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Let's talk about Cleaning

Crusher

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Feb 6, 2004
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1,199
The pics. of the polished Faded in the Sunburst lounge got me thinking.....how often do you guys polish your LP's? What do you use? Do you go all out and remove knobs, strings, etc. to get at every nook & cranny or just do a general area type thing?

I use the Gibson pump polish and a dedicated soft cloth, but I notice it leaves streaks behind. I will try the virtuoso polish, but if there is something better than that, post it here.

Thanks
 

wreckfan

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Feb 27, 2005
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118
I'll go first !! I use the Gibson Spray Polish on the back of the necks on all of my guitars every time I play them and wipe it off with an old t-shirt.

For the front of the neck I lightly spray the Gibson Spray Polish occasionally and about twice a year I use Gerlitz brand "guitar honey" on the rosewood and wipe it off well making sure that it is dry before putting the guitar away.

For the body of the guitar - I use Gerlitz brand paste wax and I usually do this every couple of weeks. Never take anything off, just take my time waxing around everything.

When I play out or at the studio I clean my guitars when I get home - every time !!
Especially where my forearm rests. A little neurotic -yeah ! but the efforts are well worth it.
 

Curt Basner

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Apr 11, 2004
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677
While I rarely get the guitars sweaty or messy from playing (I only play at home), I always make an effort to wipe them down after playing with a clean cotton cloth where my body contacts the wood, which essentially means the neck for sure, and the upper part of the lower bout. I usually check to see if any grunge is left, and if so, then I'd use the Virtuoso polish. I am a huge fan of Virtuoso stuff, the polish and the cleaner.

If I am not mistaken, I think somewhere in one of Dan Erlewine's books there is a statement about too much polishing having a negative effect on the nitro and ultimately, the wood, breathing and curing. Hopefully I'm not misstating that it's in Dan's book, but if not, I read it somewhere. No idea if there's any truth to it, other than the thought that it's probably better to do less than more, regarding polishing, as long as the guitar stays clean and shiney.
 

dwagar

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Apr 18, 2005
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4,451
jeez. I usually, but not always, give it a light buff when I change strings, maybe monthly, and give it a real good polish maybe twice a year.
I use the *cough* Fender MacGuires kit, spray for light buff, and liquid polish for the good polish. I use the cleaner if I think it needs it.
Maybe every second string change I'll put lemon oil on the fretboard, only if I think it's looking dry.
I don't wipe them down after playing, but then again I don't tend to sweat much, and I usually wash my hands before every set, get any oils off them.
 

bluesjuke

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Feb 6, 2005
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7,007
Hot breath & plolishing cloth only so far.
Of course I used Mom's stuff when I was a kid.
I read that too about over polishing Curt & I do believe it is in Dan's first book.

I will try some Virtuoso Cleaner someday soon for annual (or so) cleaning.

For you 335 Player's-
Be aware that a polishing cloth can easily get caught on the inside sharp edges of the F Holes so move slowly & carefully in this area. I mention this because I caught a cloth in this area on one of my 335's & caught it good -realized it just in time before I yanked it too hard. Just a heads up!
 

sliding-tom

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Feb 11, 2005
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1,907
Do a dusting and cleaning now and then when I notice one of my guitars is gettin' a little dirty. Everytime I change strings I'll clean the entire guitar, cause that's when I get at all the spots that'd be otherwise covered by the strings. If the guitar is not very dirty, I just do a dry cleaning or maybe a little breathing moisture or Gibson pump polish. For dirtier stuff I really like the Virtuoso cleaner.
 

Brownie

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Jul 12, 2003
Messages
1,886
Another vote for warm breath and a clean cloth :salude

When I do use anything else, I use Dr. Duck's Axewax (no wax in the stuff, btw). It's a very light oil...cleans nicely and leaves no significant residue. I do use it on necks from time to time, when warm breath won't cut thru the buildup. Cleans nitro and metal parts equally well. I oil boards with it as well, twice a year.
 

bluespckr

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Jun 8, 2005
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2,073
Curt Basner said:
If I am not mistaken, I think somewhere in one of Dan Erlewine's books there is a statement about too much polishing having a negative effect on the nitro and ultimately, the wood, breathing and curing. Hopefully I'm not misstating that it's in Dan's book, but if not, I read it somewhere. No idea if there's any truth to it, other than the thought that it's probably better to do less than more, regarding polishing, as long as the guitar stays clean and shiney.

Nope, you're not imagining that. I read that in one of Dan's books, too. He likes the old hot-breath-and-wipe treatment to remove those body sweat marks. I believe he recommended using real polish maybe once or twice a year (something like that) for the reasons you stated. Basically, too much polishing can get that stuff into the wood, and change the character of the instrument's sound ... or something like that. Les(s) is more!!!
 

DonP

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Joined
Feb 21, 2003
Messages
3,020
Curt Basner said:
While I rarely get the guitars sweaty or messy from playing (I only play at home), I always make an effort to wipe them down after playing with a clean cotton cloth where my body contacts the wood, which essentially means the neck for sure, and the upper part of the lower bout. I usually check to see if any grunge is left, and if so, then I'd use the Virtuoso polish. I am a huge fan of Virtuoso stuff, the polish and the cleaner.

If I am not mistaken, I think somewhere in one of Dan Erlewine's books there is a statement about too much polishing having a negative effect on the nitro and ultimately, the wood, breathing and curing. Hopefully I'm not misstating that it's in Dan's book, but if not, I read it somewhere. No idea if there's any truth to it, other than the thought that it's probably better to do less than more, regarding polishing, as long as the guitar stays clean and shiney.

Same here. I don't get my axes overly sweaty or dirty, but I do want the nitro to dry out, so I try to avoid using the stuff unless it's really needed.

I'll keep my non-nitro (Jackson/Charvel) axes clean however. No issues using cleaners on those.
 

cesjr02

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Dec 7, 2004
Messages
455
My favorite by far is Virtuoso's Cleaner. It's also great for removing surface scratches.
 

TomGuitar

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Apr 28, 2005
Messages
3,700
Another vote for Virtuoso. Cleaner once a year or so, Polish every couple months. Great stuff. Although the LPF's own Mike Slubowski recently recommended Meguiar's Swirl Remover. I tried it on an axe that really needed some heavy polishing from lots of surface scratches and it worked very well. Wouldn't want to use it often (like probably never again on that guitar - it won't need it) cause it has more cutting power than Virtuoso, but for removing surface scratches, it's great.
 

CutieJones

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Nov 28, 2002
Messages
1,310
I use Cillit Bang. Strips the grime off real good and makes everthing look like a new penny.
 

CutieJones

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Nov 28, 2002
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1,310
Seriously though, DO NOT use Cillit Bang on your vintage guitar collection.

bang . . . bang . . . bang bang bang.
 
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