Gutiar Care Product Recommendations

[Blunote]

I'm surprised no one mentioned lemon oil for the fretboard. There again, I believe lemon oil is mostly mineral oil. I use Gibson Luthier's choice fretboard conditioner ever other string change. Just a drop or two on a gun cleaning patch, let it sit for a minute or two and wipe off any excess with a clean one. The main thing is to replace oils in the wood so that it doesn't dry out and crack.

 

Too much and you'll raise the grain and have a less smooth surface.

[blueox]

. . . 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.

 

Thanks for clearing that up!

[Hfan]

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.

From my earlier post Jim Dunlop says: "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". Though the bottle label does not list any such claims. Wonder why it can't be used for guits with checking or dings?

[Hfan]

Recently polished frets for the 1st time . I used the steel wool and masking tape method. Worked well but was a bit time consuming. Ran across this thread on the gear page recommending a product called Gorgomyte for fretboards. No taping needed and got lots of raves over there. Anyone tried it?

 

http://www.thegearpage.net/board/showthread.php?t=735375&highlight=fret+polish

[TalismanRich]

I've used the Gibson spray polish for years. I've got some Virtuoso, but have only used it on two guitars.

 

Not surprisingly, there are as many ideas as there are guitars.

 

This is on a guitar maker's website. He makes acoustic guitars that start at $3500 before you add options. He does nitro finishes. He does repairs. ... and he says:

 

One of the best things you can do for your instrument's finish is preventative maintenance, and there is nothing elaborate that needs to be done here. Before you go out to a concert, a festival or a jam, wipe your instrument with Lemon Pledge® and a cloth. Spray the Pledge® on the cloth then wipe the instrument. I don't spray the polish directly on the instrument because it can leave a milky residue on the finish.

Another good technique is to take a good polishing cloth and some Pledge®, spray the rag or cloth with a good coat of the Pledge®, then let the cloth dry thoroughly. This will put some wax in the cloth. Keep the cloth in your case and carry it around with you as you normally would. This way, when you use the cloth to wipe the sweat off your instrument you will also be cleaning the instrument and adding a light wax for protection. After you're done picking and before you put your instrument away, take the rag in the case and wipe off all the areas that you've touched, paying attention to any smudges on the instrument. This will keep the finish clean and stop gunk from building-up on the finish.

[pressure]

I have used Pledge since 1964 on nitro guitar finishes and on rosewood fingerboards with great results.

I never had any problems but I did not refinish any of those guitars. I'm not sure if there is any silicone in Pledge.

[Hfan]

I've used the Gibson spray polish for years. I've got some Virtuoso, but have only used it on two guitars.

 

Not surprisingly, there are as many ideas as there are guitars.

 

This is on a guitar maker's website. He makes acoustic guitars that start at $3500 before you add options. He does nitro finishes. He does repairs. ... and he says:

 

One of the best things you can do for your instrument's finish is preventative maintenance, and there is nothing elaborate that needs to be done here. Before you go out to a concert, a festival or a jam, wipe your instrument with Lemon Pledge® and a cloth. Spray the Pledge® on the cloth then wipe the instrument. I don't spray the polish directly on the instrument because it can leave a milky residue on the finish.

Another good technique is to take a good polishing cloth and some Pledge®, spray the rag or cloth with a good coat of the Pledge®, then let the cloth dry thoroughly. This will put some wax in the cloth. Keep the cloth in your case and carry it around with you as you normally would. This way, when you use the cloth to wipe the sweat off your instrument you will also be cleaning the instrument and adding a light wax for protection. After you're done picking and before you put your instrument away, take the rag in the case and wipe off all the areas that you've touched, paying attention to any smudges on the instrument. This will keep the finish clean and stop gunk from building-up on the finish.

 

Back in the 70's all I used was whatever furniture polish my mom had around, had no issues but then again, never attempted any body repairs etc.

[DetroitBlues]

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

 

Nothing like playing some licks that are finger licking good....

[chico]

Slide on up to 8-Mile in Royal Oak to the Music Castle and buy a bottle of "Power Chord" for cleaning. It is good stuff. Shake bottle, spray on rag and clean the gunk, also the hardware like the pickup covers and tailpiece. Then use lemon oil on a rag for the fretboard. As for the strings, I like Fret Ease. Spray on a rag and rub the strings top and under, together and individually. mmm mmm. I did witness Ren spray the WD40 on the strings, individually, prior to stringing the guitar (a new one at the factory!)

[tulk1]

Kinda late to the game in the this thread. But wanted to share. I've use the Dunlop 65 on all my Heritages with no noticeable impact on the finish, other than cleaning it. . When that ran out I went to Virtuoso, both cleaner and polish. My only complaint with that product is the non-resistance to smudges and finger prints. Even after the deepest of cleaning. Yesterday I ran across MusicNomad Polish and Wax. Uh .... wow! might describe it. On my white guitar it was taking out black cr*p, and when I hit it with the wax ... well, it just shines like a big dog! The H40 mandolin looks like it got a refin, except for the obvious dings in the top. This stuff really works ... and is non-toxic. So, until these bottles go empty, I'll probably be using MusicNomad.

