looked. It's called "Westley's Bleche Wite", comes in a spray bottle, and does a good job of cleaning light woods. Spray it on and let it sit for five minutes or so, then scrub with the steel wool. This stuff is caustic and will eat paint and etch chrome, so cover or mask off those parts of the guitar and your surroundings. It is, however, preferable and less hazardous than two-part wood bleaches and nearly as good, and has the bonus of not raising the grain nearly as much.

When you're done, let dry overnight or several days if possible and then sand the areas you bleached with #400 wet or dry paper, used dry, to get the grain down again.

[86kubicki]

Thanks Paul! I'll try the steel wool and Naptha first. I'm only going to do the fingerboard, so aside from masking off the nut and the body, do I need to worry about the frets if I end up using the "Westley's Bleche Wite"?

[jingle_jangle]

No worries about the frets, as you'll be scrubbing with steel wool, which will give them a nice polish. After everything's dried, I'd recommend a second going over with steel wool if any residue remains (this will be a whitish powder around the frets).