Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

So after looking through a lot of information on these boards, I purchased some Dr. Stringfellows Lem Oil in an attempt to clean some of the stains off my 650D's unfinished maple fretboard. It did lighted up the stains a little bit which is fine, I don't really mind the vintage look I suppose but I am going to attempt to try to re oil the guitar at some point soon and was thinking that I should really clean up the fretboard before I put any tung oil or danish oil over it. Assuming that the oil finish would further seal in the stains.

I have read elsewhere that people recommend using a diluted Murphy's oil soap 3-1 with a soft bristle toothbrush. I just wanted to run it past the local pros here to get their thoughts on this.

Also wanted to get peoples thoughts on getting a MG type finish put on the guitar. Do you think it would devalue the instrument as not being original? And did Ric ever have a finish other than tung oil as an option on the 650 D or S?

Sorry if this is the wrong forum for these types of questions, if so just let me know which forum is the correct one. But Paul is usually a goldmine of info for things such as this. I did search and read your comments on the Danish finish, but couldn't find much info on the fretboard.

Justin, I had a similar problem with an unfinished fingerboard on a 2060 bass, (I eventually sold the bass before trying Paul's suggestions). Here's the link:
http://www.rickresource.com/phpBB3/view ... ilit=+2060

Thank you very much, wonder why this never came up under my searches?

**EDIT: When I change the search text from fretboard to fingerboard it came up. Thanks again.

I also read somewhere that JH said that using steel wool is not recommended as the steel dust can be attracted to the pickup magnets. Also, any dust left from steel wool has a tendency to rust.

Unfinished maple, unfortunately, is a magnet for finger dirt from the time it is first touched by human hands. This is why Fender has always lacquered their maple boards. The best way to get dirt out of maple fretboards is with wood bleach (oxalic acid), but this then entails vigorous sanding, which can be tedious and will deform the board if the frets aren't first pulled.

I have not tried the Murphy's Oil Soap thing, but in any case, you've got nothing to lose. A light sanding with foam emery boards (the black ones available at beauty supply houses for 50¢ each) will also help, but you must first start with a medium grade, and then a fine grade to get all of the scratches out. Oil (tung, linseed, walnut or other varieties) won't protect a fretboard for very long, and Danish oil, while good for oiled bodies, won't keep finger dirt off fretboards, either. The only way is to use a real finish, like a brush-on matte urethane varnish if you don't have a spray rig. You need to brush carefully in thin coats with a quality flat artists' brush and let dry hard, then you can steel wool lightly with 0000 wool to scuff it and pick up the dust nits. I say "matte" because a gloss finish looks hokey when it's brushed.

There's no way to give a walnut body a Mapleglo finish.

jingle_jangle wrote:Unfinished maple, unfortunately, is a magnet for finger dirt from the time it is first touched by human hands. This is why Fender has always lacquered their maple boards. The best way to get dirt out of maple fretboards is with wood bleach (oxalic acid), but this then entails vigorous sanding, which can be tedious and will deform the board if the frets aren't first pulled.

I have not tried the Murphy's Oil Soap thing, but in any case, you've got nothing to lose. A light sanding with foam emery boards (the black ones available at beauty supply houses for 50¢ each) will also help, but you must first start with a medium grade, and then a fine grade to get all of the scratches out. Oil (tung, linseed, walnut or other varieties) won't protect a fretboard for very long, and Danish oil, while good for oiled bodies, won't keep finger dirt off fretboards, either. The only way is to use a real finish, like a brush-on matte urethane varnish if you don't have a spray rig. You need to brush carefully in thin coats with a quality flat artists' brush and let dry hard, then you can steel wool lightly with 0000 wool to scuff it and pick up the dust nits. I say "matte" because a gloss finish looks hokey when it's brushed.

There's no way to give a walnut body a Mapleglo finish.

Thanks for the info Paul. I guess my asking about the oil was more a point of would it further seal in the dirt rather than protect it from future use. The fingerboard began to discolor quickly after I got it. Like I said it really doesn't bother me, I was more concerned about oiling over the discoloration.

My bad with mentioning the MG finish, I meant just a natural clearcoat UV finish. And no, I would never attempt to do this myself. Although I have years of wood finishing experience on boats from when I was younger, I wouldn't want to even attempt to do it without a clean room.

Would most likely send it to a luthier if I ever decided to go that route.

Thanks again Paul.

When I got my 650S it had typical 'grime' on the body and fingerboard. Using tung oil (undiluted) and a Scotchbrite pad, I was able to remove most, if not all, of the grime. I kept cleaning until a a white wipe cloth no longer showed dirt coming off.

One great advantage of the natural wood finish is that it's easy to take care of scratches and minor finish abrasions through the use of sandpaper, something that is more difficult with a coating.

If you want a 'normal finish' 650, why not try to trade the 650D for a 650C?

Gary, I did much the same with my 380L, except even a fine Scotchbrite pad is IMO far too coarse to be using on these finishes. A lot has been said warning against using steel wool (pickup magnets attract bits of it), but #000 or 0000 work just fine for cleaning and working oil into the surface of the wood. The only caveat is not to over-use the steel wool until it breaks up. And I use Danish Oil (Watco's clear), because of the solvents and wax that it contains.

When I was finished with the 380, its originally dingy look was transformed into gleaming, nearly-new-appearing walnut and maple.

doctorwho wrote:If you want a 'normal finish' 650, why not try to trade the 650D for a 650C?

I love the 650D look, not sure if I would ever part with her. I was just asking around about the idea of a UV finish. I do want to clean out the maple before I take the effort to mask off and disassemble the guitar to re oil it. I have had it since 2000 and have yet to do it so I am thinking it is overdue. I am hoping I can get away with just masking off the pickups and the bridge, suspending the pickguard, and only removing the TRC and tuners when I do it.

Like Paul said, the Maple is a magnet for dirt. I could see the fretboard discoloring shortly after I first got the guitar.

It doesn't really bother me all that much. I buy instruments to play and keep, I do not mind cosmetic blemishes etc. I see them more like souvenirs from the ride.

Thanks again for the all the info guys.

Justin, I think that I still have some tung oil left - if you want some of it, let me know (I no longer have the 650S, nor my 380L PZ, so I have no real use for it now).

doctorwho wrote:Justin, I think that I still have some tung oil left - if you want some of it, let me know (I no longer have the 650S, nor my 380L PZ, so I have no real use for it now).

The offer is very much appreciated, thank you. But I am in NH about 3k miles away, I think I am going to try Paul's suggestion of Watco's Danish oil and see how that comes out.