Fret board lube and strings

I was excited to get my TI strings installed and I now do not want to pull them off but in the process I forgot to line my board and it could use it. I was considering using a q-tip to get under and around the strings but it is inevitable that the lube will at some point touch the strings. Is this going to be an issue? I thought about putting some wax paper under the strings and the working from the side but if it isn’t an issue then it isn’t worth wasting the time it takes to wrap them up. Normally I would just replace the strings hit these are TI flats and are expensive so I don’t want to ruin them. Thanks!

Lubing the board once a year is plenty often, doing it every time you change strings ?????? Especially it you are using an oil based product. I wouldn't worry about it. I usually only do it when I am doing other work on the fingerboard.

If you get some oil on the strings, so what???

I'm sure oiling the strings will cause them to open up and perform more smoothly:-)

Funny, but I realized I have never oiled this board so I will have at it and if some gets on the strings no biggie apparently. Thanks!

Don't slack TI strings. They have a round core and will come unraveled. Take an old piece of t-shirt and slide it up in there, it'll be fine.

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Originally Posted by Marty Jacobson

Don't slack TI strings. They have a round core and will come unraveled. Take an old piece of t-shirt and slide it up in there, it'll be fine.

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I didn’t know that about TI strings. I will use an old t I have here. Thanks!

Wiping down the string with an old t-shirt is something you should do every time you put the instrument back in the case and I totally agree that fretboard conditioner or lemon oil, linseed oil, only needs to be applied once a year unless you're doing a cleaning of the fretboard using a product that strips away the natural oils of the wood like naptha. Oil on the strings attracts dirt (stuff) and moisture. The dirt acts as an abrasive and accelerates fretwear. Moisture encourages oxidation and the metal oxides are also abrasive. You kinda end up making a paste of abrasives and oil and the oils from your fingers add to the problem. Some people I know have a strong acidity to their skin oils and really need to be more diligent about wiping their instrument down. Keep your strings and you frets clean and dry and they will last much longer.

I'm in the lucky few that don't seem to have oily fingers like others do. I have never wiped down my strings and until last year never even thought about oiling the boards. Never an issue. But I decided it was worth it to take better care fo the fretboard. A nice clean and wipe isn't going to hurt. My strings, even the 6 dollar sets lasted many months the better sets I have gotten a year out of or more. I wonder if I did wipe things down if I could get more time out of them so I have begun.

I was thinking about the comment on not releasing to much tension from the TI strings because they can unwind. I really need to replace the saddle on the bridge because the TI A string is flat enough moving up the neck it bugs me. Now as a short term fix maybe I could take a small shin of rosewood and glue it to the front of the current saddle and retapped it from there to shorten the length up a bit.

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Originally Posted by John Bertotti

I was thinking about the comment on not releasing to much tension from the TI strings because they can unwind. I really need to replace the saddle on the bridge because the TI A string is flat enough moving up the neck it bugs me. Now as a short term fix maybe I could take a small shin of rosewood and glue it to the front of the current saddle and retapped it from there to shorten the length up a bit.

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You should be able to pull the strings aside and glue a small shim to the face of the saddle. That will stay if you keep those strings on anyway. You can dress it up when you change strings.

Yep, I think that is my short term fix. It won't destroy the original bridge and it will buy me some time until these strings need to be changed I am hoping not until this time next year if not a bit longer. I really have grown to like these TI strings but to be cost-effective they need to last. But my fingers are very easy on strings. I don't know why but I don't get callouses like some guys I have met, my fingers thicken up but not a ruff callous. A product of all the industrial work I do? All the hand cleaners to clean grease and grime have a variety of skin lotions in them because the stuff we work around dries your hands out badly if it doesn't. Or just genetics. And this shim fix really shouldn't take much although my A is flat as it goes up the neck a thin shim should suffice. I am curious how flat it is though compared to the open string. I have three strobes I think there is a way to measure that I just need to figure out how. Does anyone know the math to show how much a piece needs to move to correct for a certain amount of cents? I think there is math for that. I saw a lot of math on the fretboard design Marty posted about in a different thread. I will check there.

I would make the shim thicker than you think you need and simply trim it with a chisel to get it correct.

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Originally Posted by pops1

I would make the shim thicker than you think you need and simply trim it with a chisel to get it correct.

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I intend to but I am curious how the math works.

I think the math would have to be way more complicated. Gauge of the string, diameter of the core, diameter of the string, length of string, tension, scale length, string height at 12th fret. Uggggghhhhh way too much math, and I like math.