Cleaning neck on vintange F-30R

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Hello all,

I don't post a lot in this forum so let me first apologize for my elusive residency! You all have, however, always provided great info for the questions, when I've had them :)

So, my question today: what is the best way to clean the neck on my 1977 F-30R acoustic? (see attached a photo or two). Basically, I want to get all the finger grime off the neck so I can play it without my hands smelling awful. I haven't had this guitar for long, and, before putting it in temporary storage myself, the previous owner hadn't cleaned it or changed the strings most likely for years.

I cleaned my 2003 Les Paul using fine steel wool to rub off the neck grime, and then applied Old English lemon oil as a polish. Can I do the same with my old Guild or would it be better to clean the neck in a different way? Obviously I don't want to damage the pretty inlays!

Thanks for your help as always,
Zak

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Lighter fluid (naptha) and a soft cloth is what you want. Won't hurt the finish and it will take the grime right off. Steel wool <shudder>
 

AcornHouse

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I think he's talking about the fingerboard, not the neck. 0000 steel wool is commonly used to remove old DNA that's collected on the board. It will also polish up the frets. But, do make sure only to use the extra-fine 0000 steel wool, not an old Brillo pad. Clean lengthwise along the fretboard, not along each fret, which could cause a high, or low, fret.

You can use, after, a clinging orange oil and a soft cloth for additional cleaning. This you CAN run along each fret to get some more stubborn DNA.
 
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AcornHouse-- Yeah, thanks for catching that: I mean to clean only the fretboard (the neck itself could use some cleaning too, but I'm mainly focused on the board for now). Luckily I have the fine grain wool you speak of... so, that means if I'm using the wool lengthwise, I'd be rubbing with the grain? And, if so, are we absolutely certain that it won't damage the inlays? Thanks!
 

davismanLV

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As Chris says above, 0000 steel wool on the fretboard and a soft cloth on the back of the neck (lacquered part) and use NAPTHA as your solvent. It will clean up really nice. I wouldn't use Old English Lemon Oil on my fretboard because I don't know what's in it. There are fretboard conditioners you can buy but even some of those have silicone in them and you really want to avoid that. I condition my fretboards with Bore Oil. It's pure and light and does a nice job.

Nice guitar!! I can't wait to see it all cleaned up!! :encouragement:
 
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As Chris says above, 0000 steel wool on the fretboard and a soft cloth on the back of the neck (lacquered part) and use NAPTHA as your solvent. It will clean up really nice. I wouldn't use Old English Lemon Oil on my fretboard because I don't know what's in it. There are fretboard conditioners you can buy but even some of those have silicone in them and you really want to avoid that. I condition my fretboards with Bore Oil. It's pure and light and does a nice job.

Nice guitar!! I can't wait to see it all cleaned up!! :encouragement:

Thank you! for the sake of conversation (and for a little more detail, since I'm sort of keen on using this OE as I wish to play asap lol), a lengthy google search turned up this quote: "I also wanted to know so I made a phone call to Reckitt Benckiser Group (makers of Old English lemon oil).
They told me that it DOES NOT contain any waxes or silicone !
And also comes in a "scratch cover" version.
I will be using this from now on for my fretboards...$3.47 @ Walmart" (the link is https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/forum/showthread.php?t=852367 )

also, here is the original link I followed (scroll down to the photos) http://forum.gibson.com/index.php?/topic/54572-wire-wool/

additionally, are you speaking of "Woodwind Bore Oil" like the item seen at https://www.amazon.com/Woodwind-WWBO-471997-Bore-Oil/dp/B0002TKK4A ?

if so, would I simply use the steel wool as discussed, and then apply the Bore Oil in place of the OE? Is there any kind of post-application cleanup or do you just run a cleaning cloth over it once it's sat (for a specific amount of time) so as to soak up the excess? Also, where can I get the oil?

many thanks!
 

richardp69

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That's a nice looking guitar. Are those fingerboard inlays standard on the old F 30 R's??? I can't recall seeing these before, but I surely do like them.
 

