McKnight’s Fretboard Revival, Lustrous Conditioning Balm

[Tim McKnight]

Originally Posted by Tim McKnight

Thanks for the positive review Steve.

I just brewed up another fresh batch this afternoon and we are offering our Fretboard Revival in 3 sizes. The small tin is ($20), medium ($30) and large is ($40). The small tin is the perfect size if you are maintaining a couple guitars while the medium size will be better suited to folks who have collections that may be larger than they care to admit. The large is probably best suited for luthiers, techs and small shops who are servicing dozens of guitars a month.

If you’d like to place an order you can send your payment to our PayPal address in the picture below and then PM or email your mailing address. I can usually mail it the next day with a tracking number to follow.

Thanks for checking it out.

We have a fresh batch available now after the Christmas rush.

[TomB'sox]

Hi Tim,

Use my McKnight's Fretboard Revival again today on a beautiful Hoffman guitar built in 2012 that I bought used. First and foremost, this is a fantastic guitar, but it was in need of a fretboard revival. I took the old strings off and gave the fretboard a quick clean with the steel wool, cleaned that off, treated the fretboard and bridge with my McKnight's, let it sit for about 2 hours, took a B.I.G. microfiber cloth and gave it a good polish to remove any excess and I swear the fretboard looks better now then when it was put on in 2012. Smooth as a baby's bottom as well.

Thanks again, great product.

Tom

[Tim McKnight]

Hey Tom,
Thanks for your glowing review of our Fretboard Revival Conditioning Balm. Your comments echo what other users have been saying as well. I think we may be onto something here

[srick]

Looking good here Tim. I gave it a challenge - A 1971 Yamaha FG140 that had been stored in an attic for many years. And yes - it took three applications, but that's easy enough to do. Nice result! Many thanks for the fine home cooking - the kitchen must smell nice after brewing a batch!

Rick

[Leekg]

The "Balm" worked very well on our '57 00-17 fretboard. The product is easy to work with and performed as advertised. Good stuff and highly recommended.

Those in the know may cringe, but I found another use for the Balm. We have a Martin Dreadnaught Junior with a satin finish neck. It had a few rough spots here and there which were bugging me, so I decided to smooth things up with a bit of fine sandpaper. The rough spots came off nicely, along with the stain of course. I thought, why not try a bit of Balm to see what happens? Turns out to be a complete success, with the Balm perfectly matching the factory stain and leaving behind a really nice satin finish. Maybe another use Tim?

Thanks for providing a useful product!

Lee

[Mak2525]

Hello Tim: Just placed an order via PayPal for a small tin of your magic elixir. I will PM to confirm. Thanks, Mike

[Tim McKnight]

Originally Posted by srick

Looking good here Tim. I gave it a challenge - A 1971 Yamaha FG140 that had been stored in an attic for many years. And yes - it took three applications, but that's easy enough to do. Nice result! Many thanks for the fine home cooking - the kitchen must smell nice after brewing a batch!

Rick

Thanks for the feedback Rick. Actually Mary would shoot me if I brewed this up in the house. It does smell nice but I make a real mess when transferring the hot liquid into its respective tins so I have to confine my mess to the shop with LOTS of newspapers spread out to protect the surroundings.

Originally Posted by Leekg

The "Balm" worked very well on our '57 00-17 fretboard. The product is easy to work with and performed as advertised. Good stuff and highly recommended.

Those in the know may cringe, but I found another use for the Balm. We have a Martin Dreadnaught Junior with a satin finish neck. It had a few rough spots here and there which were bugging me, so I decided to smooth things up with a bit of fine sandpaper. The rough spots came off nicely, along with the stain of course. I thought, why not try a bit of Balm to see what happens? Turns out to be a complete success, with the Balm perfectly matching the factory stain and leaving behind a really nice satin finish. Maybe another use Tim?

Thanks for providing a useful product!

Lee

Great tip Lee. I had not considered that use for the product. I've used it on my leather work boots and also on Mary's wooden cutting board. All the ingredients are food grade and completely safe but we don't have an USDA approval to prove that

Originally Posted by Mak2525

Hello Tim: Just placed an order via PayPal for a small tin of your magic elixir. I will PM to confirm. Thanks, Mike

Hi Mike,
Your order is on the way. Please let us know how the product works in your application.

Thanks again folks for giving our product a try!

[tomcstokes59]

Tim
I have now used it on Acacia (Farida), Katalox (Iris) and three different ebony boards (2011 Martin, 2018 Eastman and 2021 Eastman). It seems to me to work on all surfaces. It leaves the board very polished looking and smooth. My understanding it is also a good treatment for the wood to help prevent drying out. I also applied it to my bridges. A little goes a long way.

Thank you for the excellent product. I am a believer. I think it works better than the lemon oil I previously used.

Tom

[JayBee1404]

Used the Fretboard Revival Balm on the FB and bridge of my Lowden yesterday. The board was already clean and free from ‘gunge’ - I wipe my FBs and strings regularly, after play and clean them at string-changes, so I never get the unpleasant build-up that others speak about - so I went straight into the application of the balm. Very easy to apply, I put on one coat, left it a couple of hours, put on another coat, left it overnight, and buffed it out this morning.

The result is amazing - smooth and lustrous, the wood almost ‘glows’, but no stickiness whatsoever. Time will tell how well it lasts but, as things stand right now, I’m a believer! Great result, great product!

