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Thread: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?

  1. #26
    Pittsburgh Bill
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    Default Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?

    Quote Originally Posted by allenhopkins View Post
    Not to be a smarta*s, but I'd keep 'em in their cases. For reasons including, but not limited to, dust protection.

    You can find at a general music store, a variety of soft-bristled tools for use on woodwinds' bores. I would expect something like that would work.
    I often see recommendations for keeping our instruments in their cases. Maybe ideal but not always convenient. I may only play 10 to 15 minutes at a time but probably do this 10 to 20 times a day.
    I have found just keeping my home free of children (I do put instruments away when grandchildren visit), pets, and drunken irresponsible adults, temperature and humidity consistency and occasional dusting provides me with piece of mind.
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  3. #27
    Registered User biologyprof's Avatar
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    Default Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?

    https://a.co/d/9uORjYJ

    Works great?
    "I yam what I yam"

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  5. #28

    Default Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?

    I agree with Pittsburgh Bill. I practice short sessions, and often throughout the day, too. Besides, I grew up as a pianist, and all you have to do to play the piano is move the bench to a comfortable place! With stringed instruments, I gotta tune 'em. Sometimes they stay in tune, and sometimes one string goes out of tune, or all the strings have to be tuned. It seems to depend on the weather conditions and temperature.

  6. #29
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    Default Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?

    Quote Originally Posted by biologyprof View Post
    Great find - that device looks like it’s business end is covered in bits of e-cloth!

  7. #30
    Registered User Tom Haywood's Avatar
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    Default Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?

    One of my mandolins stays on a stand or wall hook. I find that playing it daily keeps the dust off the fret board. It has dust in other places, but not on the fret board.
    Tom

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  8. #31
    Registered User biologyprof's Avatar
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    Default Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?

    Quote Originally Posted by biologyprof View Post
    Supposed to be “Works great!” It really does.
    Apologies
    "I yam what I yam"

  9. #32
    rock in rôle Paul Statman's Avatar
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    Default Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?

    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Scott View Post
    Old shaving brush
    I knew that if I scrolled down far enough I'd find someone else who'd already suggested this. I've been 'dusting' with a designated shaving brush after every session before applying Fast Fret for lo, these many years. I have never had gunk buildup at the frets, either, but I also wash my hands before playing.
    Cheers, Mike.

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  11. #33
    Registered User Bob Buckingham's Avatar
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    Default Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?

    I just reverse the airflow on my shop vac and blow it all the heck off! Seriously, I use a clean, soft, cloth regularly.

  12. #34
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    Default Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?


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  14. #35
    harvester of clams Bill McCall's Avatar
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    Default Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?

    I suppose over the last 50+ years I’ve cleaned fingerboards but I’ve really never ‘dusted’ one. Clean hands, in the case, played daily. And I’d never heard of anyone doing that before this thread.

  15. #36

    Default Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?

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  16. #37
    Registered User verbs4us's Avatar
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    Default Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?


  17. #38

    Default Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?

    Obviously, Dave H., a lot of people dust their fretboards. We are supposed to be courteous on this forum, and your comment is insulting to me. I object to it.

  18. #39

    Default Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?

    If the dust is that bad, you might also consider a room air purifier. I have severe dust mite allergies so I have no choice, but in general, I doubt inhaling dust is good for you.

  19. #40

    Default Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?

    Working a Renaissance festival, a regional folk festival, and so on have been a few circumstances leading to extreme dust build-up for me.

    Without passing judgment on people's health, I've also had friends who have had skin/hair conditions leading to a lot of shed raining onto shoulders, clothes and their instruments.
    ----

    Playing a funky oval-hole scroll-body mandolin, several mandolins retuned to CGDA, three CGDA-tuned Flatiron mandolas, two Flatiron mandolas tuned as octave mandolins,and a six-course 25.5" scale CGDAEB-tuned Ovation Mandophone.

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  20. #41

    Default Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?

    I use a plush microfiber cloth like this one

    https://www.fender.com/en-US/accesso...990523000.html

    Works well for applying fretboard conditioner, too.

  21. #42

    Default Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?

    I have an air conditioner with three filters in the summer. I may get a room air purifier, but I really don't have any room to put it, my apartment is very small. Thanks for the idea, though.

  22. #43
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    Default Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?

    Quote Originally Posted by milli857 View Post
    I use a plush microfiber cloth like this one

    https://www.fender.com/en-US/accesso...990523000.html

    Works well for applying fretboard conditioner, too.
    A rather expensive, re-packaged e-cloth!

    Talking of dust, we once played a gig in a barn (a real barn-dance!). Straw bales to sit on and there was even a real live bull in a pen in the corner. Everything got covered in dust and took me weeks to get rid of it.

  23. #44

    Default Re: What's the best way to dust my fretboard?

    Hi Ray (T) thanks for the good story about the barn dance! I love playing for dances. When I was living in Santa Barbara, CA in the 1970s, there was a wonderful Old Time community that invited everyone to play for dances. Even beginners, and they gave us tips, like, play very simply so you don't get tired. Don't play fancy stuff. Where I live now, there is a lot of rain, and the dances have wonderful Old Time groups that are paid, and they never invite the rest of us to join them. It's much better for our music if we live in an area where one can have a jam outdoors all year long, like California. I live in the north now, though, and that's not possible. With covid, I haven't been able to schedule an indoor jam at a coffee house for ages. Another thing about coffeehouses, though, it's important for the jammers to buy lunch or at least a pastry or a coffee or hot chocolate. Jamming at bars is better in one sense, because most people buy beer over and over, but I don't like bars. We've lost our coffeehouse venues several times because the jammers thought we ought to be paid, and the owner needed to be glad we were there (she was) and not require the players to buy stuff, but that's the way it is or we lose our venue.

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