Cleaning EMBB EVH? How?

[jplacson]

Ok... I'm trying to learn the best way to give my EVH a good cleaning.

1) How do I clean the body from built up wax (sticky crud and all?) Do I use the lemon-oil here as well as the neck?

2) How do I polish the frets, hardware? What's the best way to protect them from tarnishing? I used to use WD-40 with a cotton swab to clean my guitar jacks inside before... is it ok to do this in general? Or is there a better way?

3) How do I clean the neck? I've read that some people sand their necks. I've heard of people "wet" sanding the neck... what does this mean? Wet with water? Or oil?

I intend to bring my guitars in to a luthier since I don't have access to a lot of the oils and waxes mentioned here... but I also want to tell the luthier any special ways to care and clean the EVH since these types of guitars aren't common here in the Philippines.

 

[hbucker]

Use guitar polish (I currently have Martin Guitar polish) from a spray bottle on the body and hardware. It's mild and shines well. Be sure to use a very soft cloth or diaper for this.

Neck: For general cleaning at string changes or every other month or so I use a soft bristle tooth brush and lemon oil. Over time, as the neck gets some deeper dirt stains I use the brush with Murphy's Oil Soap. That does a great job. Wipe off the Murphy's goo. Then clean it again with the brush and lemon oil.

Wipe it all down, let it set over night, wipe it down some more and then string it up.

good luck.

 

[GHWelles]

Steel wool neck and frets (with the grain) 0000 grade.
For the body, I use a damp rag, then wipe off. Finish whith Zaino show car finish polish.

http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=Z-6&Category_Code=Zaino

 

[jplacson]

hbucker... how come a lot of threads here advice against using lemon oil on maple necks?

BTW, these are my babies...

 

[LivinItUp]

Last week i cleaned a really filthy dirty neck from a wolfgang (yuck wolf's) of a friend.. it was like ed's 5150 neck kind of dirty.. and i used steel wool with Murphy's oil soap diluted in water and it came out clean like factory new.. i soaked the steel wool with the oil soap and then rub!!..just my 2. cents..

i forgot to add.. then i let it dry overnight.. and then i used lemon oil on the frets

 

[lenny]

hbucker... how come a lot of threads here advice against using lemon oil on maple necks?

Here is the Write up from just one of the company's see whats in bold at the bottom.......and also Ernie Ball DOES NOT USE LEMON OIL ON MAPLE NECKS AT THE FACTORY ....so why would we do it? i have also asked a few of my woodworking friends and they ALSO say that over time lemon oil will degrade the wood and turn it a different color,now alot of guys use lemon oil here on these boards,........ if there boards are fine what can i say ?all i know for sure is that they DO NOT use lemon oil on the MAPLE boards at the factory and all the research that i have done says white woods and lemon oil are a no no
Just my 2 cents but i have spent a lot of research hours on the subject because as of FEBruary 06,i too have never had anything but a fender finished neck use this technique that spud posted from FSMITH and you will have a great result

http://www.ernieball.com/forums/showpost.php?p=215488&postcount=13

July 18, 2003

Introducing Fretboard 65 Ultimate Lemon Oil--the latest addition to Dunlop's line of guitar care products and the evolution of the 01 Fingerboard Cleaner and 02 Fingerboard Deep Conditioner.

Fretboard 65 is specially formulated to clean away grime and return your guitar's fretboard to its original luster, quickly and easily. Apply a thin coating using Dunlop's Dab-O-Matic applicator top, work the gunk free, and wipe clean. It's that simple. And once the dirt is gone, Fretboard 65 will help keep it away by providing an invisible sealant against stains and moisture.
(Note: not for use on maple fretboards.) 4 fluid oz (118ml)

 

[hbucker]

The only bad thing about lemon oil is that it can darken the wood over time. This can be a concern but is cosmetic only. There are lemon oil products out there that aren't tinted. These would be better to use for sure.

But I've used regular lemon oil for years on 3 different guitars with good results. I have no fear, zero, that it's actually changing my wood. Don't over use it, but use of every other month or less is no problem.

 

[Jonny Dubai]

Do you use the soap on both the neck and the fingerboard?

Cheers,


Jonny.

 

[hbucker]

Yes, I do.

 

[Wide'Iwas]

Thats was interesting I have been using lemon oil for years lol

I prefer the darken look of the necks and I was wondering why my axis loof so new Now I know why hehehe

thanks for the info guys