You can get many of these items at your local Supermarket / Music Store but here are some links for online ordering - happy cleaning! 🥇Viva Paper Towels (soft like cloth): amzn.to/3ubAr7e 🥇Cheap Paper Towels: amzn.to/3UlNIVs 🥈Plush Cloth: tidd.ly/3SANYi9 🥈Microfibre Cloth: tidd.ly/3SFwK3m 🥇Dunlop 65 Fretboard Conditioning Oil: amzn.to/3HANTVc 🥇VIRTUOSO Guitar Polish: tidd.ly/3UcGXFw 🥇Meguiar's Scratch X: amzn.to/3UjbS2L 🥇Frine Fret Polish: amzn.to/49g0yJh (or get full kit: tidd.ly/3HEIkFA) 🥈Blue Magic Metal Polish: amzn.to/3SgBbQw 🥇Dremel: amzn.to/3OlzBvJ 🥇SOFT! COTTON Dremel Tip: amzn.to/3UkhdqL (please note, I wrap painter's tape around metal shaft to fit in dremel) 🥇Gloves: amzn.to/3Up99Fn Fretboard Guards: tidd.ly/3Omc9P0 🥇 Painter's Tape: amzn.to/3HANIcu 🥇Quality Feather Duster: amzn.to/3Ok258Q (🥈The cheaper one works too, but Libman is worth it: amzn.to/3Onu1J1 ) 🥈Steel Wool 0000: amzn.to/3Olj0bc 🥈Razor Blades: amzn.to/3Ok5LaE 🥈Fret Erasers: amzn.to/3uexrao
Other reason not use use steal wool is because it sheds steel bits they can get stuck on and in your pickups and they can be a pain to get rid off and worst case scenario it can wreck your pickup.
Trogly, I have played guitar for 40 years and one thing that I never did much of was to level and dress my frets on my guitars. Always seemed to work fine but one time a long time ago I bought a fender 60s reissue neck and it was bent a little weird. So the people at the store took my guitar that I put the neck on and they heated it over night and got the neck into correct order. Looked like they leveled the frets too and I could finger notes so much easier. I notice Les Paul’s have flat top frets sometimes. They look like that in this video. Just bought a new 60s style Gibson Les Paul Standard. Should I level these frets and dress them? Do you have a video of this process? Thanks very much. This video is great since my new Les Paul is a nitro finish one. And I happen to already own a dremel! Best regards, James PS I learned in the past few days researching nitro finishes and came across the Virtuoso policy and cleaner. Their instructions say how much to use but not if I use the cleaner or polish first. I am pretty sure the cleaner first. Then the polish. Just thought I would check. Thanks again! James
The previous owner put a lot of dents on the frets, also cracking on the binding. Must've been a terrible guitar player who doesn't take care of the instrument
As a professional car detailer, I started detailing guitars as a hobby. I can tell you right now that using ANY paper towels is really not good for any finish! Paper is made out of wood and it will leave you certain scratches. Always use microfiber towels for hand polishing. I'm also using a polishing machine with different sizes of polish pads. I'm always using very soft pads as well. I'd be happy to give you more tips if you want! Maybe I'll upload a video about guitar detailing as well. You sure inspired me with this video!
A tip to keep wax/cleaner out of the tuner holes is to stuff foam earplugs in them. You can get them far enough in to not interfere with the clean/polish and they pop right out. Cheap too.
Running the Dremel too long on a fret can also heat it up and loosen any adhesive that may have been used in the production manufacturer of the guitar so that's something to consider when ramping up speeds. Maybe give them a few seconds to cool down
@Trog I was warned by a luthier, so I just take my time. I guess the temp to affect adhesives may be not necessarily hot.Your buffing wheels look fluffier than the ones I use. That may be part of the problem How do you get them like that? You mentioned prepping them somehow
@@frankwebster9110 Yes, that could be it. I went through a few different tips until I found ones that I was comfortable doing this process with. A stiffer wool would definitely heat the frets up! These soft wool ones work nicely for this application and cause me no fears at all. 🥇SOFT! COTTON Dremel Tip: amzn.to/3UkhdqL Those are what I use. The only down side is the shaft is too small for my dremel so I have to wrap them in painters tape to get them to fit
@Trog thanks for the link! I couldn't get prime free shipping with the link, so I had to go through the app. At least I don't know how to do that. The website recognized me but not the membership. Anyway, I purchased the exact same ones you suggested. I can think of other applications for these that my stiff wool wheels would just wreck. I just recently polished up a satin 339 and between the vol. and tone knob posts is a little tight for the buffing wheel I usedThanks again for the tip!
Great video Trogly! 👍 Some solid tips here, but you can shave off a _ton_ of time by not going through so many steps with your rotary tool (Dremel). I simply work the polish into the wheel itself first, then quickly turn it on/off in the trash can to get rid of excess polish/eliminate splatter, _then_ I put it to the frets and polish. It's really not necessary to go through so many different RPM settings. Yes, start off slow of course and buff it out, then I go a few steps higher in RPM, polish some more, then I'm done. Same results, a mirror-like finish and maybe done 20-30 minutes or so. That's just me though... Whatever works for you. 👍 Virtuoso polish is amazing stuff, for sure! I use microfiber towels to do my polishing though, rather than paper towels. 🙂
just smear it on with your finger and hit it at high rpm - that's the easiest. fastest, and least wasteful way I've found to do it. and use tape - less residue on the fretboard than using guards.
I never thought I’d be so excited for a cleaning tutorial! I’m currently using the Dunlop maintenance kit and the Frine, but now I’ve got more products to look into!
