Help for a new owner?

[mwp7373]

Hi all -
I've just purchased my first PRS, a Hollowbody II made in 2003. The only thing I knew about PRS guitars up until now was that a lot of people owned them and swore by them. Nice, nice guitar. Color and top similar to the one at the top of this page. The only disappointment is that none of the original documentation was available along with the instrument. Everything about the guitar is fine except that the rosewood fingerboard needs cleaning badly. I own other guitars with rosewood boards, and found that old fashioned Murphy's Oil Soap (tm) does a good job cleaning them. However, I've never had these larger, bird-shaped abalone (mother of pearl?) inlays before. Does anyone here know if such a cleaner is safe to use on this board? Thanks much.
Mark

 

[Brad737]

Murphy's is fine. Scrub away!

 

[Brad737]

Oh yeah, you may want to get a bottle of Fret Doctor to condition the fretboard after cleaning. I love that stuff.

 

[László]

Murphy's?

Are you kidding?

Soap isn't made for unfinished wood! People use that stuff on finished wood floors, or heavily waxed wood floors, neither of which is like your fingerboard.

Use lemon oil to clean the fretboard, it's not really made of lemons, it's actually naphtha (lighter fluid) with a lemon scent. However, that's what the pros use and recommend. Clean the board, wipe the excess off, and you're done. Fret Doctor is merely feel-good stuff, though it's a good substitute for lemon oil to clean the board with.

Be a sport, spring for the four dollars or whatever a bottle of the stuff costs, and it'll last forever. But forgodsakes, don't use soap on unfinished wood!

 

[Brad737]

Ernie Ball specifically recommends Murphy's Oil Soap to clean necks.

 

[László]

Ernie Ball specifically recommends Murphy's Oil Soap to clean necks.

Not fingerboards. You're confusing necks and fingerboards.

EBMM say use it on the neck if it's very dirty, not the rosewood fingerboard. Here's what they say for rosewood fingerboards quoting from their site http://www.music-man.com/faq/music-man-guitars/how-do-i-clean-and-maintain-my-music-man-neck.html:

"Rosewood fingerboards should not be treated with the gunstock oil; instead they should be treated with a high grade of lemon oil. Again, for cleaning, try using the same high grade of lemon oil to clean the entire neck, both maple and rosewood fretboards. Ernie Ball Wonder Wipes Fretboard Conditioner are excellent for frequent cleaning and maintenance as they are very effective and string removal is not necessary." (emphasis added).

I'd re-think that before using Murphy's on your PRS fingerboard.

 

[AP515]

I use lemon oil. Just go sparingly. I little goes along way. I use a little on a soft cloth and rub it in between each fret. Then I let it set for a moment or two and then use a dry cloth to wipe away the excess. You fingers put enough oil on the highly used frets to keep them happy. The others and above the 4th string can dry out so a light cover of lemon oil cleans and gives them all a little drink.

 

[Bill SAS 513]

Or...use PRS fingerboard schtuph...couple bucks, a bottle lasts a looooong time, and there's no questions when you're done...?

 

[veinbuster]

Yes to lemon oil on the fingerboard. I put a few drops on a cloth and rub it into the wood. Then I let it sit for a while: a half hour to a couple of hours depending on what else I'm doing, and then wipe off any excess before restringing and getting back to business.

 

[mwp7373]

Hello again, everyone. Thanks so much for the many replies to my question. For the sake of brevity, I didn't describe completely the actual way I clean & maintain my rosewood boards. I've been doing it this way for quite a long time it seems to work well. I'll share it here.
Spray standard concentration MOS onto fingerboard and lightly scrub with soft fine bristle brush (go about five frets at a time). Wipe off soap and dirt. Dampen soft cotton cloth with 91% Isopropyl alcohol (Extremely flammable and poisonous) and wipe board; 91% isopropyl can be found in most any drugstore, but you might need to ask them where they keep it. (Don't use the regular 70%, too much water in it.) The isopropyl will dissolve and remove any solvents and detergents remaining on the board's surface, and act as a drying agent. Any excess will evaporate on its own pretty rapidly. The last part is to take a lint free cloth, or your finger, and apply some purified linseed oil to the board. Not very much, just a really thin film over the board. You can buy this at any artist's supply shop. Let the guitar sit for a few minutes, then wipe off excess. And........Viola! For an instrument I play regularly I'll do this once every 3 months or so. As to the PRS birds, I wasn't worried about the alcohol or the linseed oil, I strongly suspected they'd be OK, I just wasn't sure about the detergents in the Oil Soap on those inlays. I think I'm going to go ahead with my regular method on a few frets on a trial basis and post results here.
I'm not recommending this procedure to anyone, just describing how I've come to do it over the years. Thanks again for all the replies, I look forward to participating here, & very best wishes to all.

 

[László]

Isopropyl alcohol will actually take the finish off wood! Sprinkle a few drops on furniture and you'll find permanent dots.

Just curious why you don't take the simpler, safer factory recommendation of the lemon oil, other than sheer habit?

Your procedure can't be good for the wood, or the finish.