Big-Al

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I always clean and condition my fretboards with Watco Danish Oil. I also use it on my guitars' bridges. It's a drying (hardening) oil blend. It's got enough solvent in it to clean off all the gunk and the oil that gets left behind will penetrate and harden in the wood. Most of the "lemon" oils and other fretboard potions are mostly mineral oil that stays liquid, rubs off and actually softens the wood. A Danish oil is more like a penetrating varnish. It will be more durable and will actually make the wood surface a little harder as well.

The Watco oil I use is actually left over from an old furniture building project. It has a little "cherry" colored tint to it. If I were to buy it just for guitars I would probably buy a natural version, but I already have this stuff. The cherry tint doesn't seem to do much to change the look of dark ebony, but it gives rosewood a really nice glow.
 

kostask

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My one and only post on this topic will be short. Do as has been described regarding the steel wool. For fretboard oil, use non-polymerized furniture grade walnut oil. A suggested supplier is Lee Valley Tools. When I bought it last, is was $C12 for a quart, or pretty much a lifetime supply.
 

taabru45

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I've used food grade diatomaceous earth which is fossilized plankton. It's so fine it can't scratch and I've even used it to polish out fine scratches on the black pick guard. Dampen a microfiber cloth and sprinkle it on..fantastic...will even restore a shine to faded paint. And you leave no residue. ;-)
 
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I've used food grade diatomaceous earth which is fossilized plankton. It's so fine it can't scratch and I've even used it to polish out fine scratches on the black pick guard. Dampen a microfiber cloth and sprinkle it on..fantastic...will even restore a shine to faded paint. And you leave no residue. ;-)

wow, now that's opening a whole new can of organisms ;) I will have to look into this... do you have a link for the specific brand/item you use?
 
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That's a nice looking guitar. Are those fingerboard inlays standard on the old F 30 R's??? I can't recall seeing these before, but I surely do like them.

thank you Richard :) I am not sure about the inlays being standard, as this guitar was gifted to me rather recently. It came from a family friend who bought it and allegedly traveled around France with it back in the late 70s, wooing the french ladies and so on ;). Apparently it was even tossed to him (in it's case) off the side of a train he had to quickly depart. While the stories are fun, that's literally all I know about this guitar; I have no idea the exact age (though helpful folks on this forum informed me that it was from 1977) nor do I know how it came to be in it's present state, with very little damage besides some scuffs, aging and minor wear. I would contact the previous owner but doing so is unfortunately more difficult than it sounds at this time. Fun note: I wondered if I could/should add a strap peg to the back, and since I live in LA and took it to David Neely @ http://neelyguitars.com , who absolutely refused to make any modifications to it, whatsoever. I do love the inlays too!
 

bobouz

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Are those fingerboard inlays standard on the old F 30 R's??? I can't recall seeing these before, but I surely do like them.
I have a '73 F-30R with chesterfield & dot inlays. This was the first version, which was produced for three years.

Then in '76 the F-30R became fancier with the shield & block inlays as shown. I believe this version also had a three year run.
 

adorshki

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I have no idea the exact age (though helpful folks on this forum informed me that it was from 1977)
Yep, like Bobuz said, they (wasn't it Hans?) were right.


Fun note: I wondered if I could/should add a strap peg to the back, and since I live in LA and took it to David Neely @ http://neelyguitars.com , who absolutely refused to make any modifications to it, whatsoever. I do love the inlays too!
Mr. Neely has demonstrated his utmost value as a luthier by refusing to make any mods to that fine piece.
It's a little too rare as a Guild to go screwing stuff into it.
I'd also ask him what he uses for cleaning.
I had a hard time believing Old English didn't contain any silicones since almost everything does, but the issue is: if silicones contaminate wood underneath the finish, it'll stain if it seeps through cracks, and worse, it makes it virtually impossible to refinish or spot repair.
Also, about a year ago, Chazmo posted a link that indicated it also breaks down glue bonds, so that's why we started being leery of using it even only on fretboards and bridges.
Citrus oils penetrate and evaporate quickly, that's why they're ideal, and walnut oil's up there for solvency too.
It's all about the "Volatile Aromatic Compounds", they're what give the oils their scents and solvent (cleaning) properties, and evaporate quickly.
MOST commercial "citrus oil" furniture polishes contain very little actual citrus oil.
Going with the specialty stuff like Acorn House and Kostas suggest is a better bet.
Guild themselves always recommend traditional boiled linseed oil, same thing: penetrates well, evaporates quickly. Boiled so it doesn't become gummy as it dries. Traditionally used as oil-paint thinner.
Anyway, that'll give you some idea of what properties are desirable/undesirable.
 