You should visit (if theirs one in you area) Harbour Freight!!! My local HF has a luthier/wood working isle. You can buy an entire kit (steel wool, polishing compound, Dremel style tool, gloves, paper towels, microfiber cloths, Meguires Scratch X is sild at HF, tape, Q tips, metal polish cream, etc. Lifetime warranty on everything.
I know Trogly is a collector and it makes perfect sense to clean and polish his guitars to a fabulous luster... and they do look fantastic... and his techniques are very sound, but my guitars are tools and just the same as me not polishing my crescent wrench after I use it on my car, I don't care what my guitar looks like, I only care about how it sounds. Now, I do understand that damage, misalignment or anything that affects the workings of the guitar need to be addressed but I have never been one to keep my guitars all polished up... unless I'm selling the damn thing... thank you Trogly for helping me to know how to get my guitars ready for posting on Reverb. This is not in any way a ding on Austin, just my preference over the years, thanks for the video, love your channel.
With the frets polished, bends will be easier as you mentioned. However, with the surface of the frets so smooth, you reduce friction which will delay fret wear. The more rough the surface, the easier it is for the string to scrape away material. It's only molecules at a time, but it adds up. After getting spoiled by a Schecter guitar with SS frets, your fret polish tutorial will make the other guitars much better! Thank you:)
I’m not a very good player but playing is my escape but taking guitars apart, cleaning and polishing them and putting them back together is my FAVORITE hobby. Great job. I’ve been doing this exact routine for years.
I used Flitz on the frets of a neck I used on my brothers old Ibanez, the frets were brown with tarnish, now they're like mirrors that shine like LEDs I didn't have to do anything but the usual wipe on and off. Needless to say I recommend it!
I had wanted you to do one of these videos forever. When you picked up that ‘62 ebony block sg the before and after was incredible. I had to stop the video and look up the bottle of virtuoso cleaner and when I first ordered it I accidentally got the cleaner not the polish, lol. Thanks for making this video!!! Learned a lot ab fret cleaning and am definitely going to get a Dremel
Been wanting this too and he saves us from so many possible head aches and skin problems as well. I'm pretty sure he didn't use gloves at first just like I wouldn't have. 😊
definitely saving this video! i have never been keen to guitar cleaning just fingerboard conditioning and steel wool frets for playability... so thank you so much for this step-by-step video tutorial!
Thank you for this comprehensive rundown of these methods I have tried most of these myself and used similar automotive detailing products available locally in Australia May I add another suggestion to use a wool buffing wheel in a drill as used in auto paint finishing It works really quickly to polish frets and also to remove grime on fretboard and body without harming finish
Dude I used Windex to try to remove the hazing from sweat on my 78. Bye bye finish altogether uhhhh. That was a long time ago and only used Martin polish after to preserve what I didn't ruin 😢
@@nocturnalferalguitarist Well at least we have “ original relics “ ! Lol ! But to think how much our guitars went through and we still have them… priceless!!!
This was an absolutely perfect tutorial. I love that you explain why do you do this or do it like that. Thank you for sharing your methods in this vid!
Sometimes using sandpaper may be needed to achieve an even better result on the frets, try a good brand of sandpaper (1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, 5000, 7000, 10000 and you can go even higher). After that do the frine with the dremmel and you'll be HAPPY. Otherwise the frine or polish won't get to the deeper scratches. If you're lazy you might skip some grains. Also remember at first it will look like you are scratching/dulling your frets more, which you virtually are, but in order to evenly remove all cratches with the higher grains.
I use commandant scratch remover #5. That is made for cars. I also used it to make the scratch matt Plexiglas windows of my boat shiny and clear again. Used it also to make my satin music man Majesty shiny because I do not like satin but never used it on nitro laquer (My first Gibson Les Paul standard 60s is underway, I wanted a real Gibson for 40 years, can not wait until it arrives, it is new) So I will buy the stuff you used for my Les Paul if needed in the future.
Congrats on the Gibson. Like you I had dreamed of a Gibson and its a wonderful feeling opening the case. I got mine on 3 April 21 and there hasn't been a day since that it's not been in my hands.
A black marker on top and a few swipes of a crowning file first for me. I probably would have scrapped the board with a razor to get all the gunk off also
Good points . I've got some heavy gunk fret boards waiting. Any pointers that would save headaches always appreciated. Trogly saved me a bunch headaches on this vod.
Thanks for the demo.... here's one more step to consider: I use the micro-mesh touch up stick from StewMac to bring back the luster of bone nuts... super quick, amazing results!
Not for nuthin’… they’re a bit expensive, but if you get fret polishing wheels from StewMac and team them up with a Dremel - you can make your frets truly polish up like glass. I borrowed some from a friend & actually ordered them online before I was even halfway done. They’re incredible.
So happy you introduced me to Virtuoso a few years ago. I bought the cleaner and polish kit. Absolutely the best stuff out there and worth the money . I had bought a brand new 70 th anniversary Broadcaster direct from Fender and it had some swirling scuff marks on the lower bout , I believe it was returned from another purchaser. Anyway , I was determined to bring it to flawless condition as I had pre ordered the guitar and it took forever to arrive . Virtuoso did the trick on the gloss nitro and I recommend it to all. Thanks Trog! I have used Flitz and Maas metal polish on my frets forever but I may try what you have recommended ✌️
I just finished setting the string butler m on a Gibson Midtown Custom and this video came up (I’ve been following for a long time now) and this literally answered by questioned how to clean it! Awesome video! Doing this probably this weekend after my churches conference!
