This is one for all the guitarists out there — you know who you are!
In late January, I changed over the bridge on one of my Gretsches and tried to do a basic set up. All was well but the neck conditioner I used was the most god-awful stuff ever to touch a guitar. If you see a bottle of this stuff, run the other way:
After this disaster I spend hours knee-deep on forums and Music Nomad’s F-One oil was unanimously recommended. I immediately ordered a bottle from the States.
I never got to use the F-One oil on the Gretsch — by the time it arrived the neck had returned to normal on its own.
But when changing the strings on my new guitar yesterday, the rosewood fretboard needed some attention so out came the F-One!
How to use:
You just apply a small amount to either each fret or a lint-free cloth and spread it evenly over each fret.
You can leave it on dirty fretboards for a few minutes, otherwise wipe away excess straight away. For particularly dry boards two treatments might be a good idea. You’re done!
Results:
Absorption is fast and the change in colour and appearance is striking.
What most surprised, is the way the feel of the fretboard immediately changed after treatment. I’ve never been a fan of rosewood boards in general and find them a little ‘gritty’ under the fingers.
This new guitar had a couple of spots that I was considering sanding out with fine sandpaper for example, but now, as if by miracle, I can no longer find the spots that stood out previously. In all honesty the fretboard feels now more like ebony (a denser, more satisfying wood to play) than rosewood —magnificent!
This is wondrous stuff.
So natural you can use it as salad dressing* — this is a complete revelation for treating troublesome (rosewood) fretboards. Also suitable for ebony and maple — though I can’t comment on that at this stage.
Will be interested to see how long these changes last but for now I can’t recommend this oil highly enough!
To hear the fine folks from Music Nomad demonstrate application have a look here:
* Perhaps don’t use it as salad dressing, I mean it might be OK but pound for pound olive oil is a more cost effective option...
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