Should I oil my fretboard, and how often?

Fretboard oil cleans and conditions bare wood. It doesn't do anything useful on a lacquered or gloss surface, and oiling a board that doesn't need it doesn't help either.

Signs your unfinished board needs oil:

• The wood looks lighter or patchy compared with how it used to look
• It feels dry, chalky or rough under your fingers
• Grime has built up along the frets

How to oil a fretboard:

1. Remove the strings and wipe away dust with a dry cloth.
2. Put a few drops of oil on a microfiber cloth.
3. Wipe a thin coat along the board, one section at a time.
4. Wait a minute or two.
5. Buff off every bit of excess with a clean part of the cloth before restringing.

Lemon oil and orange oil both clean and condition unfinished wood. The difference is mostly scent and how each feels going on, so pick either. S.I.T. bottles both in our own plant: Lemon Oil (LMN-2) and Orange Oil (ORG-2), also available as kits with a cloth (LMNPLC2 and ORGPLC2).