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Guildedagain

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"I condition my fretboards with Bore Oil." Hahaha, I love it ;-) I use Hoppe's No:9 to clean all my guitars, and my wife loves the smell too... ;-)

NOT!

Old E Scratch Cover is great stuff (and getting harder to find in stores), and I use it on nicked up areas on electric guitars sometimes, makes a newer booboo look like it's been around a long time, which is nice for a guy like me who likes the vintage look.

Watco is great stuff too, has a lot longer lasting smell, can be little bit unpleasant indoors.

I have a bottle of "Goertz Honey Oil" I've had for so long it went rancid, but it was from a friend and guitar store owner who passed away way too soon, and I keep it for that reason but don't use it anymore.

Walnut oil is great for wood, no smell.

The grunge that builds up on the fingerboard, the "DNA", I've had mixed results cleaning before, nowadays I use warm soapy water and a no scratch sponge. In my recent experience, a water based cleaner/liquifier was more effective than a solvent based cleaner, but lighter fluid (Naphta) and Goo Gone are both great products for gunk removal also, just depends what you are trying to remove.

Goo Gone is pretty harmless stuff, has never hurt anything on a guitar I've worked on yet, but it's not that kind to yr fingertips, dries out the skin, so does lighter fluid.

DO NOT CONFUSE Goo Gone with Goof Off, that stuff is a DISASTER around plastics or any kind of guitar finishes!

0000 steel wool won't hurt anything unless you really get obnoxious with it, and even when doing some "extreme polishing" with it, I've never had a problem. Of course all the steel wool I've seen lately is from China, so use carefully until familiar with its characteristics.

I have some old USA steel wool that's my special stash, back from when a lot of simple things said Made in USA...


Finally, I need to broadcast this PSA on something related to polishing.

Stay away from Microfiber or at least use very carefully!

I've been going back and forth between old fashioned terry cloths and cotton T shirts and Microfiber for years... Which one is better, which one does a better job? As you guys know I just recently polished the satin finish D4 to a very high gloss, and I used two terry cloths mostly, but also some Microfiber, and afterwards, there were some scratches I couldn't take out, although I did buff, and rebuff, and rebuff...

Also wondering if cotton is probably better for the old Nitro finishes, and maybe Microfiber better for the newer Poly finishes?

So... the other day, I'm polishing the guitar I just got, the guitar I shouldn't have gotten, a guitar I've been wanting real bad lately and finally found a deal I couldn't pass up (thx eBay;-), a vintage doubleneck (6/12) electric. I was trying to figure out how I was going to hide it (impossible), and the day it came - a week ago today - I had to "tell her" about it, because (rotten timing), it was out for delivery the day I was running off to town to have both my right side wisdom teeth pulled out... Oh Joy, the day had finally come, (I'm 55, so this is not something I'd wish on anyone).

Anyway, she actually signed for the package, and guessed it was a doubleneck before I even opened the box...

So, I'm checking it out, and it's great except the guy put way too much of this super HD bubblewrap in the case, and it left the back of the guitar, and part of the front looking like a checkerboard, bummer!!!!! It left imprints in the finish, first time I'd ever seen it this bad.

So I get the polishes out and start working on it, I got the back looking good (Meguiar's Cleaner Wax), and (I'm working in the shade and I can see the finish real well), and now I'm working the front of the guitar between the tailpieces and the bottom of the body when TO MY HORROR I see a few deep scratches appear on the guitar that weren't there before. I stop! I start polishing a spot (I'm removing the wax at this point so it's the final polish), and sure a $h*T, that fn microfiber is putting a lone but deep scratch in the finish.

