hokenfloken Posted December 16, 2011 Posted December 16, 2011 Greetings! I have a 1991 Heritage H-140 I just bought. My other guitar is a Reverend Rocco and is not really made of wood. I want this guitar to age well. I know some people like the checked look on their finish, but I do not. There is a plethora of guitar cleaners, polishes, waxes, etc. What are your favorites? Please give me your recommendations on products for cleaning, polishing, waxing and fretboard care.
Guest HRB853370 Posted December 16, 2011 Posted December 16, 2011 Lots of members swear by Virtuoso polish and cleaner, but it is very pricey! I use Martin polish on mine, safe for nitro finishes.
tsp17 Posted December 16, 2011 Posted December 16, 2011 Lots of members swear by Virtuoso polish and cleaner, but it is very pricey! +1 on both attributes. Virtuoso is a very good product, but more expensive. however, a little goes a long way.
DetroitBlues Posted December 16, 2011 Posted December 16, 2011 I have a dunlop kit that I use all the time....
kbp810 Posted December 16, 2011 Posted December 16, 2011 Another vote for Virtuoso - always served me well. Just make sure to keep a seperate polish cloth for use with Virtuoso only, it doesn't like to be mixed with anything else (for example, if you use an oil on your fretboard, use a seperate cloth for that)
donnie Posted December 16, 2011 Posted December 16, 2011 I have found that simple old Gibson Pump Polish does all I need it to. Usually available in about any music store.
MartyGrass Posted December 16, 2011 Posted December 16, 2011 Ren Wall told me to use Pledge if I felt I needed something to polish with.
DetroitBlues Posted December 16, 2011 Posted December 16, 2011 Oh, no! Furniture polish! Yikes! Maybe on a polyurethane, but on a nitro guitar????
GuitArtMan Posted December 16, 2011 Posted December 16, 2011 Virtuoso polsih and cleaner. Best I've used. Ren Wall told me to use Pledge if I felt I needed something to polish with. The problem with many furniture polishes is that they contain silicone which makes future repairs nearly impossible as nothing will stick to it - not finish, not glue, not nutin'! Avoid anything with silicone in it.
MartyGrass Posted December 16, 2011 Posted December 16, 2011 I took Ren to mean that you really don't need to put anything fancy on the finish. He also told me to use WD40 on the strings to cut down squeaking. I use lemon oil for everything unless I want a deep shine. And the only time I want that is when I'm selling.
Kmenne Posted December 16, 2011 Posted December 16, 2011 I have some Dunlap stuff in a pump bottle. I spray some on a micro fiber cloth and clean away, once every 6 months, whether it needs it or not!
Hfan Posted December 16, 2011 Posted December 16, 2011 I like the Virtuosso polish and cleaner. Use Fret Dr for the finger board. Expensive products but very good. My tech who is one of the top guys in the state told me not spend the $ on the Fret Dr, he uses some cheap stuff from Home Depot. The name isn't coming to me..Tusq oil maybe? I've heard lemon oil is good for the fret board as well. Also have Dunlop 65 cleaner / polish I had been using only for poly finishes. Inexpensive stuff and seems pretty good but does anyone know for sure if it is good for nitro and is silicone free? As per Jim Dunlop: "Formula 65 polish is ok to use on a nitro finish. I would not use it if there are cracks, weather checking, or dings in the finish. I would not use it on an old and thin finish either. Rubbing on a thin and old nitro finish with any liquid polish and a cloth can take off color".
GASguy Posted December 16, 2011 Posted December 16, 2011 Could it be tung oil? I believe that tung oil is used on wood as a preservative or restorative.
Steiner Posted December 16, 2011 Posted December 16, 2011 I like the Virtuosso polish and cleaner. Use Fret Dr for the finger board. Expensive products but very good. My tech who is one of the top guys in the state told me not spend the $ on the Fret Dr, he uses some cheap stuff from Home Depot. The name isn't coming to me..Tusq oil maybe? I've heard lemon oil is good for the fret board as well. Also have Dunlop 65 cleaner / polish I had been using only for poly finishes. Inexpensive stuff and seems pretty good but does anyone know for sure if it is good for nitro and is silicone free? As per Jim Dunlop: "Formula 65 polish is ok to use on a nitro finish. I would not use it if there are cracks, weather checking, or dings in the finish. I would not use it on an old and thin finish either. Rubbing on a thin and old nitro finish with any liquid polish and a cloth can take off color". The cheap stuff for the fretboard is mineral oil - it soaks into the wood. Tung oil is a hard finish; don't get near your guitar with it!!!