EDIT 26/2/22: So last night I took the strings off the D-18, used the wire wool to quickly clean the FB, vacuumed up the residue, and treated the board and bridge to two applications of the Fretboard Revival balm. Left it overnight and buffed it out this morning - another fantastic result, looks and feels better than it did when it was brand-new! I love this stuff!

Thanks for a superb product, Tim!

[Tim McKnight]

Originally Posted by tomcstokes59

Tim
I have now used it on Acacia (Farida), Katalox (Iris) and three different ebony boards (2011 Martin, 2018 Eastman and 2021 Eastman). It seems to me to work on all surfaces. It leaves the board very polished looking and smooth. My understanding it is also a good treatment for the wood to help prevent drying out. I also applied it to my bridges. A little goes a long way.

Thank you for the excellent product. I am a believer. I think it works better than the lemon oil I previously used.

Tom

Hi Tom,
The balm does help prevent the wood from drying out and is especially beneficial to those guitars housed in dry environments. Thanks for your feedback!

Originally Posted by JayBee1404

Used the Fretboard Revival Balm on the FB and bridge of my Lowden yesterday. The board was already clean and free from ‘gunge’ - I wipe my FBs and strings regularly, after play and clean them at string-changes, so I never get the unpleasant build-up that others speak about - so I went straight into the application of the balm. Very easy to apply, I put on one coat, left it a couple of hours, put on another coat, left it overnight, and buffed it out this morning.

The result is amazing - smooth and lustrous, the wood almost ‘glows’, but no stickiness whatsoever. Time will tell how well it lasts but, as things stand right now, I’m a believer! Great result, great product!

EDIT 26/2/22: So last night I took the strings off the D-18, used the wire wool to quickly clean the FB, vacuumed up the residue, and treated the board and bridge to two applications of the Fretboard Revival balm. Left it overnight and buffed it out this morning - another fantastic result, looks and feels better than it did when it was brand-new! I love this stuff!

Thanks for a superb product, Tim!

Your welcome JayBee,
Glad to read that the balm is working well for your guitars and bridges. Its actually fun using a product that works as advertised, eh?

[gracem]

Not that another endorsement is needed, but.... just to say, it works well up in Canada too! And we know what dry winters are all about. A long time ago I had used some sort of a lemon oil (?) based product that left a residue and didn't last, so I had sort of given up on the notion of using a conditioner.

I just used Tim's balm on a newer Northwood and an 2003 Larrivee, both with ebony FB's and bridges. The Northwood didn't need much TLC but the FB and bridge look 'new' and feel smoother after application. The Larrivee, being much older, took a couple applications and the outcome much more dramatically positive - like new too. Two surprising outcomes: there was a lighter streak in the ebony bridge that became quite blended in with the rest of the bridge after application - an appearance I much prefer. It was easily noticeable previously - now it is not at all (I hope it lasts). The second is that at one time this guitar has been left to dry out (by a previous owner) and the fret ends needing some filing down. The shop that did this unfortunately left a few rough (file?) visible marks on the edges of the FB. These always bugged me a bit as they are visible when looking down at the neck in a playing position. So I applied the balm on the edges too - small file marks are still there (of course) but definitely much less visible - really happy about that. And no, the balm did not make my grumpy old dog happy and young for those that ask... haha. Seriously though, thanks Tim and Mary for making this product and making it available!

[Mak2525]

Hello Tim: I finally got around to using the fret balm that you sent me about three weeks ago. The test subject was a 12 year old Taylor Grand Auditorium I recently acquired to be a travel guitar. Let's just say it has had a hard life, but sounds really good despite the lack of humidifying and care. The fretboard on this thing has probably not seen any lubrication or maintenance since leaving the factory - we're talking Sahara desert dry (surprised it has not cracked & split)!

Followed the provided directions step by step. Almost immediately upon application, you could see how thirsty it was. After about a 1/2 hour, there were dry spots in various places. I buffed it and re-applied, then let it absorb for about 4 hours. Buffed it completely and the fretboard looks like new - clean and smooth.

So, I have to say, this product works as good or better than advertised. I would definitely recommend this for fretboard care and maintenance. It is now a part of my annual cleaning routine for my instruments.
If you are not sure about this, I encourage you to give it a try.

[Mary]

The Fretboard balm was moving quickly so Tim has prepared more. If you want some and are going to be at the Artisan Guitar Show please let Tim know in advance. We want to get an idea of how many tins to bring along for pick up there. It does melt if left in a hot car. I just want to be sure we pack properly so there is no mess in your vehicle.

Thanks!

[Taylorcrazy]

Hi Mary and Tim,

Just a quick note to let you know my experience has been the same as everyone else, I am a permanent convert and user.

I used a little of you magic formula on the fretboard and bridge of both my Halcyon 000 and my Eastman OM. The results were fantastic! Thank you for sharing your revitalizer with all of us!

Wendell

[Mary]

That's great, Wendell. It puts a smile on our faces when we can be a part of something that works and works correctly. I like the soft fragrance and the fact that when it is on your hands it isn't sticky or tacky. Because I have sensitive skin I spread a little on the inside of my wrist to test if I should be in the wood shop while Tim was making this last batch. It was all good.

I have learned to be a bit sketchy when my engineer/luthier/inventive husband is at the cooking pot stage. In his early luthier days I learned it was not wise to be away from the kitchen and think I can rush to bake something for supper. More than once I was thinking he pre-heated the oven for me so I was admiring his sweet show of love and wondering also if he was just in a hurry to eat. I had opened the oven door to find a guitar top in some sort of new fang dangled "Tim test" of try this not that type with a guitar top.

I'm older but I am not always wiser!