6 Best Fretboard Oils & Conditioners For Guitar Necks

This product is far and away one of the most popular fretboard oils out there, so you’ll be able to find it anywhere. This cleansing oil will clean up your board and hydrate an old surface.

For fretboards that need a little bit of extra conditioning, the F-ONE oil should be left on for a few minutes before the guitar is restrung.

Music Nomad F-ONE oil is also free of lemon extract. You can use lemon oil on some kinds of fretboards, but other kinds of wood will be seriously damaged by lemon oil, especially if it’s overused. Even a hefty dose of F-ONE won’t oversaturate or damage your guitar. 

F-ONE is made of seed and tree oils that are entirely free of citrus oil. Some people also prefer the smell of F-ONE, which is much lighter and not quite as sharp as other fretboard oils.

Maintaining your guitar’s fretboard improves everything from its tone to its playability. To do this effectively, you need a combination of liquids that can clean, polish, and help to preserve the tonewood. 

Some guitarists make the mistake of only using oil on their fingerboard, which may improve it to an extent, but to get the full benefits you also need to clean the wood using a specifically formulated lotion. 

This PRS kit includes three 4oz bottles, containing “Guitar Cleaner,” which is designed to remove any marks or blemishes from the fretboard, “Guitar Polish,” which gives the wood a fresh and rejuvenated appearance, and finally “Tung Oil.”

The oil is used to restore the fingerboard to a new appearance and feel by lubricating it and soaking into the wood. You only need to use a small amount of the oil to get the benefits, and therefore it can last for a long time. 

PRS has also included three microfiber cloths which are designed especially for wiping dust, dirt, and sweat from your guitar’s fretboard. 

Regardless of whether you play an acoustic, electric or classical guitar, you’ll see instant benefits from using this trio of PRS fretboard liquids on your fretboard.

Dunlop is a music company that makes dozens of different kinds of products for your guitar, including capos, strings, and effects pedals. Their lemon oil will protect the fretboard from wear and tear and extend the life of your guitar.

There’s hardly any actual natural lemon oil in the Dunlop 6554 oil, but it still shouldn’t be used on certain kinds of wood, such as finished maple, or be oversaturated onto the fretboard. That’s because it’s meant to mimic the quality of natural lemon oil.

Some guitarists don’t like the 65’s blotter-style applicator, which differs from the usual dripper style. That’s because it can be difficult to get a good amount of oil on the fretboard without pressing it on the wood itself. However, you can always put the oil in a different container or apply it to a towel instead.

If you want a nice and shiny electric guitar, the Fender Fingerboard Remedy will help you polish off your instrument. The company is one of the most popular guitar manufacturers. 

This oil is perfect if you have a Telecaster or Stratocaster but will work just as well on any other guitar. It gives your instrument a protective sheen and enhances its appearance. 

Since there’s no lemon oil in the Fingerboard Remedy, you can put this one on anything. It even goes on nitrocellulose finishes, which are found on some high-end guitars and usually require a special kind of cleaner.

The beeswax formula contains no resins, alcohols, silicones, or other unnatural bonding agents. This oil is a perfect high-end fretboard oil that won’t break the bank.

Unfortunately, customers outside the US may have a hard time finding this product. 

Paul Reed Smith fretboard conditioner comes at a slightly more affordable price than some other oils but carries all the great benefits of other fretboard oils. 

This lemon-based oil can’t be used on maple fretboards but is compatible with most other kinds of wood, including ones with nitrocellulose finishes.  

Some reviews point out that the smell isn’t a classic “lemon” smell that most lemon oil-based conditioners have but instead has a floral scent added. Many players find the smell pleasant, while others complain that it’s too strong.

Other players note that the bottle design isn’t leak-proof like many drip-style bottles. If you keep the bottle in a stationary position, that might not be an issue for you, but you might be at risk for spills if you tend to carry your conditioner around.

PRS products tend to go well with PRS guitars, and plenty of guitarists swear by their fretboard conditioner. Ultimately, it all comes down to personal taste.

Lizard Spit has a cool name, a gnarly bottle, and a unique formula that uses orange oil instead of lemon. 

The company says this cleans and rehydrates fretboards more effectively than products with lemon oil and won’t harm any maple wood or nitrocellulose finishes. However, you should avoid using too much!

The company takes pride in this non-toxic biodegradable product. So, if you’re an environmentally conscious consumer who also wants to avoid getting chemical toxins in their body, this is probably the best oil for guitar fretboards you can get. 

Lizard Spit Fretboard Conditioner makes cleaning products for instruments, automobiles, and boats. Some people swear by this conditioner, but if you’d prefer to buy from a trusted guitar manufacturer, you may like Fender or Dunlop’s conditioner.

This oil has an orange-tinged citrus scent, rather than a lemony scent, which some people enjoy and others strongly dislike. Again, it depends on the individual guitarist.