Cleaning the finish

[Tanax]

Hello,

I'm wondering what the best way is to clean the guitar? I read about how to clean the fretboard aswell as the neck but the rest of the guitar? More specifically sweat on the guitar finish?

A regular paper slightly wet? Or are the specific "cleaning" papers for this task?

I know I could ask CS but it seemed such a trivial question that I thought I'd ask the community first

 

[Roubster]

Ernie Ball Wonder Wipes instrument polish. You should be able to get any kind of polish in your local music store if you cannot get these. I wipe down my guitars after every session I play...the sweat builds up especially from my forearm resting on the body...definitely dont want that grime hanging around for too long. I remember my friend telling me how one time he forgot to wipe down his Gbsn LP after a long night of drinking and playing...now that area of the guitar is actually all cracked and distorted from all the salt and acid.

 

[bazxkr]

Yeh, agree with Roubster.

Little bit of care each time you play will reap rewards on upkeep of finishes.
Starting to play with clean hands helps too. If you just lugged lots of dirty/heavy gear about wash yr hands before putting your mits on a nice clean light neck for example.

You would not believe how toxic oils from fingers alone can be. Have known someone we affectionately call 'rusty bollocks' over here leave a finger print on the surface of the one of the hardest metals known to man by the chemical attack of the oils in the skin. And you can only remove it by taking off that surface by a few microns. So imagine what it can do to your pride and joy.

I have the EB guitar polish too. I like to see my face in my guitar finishes & it ain't cos I'm pretty.... before you guys slam dunk me LOL

Good housekeeping on any equipment, cars, computers etc pays off.

Cheers
Baz

 

[Tanax]

Didn't take care of my old guitar at all - although it was a $100 guitar so didn't really matter. With this new JP6 I definitely want to take care of a little better. I'm already noticing some spots on the body finish that starts to have fat stains.

Like you said, something I don't want to keep there for a longer period of time. Thanks for the tips! Now let's just see if I can find that EB Wonder Wipes Instrument Polish in a store here in Sweden...

Thanks again!

 

[Tone?]

A soft cloth, elbow greese and spit
if you can't find the wonder wipes

Spit is pretty wonderful as is
Dan Erliewine recommends it and I agree

 

[Sweat]

Wonder wipes for daily use, polish for deep clean, and uh avoid spit LOL

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

I've even used Windex when out of instrument polish!

Back in July we played the hottest, most humid gig we have had to date. It was so late when the gig ended and I was so exhausted from the performance that I forgot to wipe down my Dargie II Gold Roller before casing it up. I don't regularly use that guitar for practice, so it was around 4 weeks before I opened it up again. I practically had to chisel my sweat and grime off the guitar! I sweat pure acid so the guitar is now well on its way to "relic" status, especially if you look at the gold hardware. It upset me a bit since I like to keep my guitars in like new condition, even though I play the snot out of them. Oh well, the D2GR was a special guitar for me to get, and it is even more special now as a keeper!

 

[Tanax]

Lol, spit huh XD
I found the Wonder Wipes

Wonder wipes for daily use, polish for deep clean, and uh avoid spit LOL

Got it!

Regular clean: Ernie Ball | Products
Deep clean: Ernie Ball | Products

I've even used Windex when out of instrument polish!

Back in July we played the hottest, most humid gig we have had to date. It was so late when the gig ended and I was so exhausted from the performance that I forgot to wipe down my Dargie II Gold Roller before casing it up. I don't regularly use that guitar for practice, so it was around 4 weeks before I opened it up again. I practically had to chisel my sweat and grime off the guitar! I sweat pure acid so the guitar is now well on its way to "relic" status, especially if you look at the gold hardware. It upset me a bit since I like to keep my guitars in like new condition, even though I play the snot out of them. Oh well, the D2GR was a special guitar for me to get, and it is even more special now as a keeper!

Damn, that must've felt pretty bad :/ DDII is quite the awesome. Gold Roller even more so. Did you manage to rescue it?

 

[straycat113]

Ouch Pete I know that one had to hurt. I know you must of though 50 times already -out of all the guitars it had to be that one, especially since gold plating when taken care of super carefully is just about impossible to keep from tarnishing.

Since I polish a guitar once a year my favorite product is Meguires Mist and Wipe, and after playing a few sprays wipes the whole guitar down nice and fast.

Well I have never had any problems with any of my Balls in anyway thank God. But my favorite Strat which is Surf Green about 8 years ago had the whole lower half of the guitar where I rest my arm turn a completely different color, kind of like an olive green. Till this day it is a mystery, and I have been given all kinds of reasons like maybe something in my sweat or whatever, but this never happened to anyother guitar in my life. Funny thing was that someone posted a Strat from the same year on a forum that had the same issue, so I guess their was a bad batch of paint at that time. Though to be honest I dig the look .

 

[Spudmurphy]

Yeah Tone +1 with the spit.

I get a sweat crust forming from the fore arm - I get a build up on the scratch plate near to the bridge.

There is nothing wrong in using lighter fluid(naptha) on a cloth top get rid of crud.

I give the guitar a quick wipe and when I get some time I use Guitar Scratch remover as a polish - great stuff.

 

[PeteDuBaldo]

Damn, that must've felt pretty bad :/ DDII is quite the awesome. Gold Roller even more so. Did you manage to rescue it?

Ouch Pete I know that one had to hurt. I know you must of though 50 times already -out of all the guitars it had to be that one, especially since gold plating when taken care of super carefully is just about impossible to keep from tarnishing.

Strangely enough I'm OK with it! I was able to buff most of the green tarnish off the hardware, and it gleams once again, but hey - I buy these guitars to gig and play the snot out of. If I can keep them looking fresh then I do, but if not then no big deal.

 

[Stratty316]

a good polishing cloth is the key...