Thanks for making this video! I found it really useful. I own an Epiphone '59 with the aged gloss (aka satin) finish, and a few other satin guitars. I'd love to see the same kind of video but for those tops, how to polish/clean them without turning them into a gloss shine. May not be enough of us out there to justify a video for it though. Anyways, thanks again for the video and keep up the great work, sir!
Fantastic tips! In regards to the V polish you have to REALLY use some elbow grease but I refinished a 1991 Studio with 25 years of sweat on it, probably the nastiest I had seen and why I was able to get it dirt cheap, and it turned out looking brand new after using the polish as well. You can always now get actual microfiber cloths in rolls for pretty cheap, I moved to those about a year ago. In regards to frets, for light polishing on every few string changes the little D'Addario cloths will work. If it's bad then I use steel wool and follow up with the Frine stuff to polish but haven't tried the dremel, I'll do that next time. I also only use the MN F-One oil on all my fretboards. I've tried everything over the last 40 years and been using the F-One oil for about 7 years now. It will clean up a nasty unfinished Maple fretboard as well. Thanks for the thorough lesson, great video!
I like to use a rotary tool as well, but I use the 'pencil' attachment as it's 1) not so bulky risking hitting the body with the dremel high up the neck, and 2) very easy to handle while polishing.
I do something very similar. Instead of Viva paper towels, I use the blue shop paper towles from Harbor freight or your auto parts store. For the frets I tape them off and use meguires wheel polish and a dremel. Same results. I also have Virtuoso, but good automotive polish works just as well and is typically cheaper in my experience.
Been using mother’s metal polish lately just in a finger it does a great job quickly. Mothers will remove the gold, I’ve used it to age the gold hardware on my lp custom to the nice vintage in between look
I also use mothers polish and it works great. I do it by hand spreading it with a q tip and then polishing by hand with a rag using a fret guard to protect the fretboard. Great shine and luster from the frets and only takes maybe a minute per fret compared to when I used steel wool.
I found that kitchen towels can leave little scratches in the finish. For a mirror like finish I use a polishing machine (125mm diameter), some quality polish and a finishing product, like wax or polyurethane or even ceramic coating. An added bonus is, that dirt will have a much harder time getting stuck on the coated guitar
Y’all need to try Flitz polish. You can use it on everything without worry. Such as all metals, paint, fiberglass, woods,ect. It’s not cheap but a little dot on a microfiber cloth goes a long way. I have been using it for over 40 years. First go introduced through the gun industry. You can get amazing results by hand. But with a polisher it gets even better. By far the best stuff I have ever seen. Howard’s Oil from HD,Lowe’s is a great oil for all your wood needs. A lot cheaper than specialty oils guitars in little expensive bottles
For chrome/nickel/etc parts, I find that Simichrome polish works great too. Also good for light shcatches on nitro and poly finishes. I've used ScratchX too. I find it works better in a poly fender type finish. I think it may have silicone in it which is not good for nitro finishes, but on a really old finish, that may not matter so much. I'd be careful with ScratchX on a newer, already clean finish for potential silicone issues. (On a side note Scratch X is great on the car!) Finally, for day to day polishing, I love the Gibson Pump Polish. I use it on all guitars and finishes, Gibson, Fender, PRS. It really cleans and shines well once restored or new.
Meguiar’s Scratch X and Scratch X 2.0 both contain Polyalkylsiloxane. This is a silicone polymer. If you look at various forums, most people say not to use anything with silicone in it on guitars, especially on nitro finishes. That said, I have used it on guitars without issue, but people should be aware of this.
Those spotlight, special guitars that you have are so beautiful I discovered those maybe 20 years ago and I’ve been looking for one ever since they’re really hard to find
Has it been a whole year since he started using a Dremel? I remember when he mentioned trying it & complaining about the mess.. wasn't that the Trog or maybe some other RUclipsr. Maybe it's been a year.. my o my time flies!
@@Trog and I doubted my boomer memory! Good demonstration I've never paid attention to polishing frets or thought it was a real thing cept for old style Chinese frets that were pretty rough and gritty- could have benefited for sure! No not getting my triplets' frets shined up in the near future but it could be a business venture for say GCs set-up department or you Austin?
I've been using pretty much the same methods for 25 years or so, but for the final polish I've been using the original Turtle wax green paste, Mother's metal polish for the frets. And I have the pencil attachment for the Dremel tool , much easier to control and not worry about damaging the guitar if you slip with the big Dremel if it slips or something. Afterwards if you notice dry wax around any edges or posts, I just use an old toothbrush to clear it off. I give all the metal a final wipe with a Blitz cloth. Looks like jewelry Afterwards. Just some ideas that works for me.
My goodness, I didn’t know my ‘81 Les Paul Custom could look so good. Tried the mcguiars and after a few passes it’s starting to look pretty amazing. Must have been collecting grime for the last 40 years
@trog you should probably caution people to tape off the pickups when using 0000 steel wool as even the smallest of debris magnetises into the pickups even from underneath & ruins the pickups. Even with tape & brushing after it’s not fool proof. Scotchbrite is a better alternative too.
I use a pretty similar technique for polishing the bodys of my guitars. Maguires Scratch and Swirl remover (red car on the label), then the Maguires fine polish (blue car on the label). Always hand rub, and I use chamoise cloth. For frets, I use fret erasers and then polish with the same Maguires mentioned above, but use a dremmel instead of hand polishing. If you're using a light touch and low to medium low speeds, you will not heat up the frets.