 

[mwp7373]

Hello LSchefman and thanks for commenting. You're quite right, isopropyl is not advised for finished wood and I don't use it on those parts, just the fretboard. But addressing your point, the procedure really is OK for unfinished wood. Let me explain. When you clean wood, (or most things) you actually are removing two different types of filth. Polar residue (water-soluble) and non-polar residue (oil-soluble). Your hands and the air will leave both types on the board. The function of any detergent is to lower the surface tension between polar and non-polar. That's why you can clean greasy stuff with soapy water but not water only. The MOS acts as a detergent and emulsifies both types of dirt. However, wiping with a towel will take most of the suds-dirt emulsion but will leave a film of suds-dirt behind. The 91% isopropyl removes that film. It's a great cleanser for many non-polar materials, and has enough water in it to take with it the polar remainders that have hung around. Since it's only 9% water, there is no chance of the wood over-hydrating. Once the isopropyl's gone, you have a really clean board. You can play the instrument now if you like, but really clean non-oiled rosewood feels a little weird to me. That's where the linseed comes in. I use it rather than any other oil because linseed gives the wood the texture I prefer. It has the additional advantage of being remarkably stable, taking literally decades to dry out when exposed to air. And, wood's actually pretty hard to damage, when you get down to it. It will burn, discolor, and it will physically deform, but it's really hard to get it to dissolve in anything commonplace. My favorite instrument is a rose board G&L Legacy (tm) that I've had since about 1995. I've cleaned that board this way for at least 10 years, and I think it still looks and plays great.
Again, this is not a recommendation, just a story of personal preference. Still haven't gotten around to cleaning the PRS board, will post here when I do.
Thanks again, everybody.

 

[László]

Well, to each his own. I see no need to infuse a fretboard with soap, YMMV.

Speaking of older guitars, I've got a '65 SG Special with a RW board, in my family since new, mine since 1967.

I clean the fingerboard once a decade or so with lemon oil, and do nothing else. The board's still like new. And it's plenty clean.

 

[markintime]

I would tend to agree with Mark's comments on his fretboard. He did say that it was quite dirty. I've never used lemon oil or MOS myself, but can't see any reason not to since it's recommended by manufacturers themselves. However, I do use a slightly different procedure. I also like the artist grade linseed oil, or sometimes called purified linseed oil. My grandfather was a carpenter when he lived in Poland, and taught my mother about keeping wood clean and in good condition. I remember as a very young child that she would have me help clean the floors. We used steel wool and varsol oil to remove all the accumulated gunk. Then we applied Johnson's floor wax and buffed after drying. Floors looked like new. Obviously, not recommended for fine instruments. Don't do it. But mom would use linseed oil mixed with something else (can't remember at the moment) for keeping unfinished wood looking good and preserving the surface. Handed down from generations, oh well.

But I would share my thoughts on fretboards. After cleaning, but not with isopropyl, I do apply the linseed oil. Let it set a few minutes. Wipe it all off until there is nothing that shows up on a clean cloth. I use old t-shirts as they are pretty much lint free. Then I use Renaissance to protect the surface. This is a micro crystalline wax polish made by Picreator in England. It is used by the "British National museum to restore and protect valuable furniture, paintings, leather, metals, marble, ivory, and many other surfaces housed and exposed to weather. Freshens colors imparts a soft sheen.". It resists liquid spillage and leaves no finger marks. I use it on my SE Custom 24 all over everything. Man, it just looks and feels plain good like it came fresh out of the box. One other benefit is that it greatly minimizes fret oxidatiion as well.

So, the fretboard stays clean, doesn't pick up finger crap and doesn't dry out. Guitar finish stays nice and glossy, and the neck feels nice with no drag.

My $0.02 worth. Sometime later ask me about keeping frets smooth, slick, and polished like a mirror, as well as cleaning strings.

 

[CoreyT]

Been watching some cleaning vids this morning, and ran across this Murphys Oil Soap one on a PRS SE Tremonti.
Not going to be using the stuff on any of mine though...
He is also using steel wool, I use to use the 0000 steel wool on my '73 Les Paul Deluxe when I was a kid, but I would not use steel wool today.
He finishes up with PRS Fretboard Conditioner which according to the PRS store is lemon oil.

 

[mwp7373]

Great info, thanks! Will try to post to youtube my cleaning of the Hollowbody II fretboard (I'm a dinosaur and watch youtube, but have never posted a vid)

 

[mwp7373]

This is a trial to see if the pictures post. If they do, please see next comment.

 

[mwp7373]

This is a trial to see if the pictures post. If they do, please see next comment.

 

[mwp7373]

Sorry for the double post. I'm just getting used to this HTML business. No Utube. Anyway, I was surprised that the isoproply removed more dirt than the MOS. Seldom happens. The board feels pretty good now, but I think it could use another cleaning before the linseed oil. The inlaid birds seem to be fine, and well settled in their routs.
Whenever I help a beginner I always tell them they could save a fortune in string purchases over an entire career if they wash their hands before they play. And, they wouldn't have to do this nearly as often. Thanks again, everybody.

 

[CoreyT]

I never pick up any of my guitars or play them unless I have washed and dried my hands thoroughly.
It makes a big difference in how long your strings last.