How to keep a Maple fretboard clean?

I just got a new guitar with a maple fretboard. After playing it for a while I had dirt marks all over the nice light wood finish. I'm learning blues lead guitar so doing a lot of heavy bending.

I changed the strings as the ones on it had been stiting in the shop for a while so a bit corroded. This made a difference, however even with the new strings there is still a bit soiling. The finish on the frets is a matt finish.

What the best way to avoid this and or clean it off, I hate to see my new toy looking grubby.

By a Luthier that the best stuff to use (and most common) is lemon oil.. I use Old English Lemon Oil to keep that fret board clean..whole guitar for that matter.

is confusing and makes no sense to do.

Anyways, I have this same problem. My fretboard always gets dirty. Everyone else I see who plays guitar doesn't seem to have this problem. Even changing the strings like you said doesn't really solve the problem. I end up having to scrape it off with the side of a pick when I change my strings.

I've also heard some negative things about lemon oil. Some say that it works good at first, but eventually it dries out and dehydrates the fretboard. I also heard you shouldn't use it on maple necks so you might want to think twice and do some research before you use it.

As far as applying any types of oils though, a lot of the time it is mainly for "hydrating" the neck to keep it from drying out. You don't want to overdo it. Only once or twice a year is needed.

Oh and I also heard that Old English is "fake" lemon oil

edit: As far as what I use. I have Dr. Ducks Ax Wax and it works great for keeping the fretboard hydrated. Wouldn't necessarily recommend it as a cleaner though because like I said, you don't want to "over-hydrate" the wood.

I allways thought that the lemon oil was for rosewood fretboards.

The maple freatboards actually have a clear lacquer finish on them I beleive, so I cant imagine that anything would soak in through the lacquer?

I'm guessing that most of the dirt is coming from the strings so I'm going to try cleaning the strings by running a cloth between freatboard and strings.

Originally Posted by: zashtoneI allways thought that the lemon oil was for rosewood fretboards.

You are right. It just smears around a gets gross. Basically what I read the natural finish woods (rosewood and ebony) require any oils. The implication is the maple boards can be cleaned with anything that won't damage the lacquer or leave residue behind.

I occasionally use lemon oil on rosewood and ebony fretboards. But everywhere else I use just a damp cloth these days and would do the same on a maple fretboard.