Caring for your musical instrument is a crucial part of owning one — and if your instrument has a fretboard, you’ve got to keep it in good shape. Otherwise, there could be a buildup of dirt that’ll affect the sounds you produce. So, how do you clean a rosewood fretboard?
To clean your rosewood fretboard, remove the strings, cover areas you don’t want to damage, and use a microfiber cloth to brush away dust and dirt. You can then use a mild cleaner on the fretboard before reattaching the strings. Avoid harsh products and tools that could damage the wood.
Let’s take a closer look at how to clean a rosewood fretboard, including how often you should clean it, which products to use, what not to use, and what can happen if you don’t clean the fretboard often enough.
What Is a Fretboard?
A fretboard is the part of a stringed instrument, like a guitar, where the strings are attached and pressed down to produce different pitches. It’s usually a thin, flat piece of wood that’s made of maple or rosewood and attached to the neck of the instrument.
The fretboard is marked with frets, which are thin metal strips that run perpendicular to the strings. When a string is pressed down at a fret, the string’s vibrating length is shortened, and that changes the pitch of the note produced when the string is played.
The placement of the frets is calculated based on the instrument’s scale length and tuning to produce the correct pitches for each note in a musical scale. Musicians can therefore use the fretboard to play chords, melodies, and solos, often while also using various techniques such as bends, slides, and vibrato to add expression and character to their playing.
How Often Should You Clean a Rosewood Fretboard?
Every rosewood fretboard is slightly different, and the frequency of the cleaning depends, in part, on how often the instrument is used and how dirty it gets (i.e., how much dirt, grime, and sweat manages to get into the instrument).
A person who takes more care with their instrument will have to clean it less, so it’s important to gauge how quickly your fretboard gets dirty.
If you notice that your fretboard is getting sticky or accumulating grime or dirt, it’s probably time to clean it. In addition, if you live in an area with high humidity, you may need to clean your fretboard more frequently to prevent moisture buildup and warping of the wood.
As a base guideline, however, most fretboards need to be cleaned every few months. Over-cleaning can cause the wood to dry out or warp, so you’ll want to find a good balance. If there’s no visible grime or build-up on your fretboard and it’s only been a few weeks since you last cleaned it, you can probably leave it as is.
How to Clean a Rosewood Fretboard
To clean a rosewood fretboard, you should follow these steps:
Step 1: Remove the Strings
The first thing to do is remove the strings so that you can get full access to the fretboard without worrying about damaging the strings. Use the tuning keys to loosen the tension on each string until it becomes loose enough to remove.
If there are bridge pins, which are found on some instruments (like acoustic guitars), you can use your fingers to gently remove these. Many instruments don’t have bridge pins, so you can skip this step if it doesn’t apply.
Once the strings are sufficiently loose, you can unwind them from the tuning pegs on the headstock. Be sure to keep the strings wound neatly to avoid tangles.
You can then pull them out of the bridge end and remove them from the fretboard.
Step 2: Cover the Areas You Want to Avoid
Before you start cleaning, make sure to cover the areas you want to avoid. Use something gentle and make sure you don’t get any cleaner near those areas, as the last thing you want is something like fretboard cleaner to end up on inner components of the instrument.
Painter’s tape is ideal for this.
Step 3: Clean the Wood
Now you can go ahead and clean the wood. You should first use a soft microfiber cloth (which you can buy on Amazon) to remove dirt and dust from the surface. Be gentle in your movements.
After that, you should use a specialized fretboard cleaner (also on Amazon) to gently rub the wood and get rid of any grime that can’t be wiped away with just the cloth.
Fretboard cleaner is best because the chemicals are specially designed to be used with the fretboard. If you don’t have a fretboard cleaner on hand, lemon oil and wood oil soap will also do the trick.
Steel wool that’s graded 0000 (which is softer than other steel wool) can also be used if there are stubborn pieces of dirt that won’t come off. You should, however, remember to remove the fibers when you’re done if you do use steel wool, and you shouldn’t use any other type of steel wool as it can be far too harsh on the fretboard.
After that, you’ll want to make sure to pat the fretboard dry.
Before moving on, you can use a dab of polish to really make things shine. Alternatively, if you used lemon oil, the fretboard should be shining already.
Step 4: Clean the Hardware
You’ll also want to clean the hardware before reattaching things and calling the process done. The best way to clean the hardware is to use 3-in-1 oil (available on Amazon), though you should make absolutely sure you only use this on the metal parts, and not on the wood.
Step 5: Reattach the Strings
Lastly, you’ll want to reattach the strings to your fretboard and then you’re done!
Make sure you have the right string for the right part of the instrument. The strings on instruments are usually labeled from thickest to thinnest.
On an acoustic guitar, you’ll need to insert the end of the string through the bridge and pull it all the way through until it’s tight against the bridge. If there are bridge pins, make sure they’re inserted back into the bridge to secure the string in place. If you aren’t using an acoustic guitar, you can skip this step.
Then, thread the end of the string through the hole in the tuning peg and pull it tight. Leave a few inches of slack at the end of the string to allow for winding.
Start winding the string around the tuning peg in a clockwise direction, making sure each coil lies neatly next to the previous one. Once the string is securely attached, you can use a tuner to adjust the tension until the string sounds right.
Do this for all of the strings until the instrument is good to go.
Signs You Aren’t Cleaning Your Rosewood Fretboard Enough
Because you should clean your fretboard on an as-needed basis, you need to keep an eye out for the signs that you may not be cleaning it often enough. The consequences can range from making the fretboard harder to clean to ruining it entirely.
Buildup of Dirt
Dirt and sweat from your fingers can accumulate on the fretboard over time, creating a sticky layer that can make it difficult to move your fingers smoothly up and down the neck of the guitar.
This can make it harder to play, and it can even affect the sound of the instrument, making it sound duller.
Wear and Tear
If you don’t clean your fretboard, the buildup of dirt and grime can start to wear down the metal frets themselves, making them uneven and potentially causing intonation problems.
Damage to Wood
Neglecting to clean your rosewood fretboard can also lead to damage to the wood itself over time. Dirt and moisture can cause the wood to become discolored, warped, or even cracked, which can be difficult or impossible to repair.
What Else Can a Fretboard Be Made of?
Fretboards are usually made of rosewood or maple, depending on the instrument. Rosewood fretboards typically have a warmer, mellower sound that emphasizes mid and low frequencies, whereas maple fretboards have a bright, clear sound that emphasizes high and midrange frequencies.
Maple is generally better for shredding and leading due to the smooth surface, whereas rosewood has a bit more grit. Neither is technically better than the other, and it all comes down to personal preference of the player. Seasoned guitar players will have a good idea of what suits their personal style best.
The process of cleaning a maple fretboard is very similar to that of cleaning a rosewood one. However, you should make sure whatever cleaner you’re using is good for that specific wood, as different types of wood have various sensitivities and needs.
Final Thoughts
All in all, cleaning a rosewood fretboard can take a bit of effort, but it’s important to take the time to do it to keep your guitar sounding great and ensure that it doesn’t encounter any problems that end up being beyond repair.
The good news is that you should only have to clean your fretboard once every few months, depending on how often you use it, though it’s critical to keep an eye on things and be aware of which routine is best for you and your instrument.