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Old 2006-04-24, 14:31
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problematic
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Guitar cleaning.

Ok, im sorry, I know there are other threads like this. In fact, I used the search function and found out that all those threads are quite dystfunctional.
Dysfunctional in the fact that they are not concise. Some people are using car wax... others using .. gah.. random shit.

So anyway. What I would want you guys to post is some sort of conventional list of products you have used etc. for cleaning the guitar...

I hear Lemon oil is good for rosewood necks... tell me more..

My warlock neck is fucking grimey as fuck. (see pic... you can make out the green coloured grime, I assure you in person its much more horrid).
What would I use to clean that?

...You know the dust on the guitar body between the pickups under the strings? how do I clean that? with an anti-static cloth or something.

...Do I want to wax or polish the guitar finish?

Tell me all your ways

Cya
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Old 2006-04-24, 15:59
ThornsOfHeaven200
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I just use a cotton cloth for everything from the body the frets and the spaces between pickups. I also heard that lemon oil is good for dry rosewood necks. But when my rosewood neck gets dry, I just don't play with that guitar and in a week or so the natural oils come back.
 
Old 2006-04-24, 18:12
mctriple
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you can get guitar polish from any guitar store. why not get some for the guitar? some others will work, but a little guitar polish bottle is cheap and will last you a long time. that will work well for the body and headstock. next time you change strings, put some on both and clean it. it shouldn't be difficult to get the dust off anywhere when the strings are off. try this on the back of the neck, too, if just normal wiping doesn't clean that junk off. if the back of your neck is unfinished, then regular wiping after you play should keep it clean. if it's a finished neck, you can polish it up any time just like your guitar body and headstock.

get some lemon oil, or gibson luthier's fretboard conditioner. that's what i use, but only because i bought a tiny bottle years ago before hearing about lemon oil, and it's just now about to be empty. one will last a long time. for the oil, a little goes a long way. one drop is more than enough for a fret or two.. at the upper frets, one drop will be enough for several (depending on how dry it is). this will also get all the sweat/gunk off the fretboard while adding oil which is very good for the wood. i just start on the first fret and work my way down the neck. if the fretboard sucked up that oil and still looks dry, i'll go down the neck a 2nd time doing the same thing. if the fretboard wasn't too dry and, after going all the way down, some of the first frets have excess oil on them, just wipe it off and you should be good to go. any old t-shirt, sock, etc will work well for this. a white one will let you see how much crap you got off the fretboard.. which can be cool or disgusting lol.

if your frets have lost their shine, it's also good to get some steel wool and masking tape. cover up the fretboard around the frets with masking tape, then use the steel wool to polish your frets. many people overlook this, but if your frets are looking very dull and have no shine, you'll notice quite a difference in playing afterwards. vibratos and bends are much smoother. this is really easy to do.. just remember to use masking tape around the frets to prevent scuffing the fretboard a lot with the steel wool.

as for the back of the neck, well it's a decent idea to wipe it down after you play each time. same goes for the strings, actually. i keep a microfiber cloth in each of my guitar cases. after playing for a while, i'll wipe down the back of the neck, then pinch each string and wipe down the length of the string. that actually increases the life of the strings pretty noticably.

nothin better than pretty shiny frets and a nice clean, smooth fretboard

Last edited by mctriple : 2006-04-24 at 18:15.
 
Old 2006-04-24, 18:33
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For fretboard I suggest Guitar Honey. I had it suggested by some dude at a shop and it is fucking awesome! Makes your fretboard so fast its insane! It also really brings back the color and beauty of the fretboard when applied. To apply it I would get an old rag (t-shirt) and spray it on the rag and then rub it nice and good all the way down the neck. Then clean off and repeat a few times. You will be amazed at the shit that comes off it.

For by the pickups just get a small rag or something and run it underneith or clean it when you are switching strings.

For polishing the body I have no fucking clue...i say get yourself a satin finished guitar because they fucking rule! No sticky icky shit when you are playing.

For frets I would either get tape and put it on the fretboard (do it lightly!) and then use steel wool to polish the frets.

To clean any metal like the bridge or something, get some rubbing alcohol and a toothbrush and dip it into the alcohol, dry it off a bit and then go rubbing and cleaning the metal parts.

Is that it?
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Old 2006-04-24, 21:52
mctriple
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forgot to mention a little trick you can do to polish your frets. since you're going to be putting masking tape on your fretboard, you don't want it to leave any sticky crap on it at all when you take it off. put the masking tape on your pants or something like that first. that'll make it less sticky, so it won't leave any residue at all on your fretboard
 
Old 2006-04-24, 23:14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by mctriple
forgot to mention a little trick you can do to polish your frets. since you're going to be putting masking tape on your fretboard, you don't want it to leave any sticky crap on it at all when you take it off. put the masking tape on your pants or something like that first. that'll make it less sticky, so it won't leave any residue at all on your fretboard


oh i meant to say use painting tape...not just plain old masking tape but that blue shit that is meant to be gentle for on walls and shit. That is a nice thing to be remember though
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Old 2006-04-25, 03:01
mctriple
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yeah that stuff would be a good idea. i've always had masking tape around, so i just use that, but take some of the adhesion off by sticking it to my pants a few times first.
 
Old 2006-04-25, 03:07
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For the back of the neck... sand that nigga. It'll actually play better too.

For the fretboard, use Dunlop 65 lemon oil and a polishing cloth + q tips. Leaves my fretboard like new if I work it real well.

String it up and then use GHS Fastfret, and your axe will be clean as fuck.

For dust, use those compressed air canisters or something.
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Old 2006-04-25, 03:40
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sand???

I dunno man... that could be damaging... no cleaning products to get that shit off?

Im definantly taking all the advice in this thread
 
Old 2006-04-25, 04:34
mctriple
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sanding the BACK of the neck a little can be okay. looks like the back of the neck on that guiar is unfinished, right? then it should be alright to sand it a bit. put some oil on it afterwards, though. make sure you use very fine sand paper, too. and don't sand a whole lot, just enough to get past all that crap.

however, i still think it could probably be wiped off with a cloth.
 
Old 2006-04-25, 08:00
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another thought, for the back use a toothbrush dipped in a bit of alcohol...i would imagine that'd get the grime out and then you wouldn't have to sand it.
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