Steel wool on a almost new Yamaha FS-800 fret board
 

The guitar hasn't had a whole lot of playing time, and even strung with 10's it's a bit hard to finger slide individual strings. So far the only thing I've used on the fret board is Dunlap 65 lemon oil, but I let it soak for a while, and from what I've read you're not supposed to put too much on, let alone leave it on for 30 min. to soak before wiping.

Any suggestions on making the fret board slicker? Would using 0000 steel wool help? I don't think the guitar has been used long enough to acquire gunk and it's not visible if it's there. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance.

As a matter of maintenance, I use 0000 steel wool to periodically clean the fretbaord, I then finish off and condition it using Roche-Thomas premium fingerboard oil...sparingly.

I can't say this makes it any "slicker" but it does keep it clean and well conditioned!

Lemon oil isn't going to make your neck play faster; it's purpose is to keep the fretboard from drying out. And over 45+ years of owning many guitars, I've found it to be a pretty useless thing to do unless one lives in a very dry climate.

This is what I do.
Has worked well for me for over 30 years.

If you opt to use 0000 steel wool do be aware that all steel wool isn't created equal.

Seek out Liberon brand 0000 and you'll be shocked at how fine and consistent it is, with all residual "garbage" oil cleaned and removed in the manufacturing process. It's the only steel wool I will use.

Sounds to me like you need to try Elixir strings.

I'm sorry, but I don't understand your question. A slicker fretboard had nothing to do with either sliding your fingers into different positions on the strings or doing bends. Unpolished or tarnished frets can make bending harder.

Exactly what are you asking? About bending? If so, again - it's the condition of the frets and not the fretboard.

If it's about sliding your hand to different chord paositions - again, nothing to do w/the fretboard. If so, try Fast Fret.

Ditto.


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Sliding up the neck is what I was referring to, but I just now noticed the frets are a lot bumpier (sliding) than with my Gibson dread. Maybe they can be slightly rounded and polished with 1000/1500/2000 grit sandpaper.

This advice should be taken as gospel. Liberon 0000 is the only steel wool I use as well.

I would make sure the action and neck relief are alright before moving on to oil. You said the guitar had not been played for a while so the neck might not be straight and this affects the playability noticeably.

Definitely this.
[IMG]https://i.ibb.co/vsPdZHY/Finger-Ease.jpg star wars episode 4 title[/IMG]

I find that Yamaha FGs and FSs need the saddle sanded a bit to get the action a little lower. Usually the nut slots are good, but also check the neck relief as well. Lastly, as some above said, try coated strings. Regular strings can get "sticky"--I guess it's surface corrosion?

My recently purchased FS800 needed some saddle sanding and a minor neck adjustment, but now plays very comparably to my Taylor. I also replaced the stings, but I don't recall the brand.

The frets feel 'bumpier' because they are taller on the Yamaha than Gibson's. The proper way to round-off frets is with a dedicated crowning file made for the job. If it's a real concern I would find a local tech and get him/her to do whatever you feel needs doing. Otherwise just practise-and lay off the lemon oil; a couple of drops once or twice a year as a cleaning agent is more than enough. If the fret tops feel rough buy a graduated set of abrasive fret erasers from Stewmac. Rub along each fret using the coarsest grit first, working down through the grades. It's what I use and they work well. Finish off with fine steel wool for the final polish.

https://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tool...t_Erasers.html

Your problem lies in the fretting technique. I had jumbo frets installed when it was time for a re-fret on the epi, I don't even notice them when sliding.