There was or had to be something lodged in the cloth that was doing this, grrr.... and it took me a while to get rid of the scratches I've inflicted in the finish, and actually, they're not totally gone and will probably never be ;-(

Settles it for me, NEVER, EVER use Microfiber on guitars again (it's better for dashboards, computer keyboards, etc...), it can trap something scratchy in the loops and that can and will scratch the finish on your guitar, and I'm not talking micro swirlies either...

Good, but hard lesson to learn, but at least now I know, and I will never do it again.

Probably only Adorshki remembers me complaining about the finish on the Guild, saying that there were some heavy scratches on it I couldn't buff out all the way, and I'm guessing it was from that same final polish cloth I was using. Damn!!! Unbelievable... I was scratching the guitar while supposedly trying to make it look beautiful...

Oh well, just get over it I guess, and polish it again sometime... this time leave the microfiber where it belongs, which not around guitars.

Your mileage may vary ;-)
 
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mutantmoose

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So, IMHO, cleaning should be done in a series of increasingly strong methods, stopping when effectiveness is reached.
Start with a damp washcloth. If that works to clean the gunk, stop there.
Next step is a damp washcloth with some dish soap. Then wipe clean with a damp cloth.
If that doesn't work, go to cloth with naphtha.
Then go to 0000 steel wool, but make sure there is no oil in the steel wool. Again, naphtha is great here.
If there are some stubborn hunks of gunk that still won't come out, a really soft piece of wood, like a popsicle stick, can be used pushing WITH THE GRAIN OF THE FINGERBOARD to scrape it away.
After the thing is completely clean, rub it down with a dry cloth. If it looks fine, stop there.
If it looks all dried out, rub your fingers around on it. That will probably put in enough oil to keep it going.
If the thing still looks totally dried out, play it for a few days and see what it looks like. If it looks dry after a whole week, THEN you might want to use a tiny, TINY bit of fretboard lubricant. I use lemon oil, but with great hesitation and very sparingly.
Oils on fingerboards tend to wick into the wood at the frets, and this can make the wood delightfully crumbly and hard to work with when you need a fret replacement. (I dealt with this two days ago, the chipping was incredible.)
 

wileypickett

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I also used to use citrus-based cleansers. But after hearing reports some years back that they were bad for exposed wood, I consulted the experts.

This is what I do now:

If you use your favorite lemon or orange oil once in a very blue moon, it's unlikely you'll hurt your guitar. But citrus-based oils are definitely NOT recommended for cleaning fretboards. (I know, everyone says, "I use 'em, they're great, no problem, don't worry," etc. But the lutherie community says that citrus-based oils soften wood and are to be avoided.)

Water is also not recommended on fretboards because it can engorge and expand raw wood, and it can get under frets and sit there. Again, once every couple years probably ain't going to hurt anything, but why do it?

Boiled linseed oil is probably the most frequently recommended oil for cleaning raw wood. Many oils clean and polish, but BLO protects the wood because it catalyzes. You need only need use it twice, a year or so between applications, and never again.

EVERYONE recommends the 0000 steel wool -- can't go wrong there -- but Taylor, among others, recommends doing most of the cleaning AGAINST the grain, which is the only way to really clean and polish the fret and get in around the fret edges, and then to finish with a couple swipes lengthwise up and down the fretboard.

Before doing any of this, you should tape off the fingerboard extension and soundhole with 2" light-tack painters tape. You don't want the the steel wool to touch the finish of the guitar when you clean the upper end of the fretboard.

Also, since the 0000 steel wool crumbles into tiny pieces as you use it, don't use it near anything magnetic. This is especially important when cleaning fingerboards on electric guitars as the steel wool powder will cling to the magnetic pickups.

Do a Google search for more info, but as this has been discussed to death here and on every other website that has to do with musical instruments, you may wish to skip the anecdotal experiences of the do-it-yourselfers (no offense -- I'm one myself!) and see what actual builders and repair-people have to say.

Good luck!

Glenn
 
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