How to clean a smelly rosewood fretboard?

m_c

I've got a PRS SE with a rosewood fretboard that I bought secondhand a couple years ago, and it's always had a smelly fretboard. It's one of the first things I noticed after playing it, as my fingers ended up stinking.

I've just played it for the first time in a good few months (it's been languishing behind the Tele and GS-Mini), and it's as bad as ever. Whenever I change strings, I give it a good clean using a Dunlop cleaning kit, and it's ok for a few weeks, but it gradually goes back to stinking.
I'm guessing the previous owner has used something on it that they shouldn't have and it's soaked well into the wood, so any suggestions to try and get rid of the smell for a bit longer than a few weeks?

Iamnobody

Does the Dunlop cleaning kit have Lem oil? 

Funkfingers

Er, rosewood is supposed to smell. That is how it got its name. 

What does your PRS fingerboard smell like? Roses, petroleum distillates, wood dye, cigarette tars, pothead pachouli oil?

m_c

@Iamnobody it's the kit without lemon oil. Just checked and it's kit 6502 (https://www.jimdunlop.com/product/6502-7-10137-01761-0.do?sortby=ourPicks&refType=&from=fn&ecList=&ecCategory=)

@Funkfingers like the smell you get from a dead rodent slowly rotting away in a confined space!

Iamnobody

Try lem oil! It’s good for conditioning the wood as well. It’s quite pungent (in a not too unpleasant way) so might be enough to neutralise the existing smell.

Kyser Lem-Oil might just be the best kept secret for luthiers worldwide. Keeping your fret board from drying out prolongs the life of your instrument, and keeps it looking shiny and new. A smoother fret board makes for faster, easier playing. The next time you change your strings, treat your fingerboard to a cleaning with Kyser Lem-Oil. 4oz spray bottle.

Funkfingers

Check the guitar's case for evidence of water ingress, mustiness or mould. Inspect the guitar's control cavity too.

Bridgehouse

Ongoing suggestions from Fretboard Jam crew:

- Hacksaw
- car air freshener on headstock
- new guitar
- peg on nose
- play bass instead
- febreese
- get a maple neck instead
- shade n vac
- katana or helix

Bridgehouse

We might be a bit hungover

CasperCaster

Reminds me of the story of the PRS 'horse piss' guitar, from the early days of PRS's history. In the 80's PRS had someone on the road searching our Braz Rosewood in a tri-state area centred on Kalamazoo. In the 50's, when Gibson cut up logs, the offcuts were sold off cheap, and often ended up as posts for wire fences and the like. Anyway, PRS rep gets a tip there is some at a farm, turns up, and there is still a stack in the corner of a stable. PRS buys the lot and use it for fingerboards. A few months later an owner complains to PRS that he is allergic to his new guitar and that it also smells funny. They replace the guitar with apologies, and upon return note the offending guitar does smell funny when the case is opened. They send aa sampl of the fingerboard to local University lab and its full of uric acid. Horses in the stable had been pissing on the stack of timber for 30+ years!

andrewaward

^^Could use it for a PBass 

richardhomer

Bridgehouse said:

Ongoing suggestions from Fretboard Jam crew:

- Hacksaw
- car air freshener on headstock
- new guitar
- peg on nose
- play bass instead
- febreese
- get a maple neck instead
- shade n vac
- katana or helix

‘Bleach’ was another proposal @Bridgehouse

vasselmeyer

Bridgehouse said:

Ongoing suggestions from Fretboard Jam crew:

- Hacksaw
- car air freshener on headstock
- new guitar
- peg on nose
- play bass instead
- febreese
- get a maple neck instead
- shade n vac
- katana or helix

It was funnier in the room...

Bridgehouse

vasselmeyer said:

Bridgehouse said:

Ongoing suggestions from Fretboard Jam crew:

- Hacksaw
- car air freshener on headstock
- new guitar
- peg on nose
- play bass instead
- febreese
- get a maple neck instead
- shade n vac
- katana or helix

It was funnier in the room...

True. I was hanging at the time tho

m_c

vasselmeyer said:

Bridgehouse said:

Ongoing suggestions from Fretboard Jam crew:

- Hacksaw
- car air freshener on headstock
- new guitar
- peg on nose
- play bass instead
- febreese
- get a maple neck instead
- shade n vac
- katana or helix

It was funnier in the room...

I'm glad I still provided some entertainment since I couldn't make it. But I am kind of disappointed at the relative tameness of that list.

Bridgehouse

m_c said:

vasselmeyer said:

Bridgehouse said:

Ongoing suggestions from Fretboard Jam crew:

- Hacksaw
- car air freshener on headstock
- new guitar
- peg on nose
- play bass instead
- febreese
- get a maple neck instead
- shade n vac
- katana or helix

It was funnier in the room...

I'm glad I still provided some entertainment since I couldn't make it. But I am kind of disappointed at the relative tameness of that list.

To be honest I edited out the rider suggestions........

scrumhalf

You could adopt really poor standards of personal hygiene, thus masking the fretboard smell with your own.

Bridgehouse

scrumhalf said:

 the fretboard smell

I wonder what our collective smell would be?

Snags

That is not a good wonder to have.

scrumhalf

Bridgehouse said:

scrumhalf said:

 the fretboard smell

I wonder what our collective smell would be?

In need of Febreze.

Bridgehouse

scrumhalf said:

Bridgehouse said:

scrumhalf said:

 the fretboard smell

I wonder what our collective smell would be?

In need of Febreze.

Or a skip full of shake n vac 

richardhomer

Bridgehouse said:
To be honest I edited out the rider suggestions........

Like:
- 48 cans of Special Brew
- 12 Pipes of Pringles
- 20 packs of Benson & Hedges
- 4 bottles of Courvoisier
- Lots of pies
- 10 bottles of fine Single Malt Whisky
- a flat screen television with unlimited access to Porn Hub