Fretboards need to be cleaned every so often, and that’s just common sense. However, there is also something called “conditioning” a fretboard.<\/p>\n
The two main reasons to condition a fretboard is to:<\/p>\n
Keep color consistency<\/strong><\/p>\n Boards that aren’t conditioned fade, but not evenly since the player (you) prefers to play certain parts of the board more than others. Regular conditioning can slow the fading where it’s not made so obvious where you play the most.<\/p>\n Prevent board splitting\/cracking<\/strong><\/p>\n Boards that get too dry will eventually split or crack apart. This doesn’t mean the board unplayable at first, but it eventually will become unplayable once frets or binding start shifting loose.<\/p>\n A sealed maple fretboard usually does not need conditioning since the board already has sealant applied to it when the instrument was originally constructed.<\/p>\n Unless you very specifically requested an unfinished maple board, it is most likely sealed. If it weren’t, the board would turn green and\/or a dingy gray color fairly quickly.<\/p>\n You still need to clean a maple board, no question about that, but it typically does not need conditioning.<\/p>\n Special note for Music Man basses with maple fingerboards: These are oiled and not sealed<\/strong>. Music Man describes their finish as a “gunstock oil and wax blend,” according to them.<\/p>\n The Dunlop System 65 Kit<\/a> has everything you need to condition a board properly. It includes formula 6532 “Deep Conditioner Oil” along with instructions on how to use it for no-fuss, easy conditioning.<\/p>\n If you want a water-less conditioner (which some prefer,) Zymol Bridge Fret & Finger Board Protectant<\/a> is what you want.<\/p>\n If the instrument is played regularly, about once every 90 days. However, you can also judge when to do it visually. <\/p>\n The easiest way to judge visually when you should condition is by snapping a photo of your rosewood board with your phone right after you condition, providing you with a reference. After 90 days, take another photo of your board dry (preferably under the same lighting you used prior) and compare it with the photo you took before. Compare the two photos and you will know quickly whether another conditioning is needed or not. If the board still looks OK to you, give it another month.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Fretboards need to be cleaned every so often, and that’s just common sense. However, there is also something called “conditioning” a fretboard. Why would you condition a fretboard? The two main reasons to condition a fretboard is to: Keep color consistency Boards that aren’t conditioned fade, but not evenly since the player (you) prefers to … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":7472,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[7],"tags":[68,69],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bestbassgear.com\/ebass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7473"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bestbassgear.com\/ebass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bestbassgear.com\/ebass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bestbassgear.com\/ebass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bestbassgear.com\/ebass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7473"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.bestbassgear.com\/ebass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7473\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bestbassgear.com\/ebass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7472"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.bestbassgear.com\/ebass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bestbassgear.com\/ebass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.bestbassgear.com\/ebass\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}What boards typically DO NOT need conditioning?<\/h3>\n
What is needed for proper conditioning?<\/h3>\n
When should you condition?<\/h3>\n