Guitar Cleaning Myths
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- Опубликовано: 4 июн 2024
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A big thank you to everyone who sent in questions. These are tough ones, so I decided to answer them with my exsperance. If you have had different results please feel free to put it in the comments.
Merry Christmas! Thank you for all you do.
Hi im building a SG diy with 3 pick ups. Can you help me with what. Pick ups to use. Thank you
hey thanks for very informative video! i got one more tho is it safe clean unfinished fretboard with ethyl alcohol ? Happy christmas
Merry Christmas and please check this out Phil !! 🤣 you're gonna love it ruclips.net/video/HRMM6T725Uw/видео.html
Merry Christmas
Mmmmm olive oil and garlic. I use it to clean my pastacaster
Pestocaster, I'd say ;-)
Stratopastar
Want a guitar made of garlic bread with spergetty strings
My lasagne Paul is way better than your Pastacaster
😂😂😂😂🎸👍
I actually like the smell of my fingers after playing guitar. I've never thought they smelled like garlic though. More of a brass or tarnished copper smell to me.
I like to smell my fingers after handling hot dogs. To each their own I guess
@@herculesbrofister265 depends if it's your hotdog or someone else's
yea. same here
I hate it ... :(
You're not using enough oregano on your neck.
Hendrix used lighter fluid to clean his guitar only it didn’t work out so well.
... well, he forgot to apply it only to the rag first...
I mean, it didnt have any dirt on it after.
He wasn't cleaning it, he was relicing it
I mean, it worked great.....once.
Yeah I think that was at Woodstock when he lit the guitar up and caught it on fire later on Frank Zappa ended up with that guitar and Dweezil restored it
I'm Italian so if my hands don't smell like garlic I think something is wrong.
FOUND THE VAMPIRE!!!
Me too. Garlic belongs on everything!🤣🎸
Same here, my hands don't smell like garlic and i dont like garlic too🤢
Mmmmm…..my favorite food is Italian, and I’m American Indian and German lol
Back in the 80s, when I was a budding teenaged metal-head, I never cleaned my guitars. The grime was a badge of honor! LOL
A setup guy told me he had a customer that brought him a DNA ridden LP for a setup. He had to clean it with gloves before he could start. The guy came back and was pissed! It took him so long to get all that grime on there.
I guess he liked the feel...
I was like that, now here I am trying to clean a very rusty Floyd trem from my first decent guitar...
I once bought a bass guitar from GWAR's bassist at the time, Casey Orr. It was absolute filthy and clotted with fake blood. I can only assume they don't clean their stuff either - they just sell it! LOL
This also applies to underwear if you are a teenage metal head.
When I was a teenager, my poor mum couldn't even put my underwear in the washing machine. She had to get our Pitbull with rabies to do it because he was the only one brave and stupid enough to take on the task. It cured his rabies, though.
@@onpsxmember gotta have that toan dust
If you clean your strings with rubbing alcohol, here is a simple tip I use every time to protect the fretboard. Get some plastic food wrap, and tear off a small amount. Place the clear plastic wrap under your strings and then do the rubbing alcohol with a lint free towel. Keeping the rubbing alcohol off the fret board keeps it from drying out. Instead of plastic wrap you can use other protection materials like very thin plastic, cardboard, or a few plastic hotel or credit cards taped together end on end.
A big thanks Phil for all you do! Your channel was one of the best finds of the year. Merry Christmas to you and all the folks here!
Thank you, Phillip. I very much appreciate all the info you put on RUclips.
I just walked around my room sniffing all of my instruments' strings...…. I guess I got the garlic free versions :D
Thanks Phillip for a very informative video. It was very timely as some of my guitars were getting a bit grubby (dirty) and I was wondering about the best ways to spruce them up. I love your channel, cheers (from Australia).
A Big Thanks for the tip. Satin finish - wd 40 and soft wipe with micro fiber cloth and brand new look.
For years I restored guitar strings (acoustic and electric) to their original bright sound and appearance by boiling them with a tiny bit of detergent in the water. You can do it several times on a set of strings, but they eventually break just from the removal and reinstallation process. Now that I can afford to buy new strings, I no longer do the boiling thing. But it definitely works.
wow didn't know that will try
ssounds fun might try it
You’re the best Phil! Thanks!
