Rosewood Neck Maintenance

[Skeeter]

So the rosewood neck on one of PRSi has developed a little rough patch around the first position.

I guess I’ve never owned a RW-necked guitar this long before, so I don’t know if this is just ordinary wear and tear for it and its thin satin finish? Should I be using guitar oils/conditioners on it? If anything, I just wipe it down with cloth (sometimes a little damp), like I do any other guitar - nothing fancy.

I see random snide remarks and one liners about RW necks, but have never known if there was seriously anything “different” one needs to do to keep them in good shape.

Thanks for any insight.

 

[Guitpicky]

Curious about this myself. The neck on mine looks and feels like it's just sanded super smooth and unfinished so if it is finished it must be REALLY thin.

 

[bodia]

Rosewood necks are bare wood. A little PRS Fretboard Conditioner can be used. Sparingly, though. A little goes a long way. Wipe it down with a dry cloth (I use quality micro fiber). Then a little spray of furniture polish on another clean micro fiber, and rub it down again. Done.

 

[11top]

Rosewood necks are bare wood. A little PRS Fretboard Conditioner can be used. Sparingly, though. A little goes a long way. Wipe it down with a dry cloth (I use quality micro fiber). Then a little spray of furniture polish on another clean micro fiber, and rub it down again. Done.

This. I use very very fine wet sandpaper with fretboard conditioner. Just going over the rosewood neck (oiled rather than a satin) very lightly. Takes about 2 minutes with little pressure applied, and not required often.

 

[AP515]

If it is still rough after the oiling, you can take some 000 steel wool and lightly go over the neck. That will bring it back to super smooth. I recommend putting masking tape over the pickups to keep any steel shavings from sticking to the magnets.

 

[László]

I used the finest grit wet/dry on mine, followed by cleaning with PRS fretboard conditioner, followed by a good furniture polish sprayed onto the cloth (not sprayed on the neck where overspray would get on the guitar body).

Don’t overdo it, a few extremely light strokes with the wet/dry will do the trick (I didn’t wet mine). So little wood comes away with the wet/dry if you’re using a fine grit, that you’ll never take much wood off.

Worked extremely well. As others have said, you can use ultra fine steel wool, but I hate that stuff because it leaves bits of metal everywhere. YMMV.

PRS’ rosewood necks are unfinished, not satin finished, unless yours is a very, very unusual one!

 

[JMintzer]

I find the more I play it, the smoother it gets...

 

[Casi1]

I got rid of all of my Rosewood rough spots using Ryders method of sanding/oiling/wiping. Havent had any dry or rough spots since. I use Music Nomad's F-One oil since I have tons of it for my ebony fretboards. It absorbs really fast. Has worked great on my PRS rosewood (east indian and brazilian) unfinished necks.

 

[Rider1260]

3000 grit Clear coat sanding paper , wet or dry , I use Gibson fretboard conditioner to wet the paper, light rub down, let it soak in for a bit then wipe with a cotton or micro fiber cloth.
Re-oil as needed ( once a year for me )
You will very rarity if ever have to resmooth the neck after doing the sandpaper thing once.
Promise it will be smooth as glass

IF its really dirty / sticky clean with denatured alcohol first !!! then do the wet sanding.
PS I use the same paper to polish frets

 

[Guitpicky]

Thanks for the replies. I was sure it was unfinished but when I saw the OP that got downgraded to pretty sure. Being a PRS I wouldn't have put it past Paul to come up with some new micro thin satin nano finish that you couldn't even tell was there. Now that pretty sure has been upgraded back to absolutely sure I know how to take care of it

 

[TheSpruceMoose]

Been a while since I have checked to see if anything was better, but I have heard Fret Doctor was the best. Bought some and been using it since. It tends to darken the rosewood a bit. Has anyone used fret doctor? If so, have you found something better?

 

[Skeeter]

Thanks everyone for the great advice. Clear, concrete tips from you experts really helps cut through the noise and myths surrounding RW necks.

Much appreciated!

 

[John Cilmi]

I just bought a new '21 wood library DGT with a Korina body, Indian rosewood neck/headstock and Brazilian rosewood fretboard. There is no visible finish or rough spots on the neck. So, it's been almost four years since the above posts were penned and I'm wondering if anyone has new information about the factory finish on their rosewood necks. Furthermore, if it's unfinished would it be good to do the sanding/oiling mentioned previously or would it be best to leave it as is except for occasional fretboard oiling? Any help would be appreciated.

 

[Casi1]

I wouldn’t sand anything unless it was rough or had extensive open pores that bothered you. Also, aside from sanding/oiling any problem spots, I haven’t had to do much at all to my Brazilian rosewood necks, Brazilian rosewood fretboards or any Indian Rosewood. If it looks/feels dry, I’d lightly oil it. If it has rough spots that bother you, I’d sand and oil those spots. Other than that, should be good.

 

[DISTORT6]

Honestly, just playing them is the best maintenance for a rosewood neck.
I should heed my own advice with my BRW Singlecut.
Neal Schon uses salami. I don’t recommend that, though.

 

[John Cilmi]

Honestly, just playing them is the best maintenance for a rosewood neck.
I should heed my own advice with my BRW Singlecut.
Neal Schon uses salami. I don’t recommend that, though.

I wouldn’t sand anything unless it was rough or had extensive open pores that bothered you. Also, aside from sanding/oiling any problem spots, I haven’t had to do much at all to my Brazilian rosewood necks, Brazilian rosewood fretboards or any Indian Rosewood. If it looks/feels dry, I’d lightly oil it. If it has rough spots that bother you, I’d sand and oil those spots. Other than that, should be good.

Thanks for the feedback. The neck is brand new and has no rough spots, so I'll leave well enough alone for now. It will be interesting to see if my skin's oil tends to darken the playing area over time.

 

[ViperDoc]

Honestly, just playing them is the best maintenance for a rosewood neck.
I should heed my own advice with my BRW Singlecut.
Neal Schon uses salami. I don’t recommend that, though.

What kind of salami?

 

[DISTORT6]

What kind of salami?

No idea.
Me? I’d go with Genoa or Soppressata. Toscano is pretty damn good, too.

 

[Herr Squid]

I've used Fret Doctor for several years and been happy with it. I just did my two RW-necked guitars with a light bath of Fret Doctor, preceded by a double treatment of Gorgomyte on the fret boards. They looked, felt, and smelled a whole log nicer after that. For the Fret Doctor, I just wiped on enough to wet and darken the wood a little bit, let it sit for 20-30 minutes, and wiped it back off with a clean cloth.

 

[ViperDoc]

No idea.
Me? I’d go with Genoa or Soppressata. Toscano is pretty damn good, too.

I thought you were going to say he uses Schonrubalotta.