 

[tsp17]

Ren Wall told me to use Pledge if I felt I needed something to polish with.

told me the same thing. "Lemon Pledge," to be precise.

[MartyGrass]

I'm doing a reality check. The only reason for putting any product on your finish is to make it look better, right? Does anyone believe that a thin layer of wax protects the nitro? If so, why do you believe that?

 

I'm not saying polish doesn't protect. I don't know. I have to wonder if all the rubbing has an adverse effect on the nitro.

 

With regard to the fretboard, simply playing the guitar puts oil on the wood. All these tips on treating the fretboard has to be for cosmetics.

 

I clean my guitars as needed, which means hardly at all, and only use lemon oil. I chose that oil because it's cheap, it is an effective solvent, it works, and smells good. I keep it around to wipe down the strings, but it works for most cleaning needs on a guitar.

 

When it comes to really putting a shine on, I use the Brent method that includes Turtle Wax and high speed buffing. I rarely go that far.

[tulk1]

I'm doing a reality check. The only reason for putting any product on your finish is to make it look better, right? Does anyone believe that a thin layer of wax protects the nitro? If so, why do you believe that?

 

I'm not saying polish doesn't protect. I don't know. I have to wonder if all the rubbing has an adverse effect on the nitro.

 

With regard to the fretboard, simply playing the guitar puts oil on the wood. All these tips on treating the fretboard has to be for cosmetics.

 

I clean my guitars as needed, which means hardly at all, and only use lemon oil. I chose that oil because it's cheap, it is an effective solvent, it works, and smells good. I keep it around to wipe down the strings, but it works for most cleaning needs on a guitar.

 

When it comes to really putting a shine on, I use the Brent method that includes Turtle Wax and high speed buffing. I rarely go that far.

Well, I'd assume if you rubbed to the point that it started to smoke or melt! But otherwise ... I couldn't imagine it would. Nothing we can do by hand will even come close to that finishing/polishing/buffing wheel.

[tbonesullivan]

I use GHS fast fret on my strings to help get a little more life out of them.

 

I use Dunlop spray polish and GHS polish on my poly finished guitars to keep them looking shiny and clean.

 

On my nitro guitars I currently use Gibson pump polish. It is designed specifically for nitro, and doesn't have any abrasives at all to help lift dirt. It worked wonders on the pickguard for my H535.

 

For grungy guitars I use Preservation polish from Stewmac. Some say it sucks and smells weird, but it really works well. It's not a "wipe on and dry" polish, which seems to be where a lot of people have issues.

 

I have a big dunlop microfiber cloth for after playing wipe downs

 

For fretboards and oiled necks: Stringfellow's lemon oil, which I know is just mineral oil, but it does a good job of getting the gunk off and keeps the fretboard smelling nice. The same goes for the oiled necks on my bass guitars.

 

Currently I'm thinking of picking up some gorgomyte to help keep my frets nice and shiny. It also has lemon oil in it. It's a lot less annoying to use than 000 steel wool, which makes a MESS.

[rjsanders]

if i didn't use Chapin Focus products, i'd go with Virtuoso stuff. you could give Bill Chapin a call & discuss (503-651-1625). have lotsa nickels handy. he's passionate on the subject (as with most...)

[Joe]

I'm doing a reality check. The only reason for putting any product on your finish is to make it look better, right? Does anyone believe that a thin layer of wax protects the nitro? If so, why do you believe that?

 

I'm not saying polish doesn't protect. I don't know. I have to wonder if all the rubbing has an adverse effect on the nitro.

 

With regard to the fretboard, simply playing the guitar puts oil on the wood. All these tips on treating the fretboard has to be for cosmetics.

 

I clean my guitars as needed, which means hardly at all, and only use lemon oil. I chose that oil because it's cheap, it is an effective solvent, it works, and smells good. I keep it around to wipe down the strings, but it works for most cleaning needs on a guitar.

 

When it comes to really putting a shine on, I use the Brent method that includes Turtle Wax and high speed buffing. I rarely go that far.

Does anyone know what makes notro finishes check and whether or not polish can prevent checking?

[tulk1]

Does anyone know what makes notro finishes check and whether or not polish can prevent checking?

Several things. Age, mostly. Sudden changes in temperatures is another. But the underlying cause of checking is actually the wood expanding and contracting at different rates than the finish.

 

Doubt any polish will prevent that. But it can sure make 'em shine in the meantime.

[Joe]

Several things. Age, mostly. Sudden changes in temperatures is another. But the underlying cause of checking is actually the wood expanding and contracting at different rates than the finish.

 

Doubt any polish will prevent that. But it can sure make 'em shine in the meantime.

I've read magazine articles over the years which say that very thing. Avoid sudden temperature and moisture changes.

[rooster]

Virtuoso on the body, Fret Doctor on the fingerboard.

 

rooster.