Hfan Posted December 16, 2011 Posted December 16, 2011 The cheap stuff for the fretboard is mineral oil - it soaks into the wood. Tung oil is a hard finish; don't get near your guitar with it!!! Thats it, tung oil, swear he said it, maybe by mistake meaning mineral oil..
blueox Posted December 16, 2011 Posted December 16, 2011 Lots of members swear by Virtuoso polish and cleaner, but it is very pricey! I use Martin polish on mine, safe for nitro finishes. Also, Martin polish is sold in 8oz bottles (at a decent price) whereas most others are sold in 4oz bottles. Ren Wall told me to use Pledge if I felt I needed something to polish with. I took Ren to mean that you really don't need to put anything fancy on the finish. He also told me to use WD40 on the strings to cut down squeaking . . . Ya gotta appreciate Ren's humor!
Steiner Posted December 16, 2011 Posted December 16, 2011 Thats it, tung oil, swear he said it, maybe by mistake meaning mineral oil.. I think (somebody knowledgeable chime in) Fender uses tung oil on their maple fingerboards. I don't believe I've ever seen a rosewood or ebony board with a finish. I've never done it but a light mist of mineral oil may just be good for the fingerboard. I have some rosewood here I've been working and it seems to like mineral oil - go figure.
skydog52 Posted December 17, 2011 Posted December 17, 2011 Virtuoso cleaner works great. Followed by the Polish. Best I've used. I've been using Planet Waves Hydrate on fingerboards for a few years and it works well.
Steiner Posted December 17, 2011 Posted December 17, 2011 Where did you get the shinny, new pennies Skydog52? Now we all know you're not centsless. Another vote for Virtuoso cleaner and polish. I have a dozen different sprays and the Fender / Meguire's kit. They all have their place. If I were to get one it would be the Virtuoso.
bolero Posted December 17, 2011 Posted December 17, 2011 I think mineral oil is toxic? wouldn't put that on my fretboard I do however use extra virgin ( who invented that term? lol ) olive oil to wipe my my strings & stop them from rusting/gunking.....it usually gets a bit on the fretboard enough to keep it from drying out for the body a clean moist cloth ( tapwater ) usually does the trick
Steiner Posted December 17, 2011 Posted December 17, 2011 On the contrary.. Edible mineral oil is a laxative and good for wood. You may be thinking toxic mineral spirits. Olive oil works but , being a food, spoils after a time and becomes sticky.
MichYank Posted December 17, 2011 Posted December 17, 2011 + 1 Virtuoso polish (for newer guitars) and cleaner (for buildup). Rosewood oil works great on fretboards!
Hfan Posted December 17, 2011 Posted December 17, 2011 So any consensus on the Dunlop 65? ok for Nitro and no silicone??
LK155 Posted December 17, 2011 Posted December 17, 2011 I have used Dunlop 65 on a nitro finish with no problems. It was recommended to me as nitro-safe by a music store salesman who, although seemingly quite knowledgable about this kind of thing, may have been a complete idiot. Am looking at the label right now.......it doesn't mention nitro (or any other type of finish for that matter), and there is no list of ingredients. However, it does advise you to keep it away from children and not to swallow it. Since I found Virtuoso polish, the Dunlop 65 bottle sits untouched. Virtuoso is great. But before you buy some, make sure to take off the lid and see exactly how much is in the bottle.....the one I bought at the K'zoo GC was less than half full, but I didn't discover this until I got it home (600km later). Fortunately, a little of this stuff goes an awfully long way. For my rosewood and ebony fretboards I will just: > clean with a damp cloth that has had a tiny bit of liquid soap added; > use 0000 steel wool (sparingly) to remove any remaining fretboard crud and polish the frets; then > rub mineral oil onto the board and then wipe off. Ren wasn't kidding about using WD40 on the strings....I was listening at whatever PSP that was.....he said that when you're changing strings, lay the new ones straight out on a newspaper and spray them with WD40. Then wipe them dry and install. Apparently it helps prevent moisture from getting in the windings and causing corrosion (supposedly WD=Water Displacement). Therefore they last longer. This bit of advice has been mis-stated over the years and some people think he was advocating spraying your strings with WD40 when they are on the guitar. NOT! At no time was there any mention of getting WD40 anywhere near your guitar.
GuitArtMan Posted December 17, 2011 Posted December 17, 2011 I think mineral oil is toxic? wouldn't put that on my fretboard I do however use extra virgin ( who invented that term? lol ) olive oil to wipe my my strings & stop them from rusting/gunking.....it usually gets a bit on the fretboard enough to keep it from drying out for the body a clean moist cloth ( tapwater ) usually does the trick There is food grade mineral oil. Used as a laxative. There is also butchers block oil which is, you guessed it, food grade mineral oil.
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