Fretboard Oil, humidity, etc. - A scientific perspective

[DDG]

Regardless of official versions from Taylor's site (boiled linseed oil, and do be careful on light-colored wood inlays, as they aren't sealed or protected, can and will get a lot darker.,) here's my take on it, based on simple science rather than propaganda:

Wood has natural oils in varying degrees.  Some woods are so oily that it's difficult to even get the glue to hold them in place.  Your ebony fretboard on a Taylor guitar doesn't actually need any more oil.  Why not?  1) Oil does not evaporate.  Water/moisture does.  Quite the contrary, the oil on our fingers adds to what's already there.  So if your wood looks dry or is shrinking, that's either a humidity issue or oxygen/aging.  In either case, a bit of light rubbing with 0000 steel wool will tend to that problem.  (Be sure to take some blue painter's tape and put it over the soundhole and any other areas that might get tiny pieces of steel in them.)

Shrinkage is a real thing.  I can recall one winter with an unbound fretboard and sliding my hand up the neck and slicing my finger open on a fret that was protruding because the neck had shrunk from being too dry.  But oiling the fretboard isn't the solution.  Correcting your humidity is.  45-55% is what Taylor recommends.  Anything under 40 for an extended period of time is pushing your luck, and not just on the fretboard, but also on your bracing, and other unsealed structures.

This is my first post here on such a subject.  Feel free to ask or discuss politely.

[burnt]

Lemons.  I have always had excellent results - not claiming to come from a scientific perspective -  with Lemon Pledge furniture polish, and later someone gave me some PURE lemon oil which worked great, too.  Of course ideally you wouldn't want to miss a chance to do this during a string change, and while you're at it, the neck & fret board should be cleaned well first, such as with a household spray cleaner, THEN the lemon product.  When between string changes, you can spray the polish on the board and just floss your way around under the strings with disposable paper towel.  While doing so, be sure to wipe off the strings with it top & botttom, too.

[Epic Audio]

Great insight from DDG. There is a lot of fret board care and cleaning information out there. Anything that will not do damage is probably fine. For actually treating the fret board it seems the consensus of knowledgeable users is that bore oil is the best. A good place for info and to get bore oil is: http://www.beafifer.com/boredoctor.htm. I have no affiliation with them but I do use their product on all my guitars, including 80+ year old rosewood and ebony fret boards and have had great results. FYI - beware fruit oils like lemon as they will eventually create problems (this is discussed on the website of the link above). Good luck.

[tedtan]

The fingerboard wood doesn't need oil in and of itself, but it sure does feel better with a bit of bore oil (mineral oil) applied every so often. My ebony fingerboards seem to go one to two years before needing an application, sometimes longer, whereas my rosewood boards seem to do better with an application every six to twelve months.

[DDG]

Pledge includes waxes you don't want on your fretboard.  Stick to oil, and have a care to avoid any wood inlays, as they may become discolored by any oil put on them.

Lemons.  I have always had excellent results - not claiming to come from a scientific perspective -  with Lemon Pledge furniture polish, and later someone gave me some PURE lemon oil which worked great, too.  Of course ideally you wouldn't want to miss a chance to do this during a string change, and while you're at it, the neck & fret board should be cleaned well first, such as with a household spray cleaner, THEN the lemon product.  When between string changes, you can spray the polish on the board and just floss your way around under the strings with disposable paper towel.  While doing so, be sure to wipe off the strings with it top & botttom, too.