Learn Which Woods Your Fretboard is Made From

• The Edge's Telecaster has a maple neck.Jonathan Wood/Getty Images Entertainment/Getty Images
  
  Different woods have different polishing and cleaning requirements. For example, a maple fretboard has a different type of lacquer than rosewood or ebony. Products that are fine for use on harder woods like rose or ebony can damage the finish of a maple fretboard. As a guide, lighter colored fretboards are made from maple and darker fretboards are rose or ebony. You can treat ebony and rosewood in a similar fashion.
  
  

Remove the Strings

• Removing the strings provides unrestricted access to the fretboard and body. Use a string winder to loosen the strings, unravel the coil around the machine and carefully slide the strings out of the saddle. You'll notice that the strings shed some of their grime as they slide out of the saddle hole. Always fit a new set of strings after you've polished your guitar. It makes no sense to spend time and money getting your guitar body and fretboard looking great if you're going to put on a set of dirty strings.
  
  

Treat Each Part of Your Guitar Separately

• Your guitar is made from wood, but each part is finished differently and requires a slightly different polishing technique. For example, a guitar's body is typically painted and lacquered. Use a combination of rubbing alcohol and shellac flake to get a brilliant, glossy finish. This is unsuitable for the neck, as it is more grainy. The frets are metal, so a metal polish and non-abrasive surface are the way to go. The pickups are housed in plastic, so use a plastic-safe contact cleaner and avoid getting them excessively wet.
  
  

Tape the Frets

• Don't scour a fretboard that has decorative inlays.Jupiterimages/Photos.com/Getty Images
  
  To get a good finish on the fretboard, use wire wool or another abrasive material to remove all of the dirt and grime. Wire wool is fine for scouring wood, but it can leave tiny scratches and abrasions on the frets. Cover the frets in masking tape to protect them from the harsh wire wool. Leave the tape on after you've scoured the fretboard and use a dremel, felt dremel polishing tip and dremel 421 polishing compound to polish the fretboard. Gently press the dremel against the wood and move it horizontally. The rotary tip will buff the wood. If you have a maple neck, use an aluminium fret protector instead of masking tape to protect your frets. The glue on the masking tape can damage the finish of a maple fretboard. If your guitar has pearl inlays on the fretboard, avoid using wire wool to clean it. Use a cloth instead.