The Duesenberg Fretboard Lotion is a clever blend containing rosemary and lavender oils. This blend is also very thin, which allows it to soak into even the most close-grained fretboards for effective hydration.
Getting in a basic maintenance habit of wiping down your guitar or bass with a soft cloth after each playing session is a great way to keep finger gunk and oils from building up over time. If you can’t remember to do that every time you play, set a time every week for a quick wipedown. That’s a great way of keeping your fretboard clean. At the least, give the fingerboard a good wipe down every time you change strings. A clean fingerboard feels and looks better and will extend the life of your strings.
However, a more long-term concern is your fretboard drying out, cracking, and wearing. For this reason many manufacturers recommend every six months you should clean your fretboard with a specialty wood oil. The better oils are natural, such as the Duesenberg formula which is comprised of a top secret blend of various essential oils. You don’t need to apply much — you can put the oil on a cloth (not too much, just a bit), and then use the damp cloth to wipe your fretboard. By doing this — a quick, dry wipe for fingerprints and oils, and then a deep clean every six months to moisturize — your fretboard should be good to go for many years to come.
The exception to this rule is guitars with maple fretboards, which should only be wiped down with a dry, non-treated cloth as treatments are damaging to the wood.