Great Job!! Some guitars the skonk makes them real, the shiny would ruin that Mojo. But most guitars would do with a spiff up, make those scratches reflectioniffic. When you can stand out front beyond the monitors and the light guy hits you with a white hot spot you can shoot that reflection all over the house. You need that! Good Tips, thanks Trogley!
well thank you trogly for this video. obviously you process works!! ill try it. ive always first cleaned the fret board with lemon oil. then polish the frets with 400 steel wool, the poilsh the guitar with gibson pump polish. works good. you you have made a science outa this process. thanks buddy
I have to chime in one thing my mentors taught me in tech work: avoid steel wool whenever possible on an electric guitar. It can shed small metal flakes that are attracted to the pickup magnets and can work their way into the coils and destroy the pickup. I've seen several that were destroyed this way including some valuable vintage ones. Fret erasers or polishing compounds are far better (and safer) choices.
I have not experimented much with fretboard conditioners. The Dunlop 65 LemOil is pretty basic and seems to do the job but I will concede there are probably better products. It is stories of combustable oils that have scared me from experimenting haha
Best thing I've found for polishing frets is Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish, available at any auto parts store. Literally turns your frets into mirrors, especially when used with a Dremel.
Try using a Krazy Kloth. It's a six inch square felt cloth that has treatment of some type and can be used to clean and polish any type of metal. The blacker and dirtier it gets, the better it cleans. Requires a little elbow grease rubbing the frets, but comes out very bright and clean. They look like chrome.
Great video, hard to find many detailed videos on cleaning up frets with a dremel. I personally wonder if a drill is a viable option since I don't have a dremel but plenty of drills, would the RPM be too high? Looking forward to changing my strings so I can polish up my frets to be mirrors.
😲 Wow! What a Clean Up. I Love How The Mahogany On The Back Of A Les Paul Looks Like It's 3D Because Of The Grain Of The Wood, 🫡 Man! I Love All Of Your Videos . Thank You For All Of Your Knowledge...
You can get many of these items at your local Supermarket / Music Store but here are some links for online ordering - happy cleaning!
🥇Viva Paper Towels (soft like cloth): amzn.to/3ubAr7e
🥇Cheap Paper Towels: amzn.to/3UlNIVs
🥈Plush Cloth: tidd.ly/3SANYi9
🥈Microfibre Cloth: tidd.ly/3SFwK3m
🥇Dunlop 65 Fretboard Conditioning Oil: amzn.to/3HANTVc
🥇VIRTUOSO Guitar Polish: tidd.ly/3UcGXFw
🥇Meguiar's Scratch X: amzn.to/3UjbS2L
🥇Frine Fret Polish: amzn.to/49g0yJh
(or get full kit: tidd.ly/3HEIkFA)
🥈Blue Magic Metal Polish: amzn.to/3SgBbQw
🥇Dremel: amzn.to/3OlzBvJ
🥇SOFT! COTTON Dremel Tip: amzn.to/3UkhdqL
(please note, I wrap painter's tape around metal shaft to fit in dremel)
🥇Gloves: amzn.to/3Up99Fn
Fretboard Guards: tidd.ly/3Omc9P0
🥇 Painter's Tape: amzn.to/3HANIcu
🥇Quality Feather Duster: amzn.to/3Ok258Q
(🥈The cheaper one works too, but Libman is worth it: amzn.to/3Onu1J1 )
🥈Steel Wool 0000: amzn.to/3Olj0bc
🥈Razor Blades: amzn.to/3Ok5LaE
🥈Fret Erasers: amzn.to/3uexrao
Other reason not use use steal wool is because it sheds steel bits they can get stuck on and in your pickups and they can be a pain to get rid off and worst case scenario it can wreck your pickup.
Set up video anyone?
Trogly, I have played guitar for 40 years and one thing that I never did much of was to level and dress my frets on my guitars. Always seemed to work fine but one time a long time ago I bought a fender 60s reissue neck and it was bent a little weird. So the people at the store took my guitar that I put the neck on and they heated it over night and got the neck into correct order.
Looked like they leveled the frets too and I could finger notes so much easier. I notice Les Paul’s have flat top frets sometimes. They look like that in this video. Just bought a new 60s style Gibson Les Paul Standard. Should I level these frets and dress them? Do you have a video of this process? Thanks very much. This video is great since my new Les Paul is a nitro finish one. And I happen to already own a dremel! Best regards, James
PS I learned in the past few days researching nitro finishes and came across the Virtuoso policy and cleaner. Their instructions say how much to use but not if I use the cleaner or polish first. I am pretty sure the cleaner first. Then the polish. Just thought I would check. Thanks again! James
The previous owner put a lot of dents on the frets, also cracking on the binding. Must've been a terrible guitar player who doesn't take care of the instrument
As a professional car detailer, I started detailing guitars as a hobby. I can tell you right now that using ANY paper towels is really not good for any finish! Paper is made out of wood and it will leave you certain scratches. Always use microfiber towels for hand polishing. I'm also using a polishing machine with different sizes of polish pads. I'm always using very soft pads as well. I'd be happy to give you more tips if you want! Maybe I'll upload a video about guitar detailing as well. You sure inspired me with this video!
Totally agree - definitely microfiber towels over paper towels. COSTCO has great price on a big bundle!
I was going to leave the exact same suggestion! Luckily, I happened to scroll down and read your comment. Great minds think alike.
Please do upload a video on guitar detailing! :) Would love to watch.
