How to maintain Stealth Black finish

[vhyken]

How guys, just bought my 2nd EBMM, a 2014 JP6 fully loaded stealth black. It will be arriving next month and really excited! ^_^

My concern is, how do you take care of the finish? I've noticed my friend's jp6SB having hazing/shiny spots over the body where the arm usually sits and some over the toggle switch. Is that normal on matte finish guitars?

Thanks guys!

 

[JayDawg]

EBMM wipes work the best. but any guitar polish will also do the job too. If your buddy has hazy spots on his guitar, he simply is not cleaning it after he plays it or is not cleaning it very well.

 

[decreebass]

All satin/matte finishes tend to get shiny in high-friction areas after a while. There's no avoiding this. Not sure what grit (pretty fine I'm sure), but you can actually sand it back to matte. I'm sure someone here can chime in on exactly what to use. All matte/satin finishes are are regular finishes that haven't been buffed to a shine. I'm sad (in advance) for the day that my Majesty starts getting shiny spots lol.

 

[threeminutesboy]

I love the satin on stealth bongo and actually it can relic quite well dings and shinny areas bring a lot of mojo to it

 

[xjbebop]

I talked with AJ about this when I got my Maj. He told me the name of the stuff they use and I wrote it down somewhere...I'll have to look for it.
But, we basically agreed that a good wipe down/buff with a soft cloth usually does the trick.
I suggested they add this to the guitar FAQ's, but don't see it over there...yet...

I use a gray scotch pad to take the shine off sticky necks... carefully...

 

[DrKev]

Not sure what grit (pretty fine I'm sure), but you can actually sand it back to matte.

I would never suggest doing this. The back of a neck is one thing but finish on a body, no way. Even if it is possible, without the right materials and technique doubt you could ever match the "mattness" correctly and it could just look far worse and damage resale value. Please don't ever suggest somebody does something radical that you have not successfully done yourself.

As we regularly say here "many a good guitar has been ruined by well-meaning advice". Please bear that in mind before posting or attempting such things.

Thanks.

 

[decreebass]

Obviously I'm not telling him to go to Home Depot, get some 60 grit sandpaper and go to town. I was merely saying that's one way it's done, not even giving advice; just general information. But yes, obviously it would take extreme attention to detail and a masterful touch to get it just right.

Anyway, TC, obviously pay someone to do it or send it back to EBMM to get it done if it gets shiny spots. But to answer your question honestly and accurately, yes it's perfectly normal

 

[SBMM]

I can't speak for how to maintain on an EBMM, as I have no experience with this, but, for our Stealth Black finish on the Sterling By Music Man Stealth Black finishes we use regular paper towels and rubbing alcohol after setup prior to shipping.

The paper towels don't 'polish' the finish like a cloth does, since they have a certain amount of roughness to them. The rubbing alcohol removes any grease/grime/sweat from the finish and leaves it nice and clean, especially since it evaporates.

Again, this works on the SBMM finishes, but I can't speak for the EBMM finishes. AJ could probably give the best answer for them.

 

[vhyken]

Thanks guys for your inputs.

@SBMM
I think i'm gonna try this, but lets wait for AJ for his recommendations ^_^ any rubbing alcohol will do right?

 

[SBMM]

Thanks guys for your inputs.

@SBMM
I think i'm gonna try this, but lets wait for AJ for his recommendations ^_^ any rubbing alcohol will do right?

Well, I'd say yes, but for exactness, we use 70% Isopropyl Alcohol.

 

[SBMM]

AJ is out until tomorrow, but I did email him so he can chime in on this

 

[uOpt]

You have the same problem that people have who get their BMW 6-series in Frozen Bronze or any of the other matte finishes.

You can effectively not repair them except repainting the whole segment, and even that is more difficult than a gloss repaint.

It is very hard to apply spots of new matte color so that the (intended) unevenness matches the unevenness of the existing paint, without making a visible difference under different light.

 

[jacob.rocha]

I'll chime in!

Here's an array of products that we recommend using from Custom Shop- we actually use some of them to clean matte finishes here at the factory:

TCP Global | Custom Shop | Matte Products

 

[xjbebop]

I'll chime in!

Here's an array of products that we recommend using from Custom Shop- we actually use some of them to clean matte finishes here at the factory:

TCP Global | Custom Shop | Matte Products

Yeah...that's the stuff!

 

[Jamie M]

Matte finishes sound like to much hassle to me!

 

[threeminutesboy]

Matte finishes sound like to much hassle to me!

no mate, they are lovely

 

[KEOKI]

Very easy to care for. I just wipe with a soft, or microfiber, cloth. For periodic detail cleaning I use the Meguire's product (marketed by a guitar company) that I use on all my guitars with a poly finish. I have also used the EB wipe and it seemed to work fine. Just not sure of the cost effectiveness. The alcohol/water solution is intriguing.

 

[adamrogo]

I'll chime in!

Here's an array of products that we recommend using from Custom Shop- we actually use some of them to clean matte finishes here at the factory:

TCP Global | Custom Shop | Matte Products

Thanks!

Which one do you recommend to "polish" the guitar. The spot remover?

SPOT REMOVER PINT

I like to wipe down the neck from any dirt and sweat, and I'm concerned that it will end up getting shiny pretty quickly.

 

[auxren]

Is AJ still out?!

 

[Alucard21]

News on how to care EBMM stealth black?