Taking off all strings

[mullz]

I want to clean the fretborad of my guitar, restring it and then 'tidy it up' (action and intonation, pickups, etc.)..

I was wondering - is it okay to take all the strings off at once to do this? Because, I mean the strings must pull on the neck a lot and well... you get the idea. I thin kits okay, just that I may have to adjust the truss rod after im done.

Also, what is a good thing to clean the fretboard with (toothbrush?) I mean all the gunk thats builds up.

Thanks

[gck]

once you put off the all the strings, you might have to re-setup the guitar afterwards. Especially a tremolo might make problems...

[ESP_Viper]

Taking off all the strings is OK. That is the only way to really clean the neck. Just don't leave them off for a week. Unless you have a floyd rose or other type of double locking tremolo, just make sure you block it off so it won't pull down into the body.

[jaytee]

someday ill answer this enough that ill get the idea to go clean my own...im noticin it needs it...lol

yep i take em all off at once....like esp says...its not like youre gonna leave them off....besides...the way i think about it....if strings create alot of pressure/pull on the neck...wouldnt you want that pressure/pull to be even? meaning....either all over the neck evenly...or not all over the neck evenly? i dunno its just a thought....for such a short period of time i dont think it much matters....

anyways...what you use depends on if your fretboard is finished or not....
if its a glossy lacquer like all over your guitar...i think you can use regular guitar polish and a soft cloth...if i were gonna use a toothbrush i think id reallly want it to be *very soft*....
if its bare wood like say...rosewood....which is what i got....i use lemon oil and a soft cloth...few drops on the cloth spread it round and let it sit a few minutes...wipe it down and itll be clean...if you got lotsa gunk you might have to rub a bit or use a bit more oil but just a very small amount...dont flood the place...also this is very good for the wood the oil soaks in and "feeds" it...but dont get it on the rest of your guitar cuz itll just be slippery/oilly....

someone else on another thread said they used double boiled linseed oil...and its pretty effective too...i think they said they preferred it...but it MUST be "double boiled"

check your moms cleanin supplies see if she has either type of oil....(um...if you live with your mom that is...) otherwise...its about 4 bucks a bottle at pretty much any grocery or hardware store in the cleanin supplies section...that bottle oughtta last a loooooonng time (unless your mom steals it for her furniture..hehe)

have fun and
make it purty :)

--jt

[gck]

yes, you should use a block of wood or whatever to keep the tremolo in place before you remove the strings... Just clamp it between guitar and tremolo!

[ESP_Viper]

Well, the biggest problem I see with taking the strings off is that your string tension is all of the sudden gone. This puts lots of flex on the entire guitar which is not good for it. But it is unavoidable because you need to clean the neck. I clean my fretboard everytime I change strings.

[mullz]

THanks for the replies all, much appreciated.

It has a Maple Neck w/ Superphenol fingerboard and a vintage tremolo (which i know how to deal with).

So I can just use lemon oil or 'double boiled linseed oil'?

Hmmm, perhaps now I could fix my other guitar... pitty I lent a saddle to my friend :(