@@YashVardhanTanwar I sure will! Going to work on a Epiphone acoustic guitar soon and a Les Paul!
Just subbed to your channel 👍
A tip to keep wax/cleaner out of the tuner holes is to stuff foam earplugs in them. You can get them far enough in to not interfere with the clean/polish and they pop right out. Cheap too.
Cool tip!
I have not thought of this- great tip!
I stuff cotton balls in the tuner holes, same concept.
13:35 Always use a clockwise motion unless you're in Australia or it's a left hand guitar. In either of these conditions use an anti-clockwise motion.
😅
😂🤣
what if you're a lefty in new zealand?
If you live on the equator, you can use either motion.
Uhh, Now you tell me , also , my toilet bowl never looked cleaner now.
Running the Dremel too long on a fret can also heat it up and loosen any adhesive that may have been used in the production manufacturer of the guitar so that's something to consider when ramping up speeds. Maybe give them a few seconds to cool down
I've never had a fret get hot from this process
@Trog I was warned by a luthier, so I just take my time. I guess the temp to affect adhesives may be not necessarily hot.Your buffing wheels look fluffier than the ones I use. That may be part of the problem How do you get them like that? You mentioned prepping them somehow
@@frankwebster9110 Yes, that could be it. I went through a few different tips until I found ones that I was comfortable doing this process with. A stiffer wool would definitely heat the frets up! These soft wool ones work nicely for this application and cause me no fears at all.
🥇SOFT! COTTON Dremel Tip: amzn.to/3UkhdqL
Those are what I use. The only down side is the shaft is too small for my dremel so I have to wrap them in painters tape to get them to fit
I actually use a dremel on high to heat and remove frets for refretting. P.s. That epiphone evolution i got from you, is looking pretty good.
@Trog thanks for the link! I couldn't get prime free shipping with the link, so I had to go through the app. At least I don't know how to do that. The website recognized me but not the membership. Anyway, I purchased the exact same ones you suggested. I can think of other applications for these that my stiff wool wheels would just wreck. I just recently polished up a satin 339 and between the vol. and tone knob posts is a little tight for the buffing wheel I usedThanks again for the tip!
Nevr dull was always great for plated material. Its a wool kind of stuff soaked in compound but not really wet. Helps with small rust spots too
Great video Trogly! 👍
Some solid tips here, but you can shave off a _ton_ of time by not going through so many steps with your rotary tool (Dremel). I simply work the polish into the wheel itself first, then quickly turn it on/off in the trash can to get rid of excess polish/eliminate splatter, _then_ I put it to the frets and polish. It's really not necessary to go through so many different RPM settings. Yes, start off slow of course and buff it out, then I go a few steps higher in RPM, polish some more, then I'm done. Same results, a mirror-like finish and maybe done 20-30 minutes or so. That's just me though... Whatever works for you. 👍
Virtuoso polish is amazing stuff, for sure! I use microfiber towels to do my polishing though, rather than paper towels. 🙂
Yes. All those speed changes was just a waste of time.
Or use actual polishing rouge instead of liquid
just smear it on with your finger and hit it at high rpm - that's the easiest. fastest, and least wasteful way I've found to do it. and use tape - less residue on the fretboard than using guards.
I never thought I’d be so excited for a cleaning tutorial! I’m currently using the Dunlop maintenance kit and the Frine, but now I’ve got more products to look into!
I'm an automotive detailer at a collision center, we have blue magic metal polish on hand
Music Nomad products are made for musical instruments. Great Stuff!
WOW thats a lotta work but well worth the effort. The guitars you feature on your show always look so good... Nicely done.
Thanks for taking the time to show us your tips! I’ve been waiting for this video.
Woah, that thing’s beautiful! Love that center block, or whatever that would be called.
You should visit (if theirs one in you area) Harbour Freight!!! My local HF has a luthier/wood working isle. You can buy an entire kit (steel wool, polishing compound, Dremel style tool, gloves, paper towels, microfiber cloths, Meguires Scratch X is sild at HF, tape, Q tips, metal polish cream, etc. Lifetime warranty on everything.
I know Trogly is a collector and it makes perfect sense to clean and polish his guitars to a fabulous luster... and they do look fantastic... and his techniques are very sound, but my guitars are tools and just the same as me not polishing my crescent wrench after I use it on my car, I don't care what my guitar looks like, I only care about how it sounds. Now, I do understand that damage, misalignment or anything that affects the workings of the guitar need to be addressed but I have never been one to keep my guitars all polished up... unless I'm selling the damn thing... thank you Trogly for helping me to know how to get my guitars ready for posting on Reverb. This is not in any way a ding on Austin, just my preference over the years, thanks for the video, love your channel.
Some people take pride in their tools.
But those shiny frets make playing so much better!
His techniques are not sound
With the frets polished, bends will be easier as you mentioned. However, with the surface of the frets so smooth, you reduce friction which will delay fret wear. The more rough the surface, the easier it is for the string to scrape away material. It's only molecules at a time, but it adds up. After getting spoiled by a Schecter guitar with SS frets, your fret polish tutorial will make the other guitars much better! Thank you:)
I’m not a very good player but playing is my escape but taking guitars apart, cleaning and polishing them and putting them back together is my FAVORITE hobby. Great job. I’ve been doing this exact routine for years.
Thanks, Trogly!! Been dying to know how you get your guitars so shiny!
I used Flitz on the frets of a neck I used on my brothers old Ibanez, the frets were brown with tarnish, now they're like mirrors that shine like LEDs I didn't have to do anything but the usual wipe on and off. Needless to say I recommend it!
