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what to put on fine guitars? carnuba? some folks say dont put anything on them. Lemon pledge etc has too much cleaner in it to put on a french polish finish eventually it will erode the finish. Anyone know?
You shouldn't put any wax or oils on your guitar. Unless your eating TV dinners on it(I swear I'v'e never done this ) , it should just be dusty and you should just wipe it with a cloth.
If your guitar has a polyurethane finish, you can just use this. It works just as well (if not slightly better) than most of the "specialty" guitar polishes and costs less per ounce.
I have not researched what are the better cleaners/polishes for lacquer or French polish and cannot recommend anything at this time.
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haha I have a friend who is quite professional he literally plays the top off his guitars, in a year it will look like willie nelsons, but he plays at least 8 hrs a day plus performs.
It says on the label that it is "car wax".. and how could it make scratches disappear if it wasnt filling them? Iam asking just to know about this, I never use anything besides lemon oil on the fingerboard.
The kind of plastic polish you can get at stores like Tap Plastics called 3M plastic polish works.
You just need a nickel sized spot of polish on a soft cloth. Maybe every third time you change the strings you might give it a light polish, if that.
There are several auto polishes that you should not put on a guitar. Really after you play while the guitar is warm wiping the guitar down with soft clean cloth will remove the moisture and oils form your body. That keeps it clean. Most guitar makers don't recommend putting different products on guitars. There are a lot of reasons why it is not good, but you can only voice an opinion.
What actually drives me more wild than seeing a dirty greasy guitar is seeing one that has waxy grey polish build up in niches and corners.
what to put on fine guitars? carnuba? some folks say dont put anything on them. Lemon pledge etc has too much cleaner in it to put on a french polish finish eventually it will erode the finish. Anyone know?
I wouldn't put anything on French polish other than a little gentle wiping with a soft cloth. It's known to be quite sensitive to cleaners, sweat, etc.; however if it's lacquer, some of the modern synthetic auto polishes are great. I use "windex" as a cleaner followed by a product called "finish first" on our guitars. It is absolutely amazing. I apply it with finger tip in tiny amounts and it lasts for months. There are many other similar products that are probably just as good or better. Finishes like polyester don't need anything but a damp soft cloth but polish of any kind certainly won't do any damage. For minor scratches a plastic polish works well on polyester.
For FP and other finishes with sweaty fingermarks on the surface, I flick a few drops of water onto a soft cloth before cleaning.
More dangerously, I have had success in removing small surface scratches from FP finish by rubbing vigorously with a soft cloth - I think that the polish melts and spreads! Don't try with major dings or you will probably end up with a bare patch.
carnuba wax works great on automobiles but for guitars?? martin guitars makes a polish for poly finishes which has a nice cedar aroma to it. actually, the stuff makes a nice room spray--pricey but the cedar aroma is nice.