Oil/Conditioner for Maple Fretboard

[mapka]

I am getting ready to change the strings on my Telecaster and wanted to oil/condition my maple fretboard before I put on the new strings. Most of the products I have seen for this purpose are for dark wood boards (rosewood etc.). Does anyone have any suggestions? I am familiar with linseed oil from using it on rifle stocks but do not know if that will work the maple or even in any guitar application.

[Bookkeeper's Son]

AFAIK, maple fingerboards are finished, and should not be treated like unfinished rosewood. Oil or other treatments will just sit on the surface and make a mess. I'd recommend cleaning with a cloth dampened with a solution of Murphy's oil soap, or plain water.

[Spudman]

The only thing you do to a maple board is to clean it off. DO NOT apply any conditioner or treatment.

Rosewood is an oily wood and it can dry over time. That is why rosewood sometimes gets conditioned. Do not do any treatment of this type to a maple board.

[deeaa]

The only treatment I could think of is buff it clean just as you'd buff the guitar body clean; at most some sort of mild wax or furniture polish used. No oils.

I've used Johnson Pled furniture polish for some guitars...but I practically never clean my own guitars. They should accumulate dirt over the years IMO.
But in the store I worked at they always used that stuff to buff the finishes nice and shiny.

[Perfect Stranger]

^^^ Yep, what they said!

[marnold]

Actually that's my second favorite thing about a maple neck, after the looks--low maintenance!

Plus, I think my maple fretboard with black sharkies is just plain hawt. :rockon:

[mapka]

Thanks guys! I had a luthier who took care of this, but he is leaving my area. I know he had told me that someone may have taken steel wool to the back of the neck and it seems like there is no finish on the Tele neck unlike my Strat which does have a coating of some sort (laquer I believe).