I had wanted you to do one of these videos forever. When you picked up that ‘62 ebony block sg the before and after was incredible. I had to stop the video and look up the bottle of virtuoso cleaner and when I first ordered it I accidentally got the cleaner not the polish, lol. Thanks for making this video!!! Learned a lot ab fret cleaning and am definitely going to get a Dremel
Been wanting this too and he saves us from so many possible head aches and skin problems as well. I'm pretty sure he didn't use gloves at first just like I wouldn't have. 😊
Thank you for this. I'm always stunned to see how nice you clean these guitars
Thanks for the video . Was really excited when I saw it pop up in my subscriptions.
definitely saving this video! i have never been keen to guitar cleaning just fingerboard conditioning and steel wool frets for playability... so thank you so much for this step-by-step video tutorial!
Wow, what a beautiful guitar !!! Neck through body and triple AAA top , wow !
One of your best videos ever.
What a gift. Thank you Austin !
Thank you for this comprehensive rundown of these methods I have tried most of these myself and used similar automotive detailing products available locally in Australia May I add another suggestion to use a wool buffing wheel in a drill as used in auto paint finishing It works really quickly to polish frets and also to remove grime on fretboard and body without harming finish
Excellent video with fantastic information. Thank you.
Great video!! My 74’ is perfect for before and after . Buildup from using the wrong polish in my youth. I’ve been afraid to do anything. Thanks !
Dude I used Windex to try to remove the hazing from sweat on my 78. Bye bye finish altogether uhhhh. That was a long time ago and only used Martin polish after to preserve what I didn't ruin 😢
@@nocturnalferalguitarist Well at least we have “ original relics “ ! Lol ! But to think how much our guitars went through and we still have them… priceless!!!
@nocturnalferalguitarist please post a video of the guitar! I'm curious as to what it looks like!
This was an absolutely perfect tutorial. I love that you explain why do you do this or do it like that. Thank you for sharing your methods in this vid!
Sometimes using sandpaper may be needed to achieve an even better result on the frets, try a good brand of sandpaper (1500, 2000, 2500, 3000, 5000, 7000, 10000 and you can go even higher). After that do the frine with the dremmel and you'll be HAPPY. Otherwise the frine or polish won't get to the deeper scratches. If you're lazy you might skip some grains. Also remember at first it will look like you are scratching/dulling your frets more, which you virtually are, but in order to evenly remove all cratches with the higher grains.
That is how I do it too. I don't use a Dremel with the Frine, though.
I need to get myself one.
I use commandant scratch remover #5. That is made for cars. I also used it to make the scratch matt Plexiglas windows of my boat shiny and clear again. Used it also to make my satin music man Majesty shiny because I do not like satin but never used it on nitro laquer (My first Gibson Les Paul standard 60s is underway, I wanted a real Gibson for 40 years, can not wait until it arrives, it is new) So I will buy the stuff you used for my Les Paul if needed in the future.
Congrats on the Gibson. Like you I had dreamed of a Gibson and its a wonderful feeling opening the case. I got mine on 3 April 21 and there hasn't been a day since that it's not been in my hands.
Really really helpful. Thanks!
A black marker on top and a few swipes of a crowning file first for me.
I probably would have scrapped the board with a razor to get all the gunk off also
beyond my skill set at this time, but would help! Unfortunately, I didn't have any "gunky" examples to use as my demo piece this time
Good points . I've got some heavy gunk fret boards waiting. Any pointers that would save headaches always appreciated. Trogly saved me a bunch headaches on this vod.
Thanks for the demo.... here's one more step to consider: I use the micro-mesh touch up stick from StewMac to bring back the luster of bone nuts... super quick, amazing results!
Not for nuthin’… they’re a bit expensive, but if you get fret polishing wheels from StewMac and team them up with a Dremel - you can make your frets truly polish up like glass. I borrowed some from a friend & actually ordered them online before I was even halfway done. They’re incredible.
I'd like to give those a try! - you should post a video of your results!
@@Trog The ‘production values’ will suffer by comparison, but I’ll give it a try! 👍🏼
So happy you introduced me to Virtuoso a few years ago. I bought the cleaner and polish kit. Absolutely the best stuff out there and worth the money . I had bought a brand new 70 th anniversary Broadcaster direct from Fender and it had some swirling scuff marks on the lower bout , I believe it was returned from another purchaser. Anyway , I was determined to bring it to flawless condition as I had pre ordered the guitar and it took forever to arrive . Virtuoso did the trick on the gloss nitro and I recommend it to all. Thanks Trog! I have used Flitz and Maas metal polish on my frets forever but I may try what you have recommended ✌️
I just finished setting the string butler m on a Gibson Midtown Custom and this video came up (I’ve been following for a long time now) and this literally answered by questioned how to clean it! Awesome video! Doing this probably this weekend after my churches conference!
Good luck!
Thanks for this video. I watch your stuff all the time. I can't wait for the stuff to come so I can polish and clean up my guitars.
Trogly, thanks so much for this, been envious of your guitar finishes & wondering how you achieved them!
Excellent work!! Now the guitar is come back perfect!!
I've used Virtuoso Polish on my Poly finished guitars with minimal shine, but on my Nitro guitars it works great.
Thanks for making this video! I found it really useful.
I own an Epiphone '59 with the aged gloss (aka satin) finish, and a few other satin guitars. I'd love to see the same kind of video but for those tops, how to polish/clean them without turning them into a gloss shine. May not be enough of us out there to justify a video for it though.
