software

I recently got an 89 fender HM strat, and it's been very well used. the fingerboard is very dark from years of finger dirt, and the back of the neck has similar wear patches.

i'd like to clean it up. Any advice on cleaning dirty maple? -or do I have to sand away the wear?

i love dirty maple necks for some reaon. sorry i can't be of much help with cleaning it though. got any pics of it?

-Mike

Someone told me lemon oil was the best, Or it sounded like he said lemon.

Steel Wool, don't rub too hard.


Originally Posted by XSSIVEi love dirty maple necks for some reaon. sorry i can't be of much help with cleaning it though. got any pics of it?

-Mikeme too. .....to a certain extent though. at some point, it can get too dirty

From previous experience... lemon oil should only be used for rosewood..it saturates the wood and replenishes its moisture..

maple is a different porous type wood and i believe is harder and denser... from many different cleaning tips and advice i think using a lighly damp cotton towel or rag or shirt.... and a light amount of mild soap. dove works because its not harsh at alll

i did it to my cousins maple fretboard and cleaned it very well.

saliva

(I'm serious

here is your advise...DONT CLEAN IT!

Ok, well if you really want to...spit it the best fingerboard cleaner ever!

I hear so many different opinions on this issue that are all very different... here is what I do and have been doing it since the late 80s with no problems. This is on an unfinished maple neck/fretboard. I take a lint free wash cloth or rag, very slightly damped it, wipe off the gunk, then immediately take another cloth and dry it well. If that doesn't clean it up real nice I'll add a drop of cleaner (Simple Green or Orange Cleaner) to the damp cloth and see if that eats it up. Wipe off the cleaner residue with a damp cloth then immediately dry it well again. If it is still nasty I'll break out some steel wool and very, very gently clean the board (I only had to do this once b/c I waited like 15 months to clean it).

Some people will say it is bad to introduce moisture like this but I haven't had any problems with neck warp or twist. A lot of people will say to use lighter fluid on a cloth but I have never tried it.

Thanks, guys.

For the record, I'm talking ingrained dirt here, not surface buildup.

Bump...

Steel Wool. It's probably better to take the neck off and spend some time on it, but if you don't, make sure the body is covered completely with a big towel, otherwise you'll never get rid of the wool residue on the pickups and hardware.

Personally, I'd let the neck look all worn out and funky, like Ed and Claptons guitars.