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How do you keep your Heritage clean?


gpuma

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Posted

Are there specific products you use?

 

Especially for the body, is there any specific product that I can safely use?

Posted

I use Gibson's Pump Polish. A lot of people here swear by Virtuoso but it's difficult to obtain at a reasonable price in the UK.

Posted

Mr. Clean white erasers. They work good for my guitars to get rid of all the grease and grime of playing out in the soup kitchens 6 nights a week.

 

Just kidding, good polish when you change the strings is enough. I use Gibson Restoration polish. There are certainly many to choose from. Gibson recommends not polishing too much as it can build up over time. They suggest fogging the guitar with your breath where there are smears and wiping it off after playing with a soft cloth, especially, the back of the neck.

Posted

If it's not grimey and gunky, any of the above should work fine. On a couple of really nasty finishes I used Virtuoso, which did a great job. On another I used MusicNomad which did a great job, as well. I do think they cleaned deeper than the usual polish. But, not convinced I'd know any difference if I hadn't used them.

Posted

I thought you were writng about a clean sound and this was another discussion of solid stae vs. tube amplifiers. :icon_jokercolor: What do I know? Gibson pump polish works well for me.

Posted

Dan Erlewine of StewMac always recommends naphtha (lighter fluid) for cleaning the finish and removing grime and any hazy look. He suggests using on a soft cloth, more dry than wet and finally polishing with a guitar polish.

 

He's been using that technique on all types of finish for many years but probably wise to always to try it first on an obscure corner to check it's safe (I don't want to be blamed for affecting anyone's finish!) :violent1:

Posted

Dan Erlewine of StewMac always recommends naphtha (lighter fluid) for cleaning the finish and removing grime and any hazy look. He suggests using on a soft cloth, more dry than wet and finally polishing with a guitar polish.

 

He's been using that technique on all types of finish for many years but probably wise to always to try it first on an obscure corner to check it's safe (I don't want to be blamed for affecting anyone's finish!) :violent1:

 

Wouldn't that melt the nitro lacquer a little?

Posted

He's not given any warnings that its harmful to nitro :icon_scratch: He obviously worked on hundreds of nitro finishes in his time.

Guest HRB853370
Posted

I find Dan Erlewine to be a little on the wacky side anyhow, since I own a couple of his books. I would think a very lightly moistened cloth first, then polish her up with yer favorite guitar polish. Naptha might be good in grimey fretboards.

Posted

He's not given any warnings that its harmful to nitro :icon_scratch: He obviously worked on hundreds of nitro finishes in his time.

 

Melting isn't a bad idea. It would remove some surface scratches I'd think

Posted

a product called "Powerchord" works great to clean and polish.

Posted

Wow...naptha sure seems harsh! :icon_pale:

 

 

I use GHS Guitar Gloss. Great stuff. It's like a cream wax. Spread on with a soft cloth in a vigorous circular motion, let dry, wipe off. After that, prints and smudges wipe off nicely with a soft cloth.

Posted

I just give the guitar a quick wipe down with a soft rag after playing and it never gets too bad anyhow.

I can't say that I polish my guitars much, and when I do I have a two stage cleaner / polish that I use.

 

But yeah , naptha is fine. I'd use it when the finish does need a good cleaning , maybe if it has a haze or something..

Posted

as James Jamerson said: "the gunk gives it the funk!"

 

a quick wipe with a damp cloth usually does it for me...have used naptha on nasty stuff & it seems fine, but I sure wouldn't use it very often; don't really need to

Posted

Flitz to polish all the metal, even the strings.

 

Flitz is pretty abrasive, and it stinks. I use it on knives and stuff; I have to throw out the polish cloths. The GHS stuff works good on the metal and plastic bits, too.

Posted

I wipe my guitars (including the strings) with an old sock after playing. I never polish them too much, but they never get too bad anyway.

 

I got Dr. Duck's Ax Wax some time ago, but I have not used it yet. It claims to be fit for everything: strings, fretboard, any type of finish, any instrument:

http://www.ducksdeluxe.com/ddaxwax.html

 

Has anyone here tried it?

Posted

Pressure washer....

This made me think of the time I replied to this kind of query with 'Wire wool and Dettol', Rob :D

Posted

did anyone ever used this Dunlop System 65?

http://www.amazon.co...s00_i00_details

Yes Dunlop 65 is what I use. Strange stuff - doesn't seem like a polish from its very watery appearance. However it does remove well, sticky patches that can appear on the neck (especially after eating a sticky bun :laughing11: ) to enable your hand to glide swiftly up and down the neck once again.

 

Maybe because it's runny it doen't cause any fingermarks to be left. Some waxes I've used have been marked by fingers and palms, especially when it's hot.

Oh well maybe it's not so bad after all!

Posted

At the store where I work, we use all of the below with good results.

 

Musicnomad

 

GHS Guitar Gloss

 

Gibson Pump Polish

 

Bodyguard Products

 

Powerchord was great, but I think they went under. I use naptha all of the time at work, safe on any finish except for french polish. I would not use it on a fretboard however. A polish is always better than a wax, it does not build up like wax.

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