Anyways, thanks again for the video and keep up the great work, sir!
This is a video I’ve been waiting for!
Fantastic tips! In regards to the V polish you have to REALLY use some elbow grease but I refinished a 1991 Studio with 25 years of sweat on it, probably the nastiest I had seen and why I was able to get it dirt cheap, and it turned out looking brand new after using the polish as well. You can always now get actual microfiber cloths in rolls for pretty cheap, I moved to those about a year ago. In regards to frets, for light polishing on every few string changes the little D'Addario cloths will work. If it's bad then I use steel wool and follow up with the Frine stuff to polish but haven't tried the dremel, I'll do that next time. I also only use the MN F-One oil on all my fretboards. I've tried everything over the last 40 years and been using the F-One oil for about 7 years now. It will clean up a nasty unfinished Maple fretboard as well. Thanks for the thorough lesson, great video!
I like to use a rotary tool as well, but I use the 'pencil' attachment as it's 1) not so bulky risking hitting the body with the dremel high up the neck, and 2) very easy to handle while polishing.
I NEED THIS ONE LES PAUL! This looks incredible, i love it
I do something very similar. Instead of Viva paper towels, I use the blue shop paper towles from Harbor freight or your auto parts store. For the frets I tape them off and use meguires wheel polish and a dremel. Same results. I also have Virtuoso, but good automotive polish works just as well and is typically cheaper in my experience.
Been using mother’s metal polish lately just in a finger it does a great job quickly. Mothers will remove the gold, I’ve used it to age the gold hardware on my lp custom to the nice vintage in between look
You should post a video of the results on your channel! There are so many great options out there and you usually have to stumble upon them
I also use mothers polish and it works great. I do it by hand spreading it with a q tip and then polishing by hand with a rag using a fret guard to protect the fretboard. Great shine and luster from the frets and only takes maybe a minute per fret compared to when I used steel wool.
Mother's, Blue Magic, Semichrome, even Nevr-Dull.. I've used them all. They all do the same thing, polish metal. Can't go wrong with any of em, tbh. 👍
Fantastic video thank you for letting us under the learning tree 😊
I found that kitchen towels can leave little scratches in the finish. For a mirror like finish I use a polishing machine (125mm diameter), some quality polish and a finishing product, like wax or polyurethane or even ceramic coating. An added bonus is, that dirt will have a much harder time getting stuck on the coated guitar
Absolutely the BEST polish for frets, any metal, Autosol creme. It really works, mirror finish and smooth as a baby's bum!
Y’all need to try Flitz polish. You can use it on everything without worry. Such as all metals, paint, fiberglass, woods,ect.
It’s not cheap but a little dot on a microfiber cloth goes a long way. I have been using it for over 40 years. First go introduced through the gun industry. You can get amazing results by hand. But with a polisher it gets even better.
By far the best stuff I have ever seen.
Howard’s Oil from HD,Lowe’s is a great oil for all your wood needs. A lot cheaper than specialty oils guitars in little expensive bottles
Glad to know it's not just me taking over an hour to clean a guitar. It feels like 3hrs for sure.
I have a couple of old t-shirts I use on my fretboards and they work great
I can always add new t-shirts to the rotation and also wash them
Works well
For chrome/nickel/etc parts, I find that Simichrome polish works great too. Also good for light shcatches on nitro and poly finishes. I've used ScratchX too. I find it works better in a poly fender type finish. I think it may have silicone in it which is not good for nitro finishes, but on a really old finish, that may not matter so much. I'd be careful with ScratchX on a newer, already clean finish for potential silicone issues. (On a side note Scratch X is great on the car!) Finally, for day to day polishing, I love the Gibson Pump Polish. I use it on all guitars and finishes, Gibson, Fender, PRS. It really cleans and shines well once restored or new.
Yes!!!!!!!!!! I’ve been waiting for this video. I was going to ask you to make this and here it is🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧❤️❤️❤️❤️🎉🎉🎉🎉🎉
Wow all the secrets ' ...you always get such a pro finish, brilliant.
Meguiar’s Scratch X and Scratch X 2.0 both contain Polyalkylsiloxane. This is a silicone polymer. If you look at various forums, most people say not to use anything with silicone in it on guitars, especially on nitro finishes.
That said, I have used it on guitars without issue, but people should be aware of this.
Those spotlight, special guitars that you have are so beautiful I discovered those maybe 20 years ago and I’ve been looking for one ever since they’re really hard to find
Has it been a whole year since he started using a Dremel? I remember when he mentioned trying it & complaining about the mess.. wasn't that the Trog or maybe some other RUclipsr. Maybe it's been a year.. my o my time flies!
That was definitely me because I remember saying that before coming up with this "method" to significantly cut down on the "mess."
@@Trog and I doubted my boomer memory! Good demonstration I've never paid attention to polishing frets or thought it was a real thing cept for old style Chinese frets that were pretty rough and gritty- could have benefited for sure!
No not getting my triplets' frets shined up in the near future but it could be a business venture for say GCs set-up department or you Austin?
@@phillipvisnaw2355 You should try it sometime. Super smooth frets really do feel great when playing. World of difference.
@@Trogyou really shared a lot of great tips.TY so much. For example,, I was guessing that you probably didn't use gloves at first.
I've been using pretty much the same methods for 25 years or so, but for the final polish I've been using the original Turtle wax green paste, Mother's metal polish for the frets. And I have the pencil attachment for the Dremel tool , much easier to control and not worry about damaging the guitar if you slip with the big Dremel if it slips or something. Afterwards if you notice dry wax around any edges or posts, I just use an old toothbrush to clear it off. I give all the metal a final wipe with a Blitz cloth. Looks like jewelry Afterwards. Just some ideas that works for me.
