Sorry I haven’t had time to play this preseason. Really appreciate the effort. Love the old school stuff. Henry James doin’ work. Can’t believe they kick off Saturday. Holy shit. Almost time boys and girls. Get that beer on ice. \m/
Try the fret dressing technique I posted earlier. If it’s a maple fretboard just cover the board with painter’s tape to isolate the frets and go to town with that steel wool. And cover up those pickups with said tape like I described in the subsequent post.
Oh, pro tip: cover the pickups with masking tape so the magnets won’t attract any loose steel wool fibers. Those fibers will cause them to corrode. Always wipe down or vacuum the board before applying the oil.
I got you. Remove the strings. Use 0000 steel wool to dress the frets and fretboard. Then apply a light oil with said steel wool or a rag if you prefer. Use the oil sparingly and let it hydrate the wood before wiping it off. Personally I prefer mineral oil. Some use lemon oil, linseed oil or even olive oil. There are products out there from Dunlop, Seymour Duncan, Planet Waves, etc... but most are made with a mineral oil base according to the techs I know. I do this once a year for all my dark fretboards. I think Planet Waves even makes a fret dressing kit if you wanted to go that route. Again, my opinion is that it’s unnecessary.
Oh, shit, DougO. That may have my name on it. If it was a rosewood fretboard I’d’ve already bought it. What sucks is the blonde and the brunette are both calling my name... I LOVE the black one (yes, I can and have gone back... ), but the blonde is so iconic.
I’ve always used the EVH method to stretch strings: Starting with 1, hold the string at 15 and pull three or four times ‘til you feel a bit of give. Then move to 12 and repeat. Repeat at the next marker all the way down to 3. Rinse and repeat for 2-6. I think Eddie used to add at least one handle of Jack and a half dozen Marlboros. Pretty much optional. Take care though. A knockoff Rose can have ridiculously sharp saddles if it’s not meticulously maintained. Hope this helps.