Naphtha and liquid lighter fluid works wonders..
Try the scratch X and I think you'll be converted!
Loved the video! I followed your suggestions and I had a wonderful result.
Thank you Trogly for responding to our requests. These tips will most certainly be put to good use by myself
Can't wait to see your results!
Great job Austin. With will help for sure.
My goodness, I didn’t know my ‘81 Les Paul Custom could look so good. Tried the mcguiars and after a few passes it’s starting to look pretty amazing. Must have been collecting grime for the last 40 years
Outstanding job Trogly!! 👏👏👏
Thank you so much for sharing your cleaning methods!
@trog you should probably caution people to tape off the pickups when using 0000 steel wool as even the smallest of debris magnetises into the pickups even from underneath & ruins the pickups. Even with tape & brushing after it’s not fool proof. Scotchbrite is a better alternative too.
I use a pretty similar technique for polishing the bodys of my guitars. Maguires Scratch and Swirl remover (red car on the label), then the Maguires fine polish (blue car on the label). Always hand rub, and I use chamoise cloth. For frets, I use fret erasers and then polish with the same Maguires mentioned above, but use a dremmel instead of hand polishing. If you're using a light touch and low to medium low speeds, you will not heat up the frets.
Thanks for sharing your style!
Love the show, been watching it for years. Can you do a video doing the same cleaning with a satin finished guitar?
Great Job!! Some guitars the skonk makes them real, the shiny would ruin that Mojo. But most guitars would do with a spiff up, make those scratches reflectioniffic. When you can stand out front beyond the monitors and the light guy hits you with a white hot spot you can shoot that reflection all over the house. You need that! Good Tips, thanks Trogley!
Any specific tips for Gibson satin finishes? I assume any polishing is gonna buff it up to a semi gloss.
That's correct, this process will buff it. I've heard of "satin specific" polishes, but I know nothing about that. Let me know if you find a good way
@@Trog Both Music Nomad and Lizard Spit make polishes that are designed to use with satin and matt finishes.
eternashine players kit is amazing stuff for scratches. expensive but worth it
I had a couple of hernias looking the headstock part of the cleaning process haha
Thanks Trogly
I love Trogly's laugh. I appreciate being shown the horrifying noise. I'll be on the lookout as I try to avoid it.
I really enjoy giving a guitar a good, deep clean. That’s usually the first thing I do with a new purchase.
Thank you Trogly......Just bought my first LP on Reverb!
well thank you trogly for this video. obviously you process works!! ill try it. ive always first cleaned the fret board with lemon oil. then polish the frets with 400 steel wool, the poilsh the guitar with gibson pump polish. works good. you you have made a science outa this process. thanks buddy
I have to chime in one thing my mentors taught me in tech work: avoid steel wool whenever possible on an electric guitar. It can shed small metal flakes that are attracted to the pickup magnets and can work their way into the coils and destroy the pickup. I've seen several that were destroyed this way including some valuable vintage ones. Fret erasers or polishing compounds are far better (and safer) choices.
Fantastic turorial! Always good content!
Great vid Trogly! Have you tried the Fretdoctor Fife and Bore oil for your fretboard? If so, why did you choose the lemon oil over it?
I have not experimented much with fretboard conditioners. The Dunlop 65 LemOil is pretty basic and seems to do the job but I will concede there are probably better products. It is stories of combustable oils that have scared me from experimenting haha
Thanks!
You bet! Good luck
The Frine polish actually comes in a kit with several one slot fretboard guards. Using green rouge polishing compound actually yields better results.
Ryobi has a perfect dremel type tool to do the fret polishing..and its $40..varible speed?lithium battery and cordless..love mine
Best thing I've found for polishing frets is Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish, available at any auto parts store. Literally turns your frets into mirrors, especially when used with a Dremel.
Wow, was very surprised of what a difference was made on the frets. 😮
Try using a Krazy Kloth. It's a six inch square felt cloth that has treatment of some type and can be used to clean and polish any type of metal. The blacker and dirtier it gets, the better it cleans. Requires a little elbow grease rubbing the frets, but comes out very bright and clean. They look like chrome.
great episode, thanks for all those tipps and tricks!
Great video, hard to find many detailed videos on cleaning up frets with a dremel. I personally wonder if a drill is a viable option since I don't have a dremel but plenty of drills, would the RPM be too high? Looking forward to changing my strings so I can polish up my frets to be mirrors.
Wow that's a lot of work very detailed thank you❤
Instructions so simple, even a Troglodyte like me can follow them. Thanks Austin!
I tried to walk a fine line between too simple and too drawn out. I'm glad this helped you!
Awesome video, Trogley! More like this, please.
Great episode, Trog! Very helpful.
13:45 With the white background, It looks like you're giving the guitar a bubble bath. 😆
Thank you AUSTIN!
Extremely Helpful!👍👍
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Happy to help!
Another great and informative video. Very therapeutic too 😁
Cheers from NZ 😎🎸🤘
Why not recrown the frets to remove the divots before polishing?
For nitro finishes, perhaps you should verify that all products are silicone-free?
😲 Wow! What a Clean Up.
I Love How The Mahogany On The Back Of A Les Paul Looks Like It's 3D Because Of The Grain Of The Wood, 🫡 Man! I Love All Of Your Videos . Thank You For All Of Your Knowledge...