Windex, 409, Pinesol have no abrasives. They can act as *solvents*, though I'm not sure they can act as solvents on any finish you'll likely find on a modern guitar. They can remove oils/fats and possibly make some finishes look "dried out". Alcohols can also have a similar effect. Any kind of alcohol will definitely attack a shellac finish, but shellac isn't very commonly used to finish guitars these days. Caution should be used with old instruments or finishes which you are not sure of.
Perfect timing!! Christmas is when I take care of all the guitars!! Huge help! Thank you so much!
I've been using the same cleaning methods for almost 40 years and never had any problems;
Some warm water, a teeny drop of dish soap and an old toothbrush works great for really dirty and grimy fretboards. Just don't douse it, use just enough to clean it. Wipe it completely dry.
Linseed oil works great to condition fretboards. Very little! Maybe three drops for the entire fretboard.
Isopropyl alcohol really works great to clean your strings.
I've never been impressed by specific and brand name guitar polishes...
Lacquer finished guitars.....nothing wrong with using good old car wax. Remember most of the "golden age" electrics were painted with automotive paints (that's why they had similar colors like seafoam green, salmon, black, white, and red). Use sparingly and obviously avoid areas like the pickups and bridge.
I love GHS Fast Fret.....not as a cleaner but more of a lubricant for strings and frets. Use very sparingly (one quick run up and down, two strings at a time) and immediately wipe off excess. One stick of that should last decades.
Best advice is wash your hands before you play. And wipe down your guitar after every use. Microfiber towels are fine but honestly tea towels (sometimes called flour sack towels) work the best. Cheap and 100% cotton. Never use terrycloth towels!
You realize you don't have tonuse dish soap and water anymore right? It cost 3 dollars for a bottle of actusl guitar cleaner. Yes believe it or not
@@preston2636and it cost about 50 cent for dishsoap which works just as well.
Believe it or not, lighter fluid makes for a really effective fretboard cleaner. It really gets into the grain of the wood and gets all the gunk out. It also absorbs/evaporates really quickly so it's an easy clean-up. Easily the best method for cleaning fretboards I've found. It dries the fretboard out a lot and a lot of people have fears that it'll crack the fretboard but I've never had issues. Just oil thoroughly after.
is that you Jimi ??
It’s naphtha
@@williamsporing1500 dont be smoking
Great topic. I use white distilled vingar to patina nickle and chrome parts like bridges and tuners. My wife always has Murphy's Oil Soap around and used sparingly it's good for cleaning Rosewood finger boards. It's made for cleaning wood.
Thanks Phillip! A Very Merry Christmas To You and Your Family! Thanks for all you've shared this year! Peace, Love and Joy To All! Merry Christmas!
Merry Christmas
I use baby oil to lube the nut, the fretboard and neck of my guitars, been doing so for years with no issues
The best string cleaner I have found is Goo Gone. Really...give it a try. It is very noted for removing those pesky sticker glue residues also. It is safe for poly and acrylic finishes.
Denatured alcohol [ 100% alcohol ] is safe on poly and acrylic surfaces. Beware on cellulose or lacquer surfaces. It cleans 'gold' parts very effectively, without damage, as well as electrical parts.
The liquids mentioned by Phillip have no 'abrasives' in them. It's the chemicals that are potentially damaging, except for various polishes and rubbing compounds, which do have abrasives.
Acetone is an amazing fretboard cleaner for wood fretboards, but not maple fretboards, which have a coating that can be destroyed by acetone. Acetone will dissolve oozing resins very well. However, acetone is a plastic eater, and will also wreck cellulose and lacquer very quickly. I use it for bare wood before priming, as it removes any sticky resins, etc. Keep it away from poly and acrylic!
I have used furniture lemon oil for over three decades, without any issues at all. Don't overdo it.
I use slightly used Scotchbrite green pads for cleaning strings, and fretboards. Works great.
I have been repairing and modding guitars for about 35 years now, and, rest assured, I have made my share of egregious mistakes and blunders, some really, really bad. But you can often learn more from your failures than you can from your successes. I've failed enough to learn a lot.
Thanks! I was gonna ask about goo gone. I just restored a guitar that seemed like it was stored in a pig shed if all the pigs were 3 pack a day smokers. I used goo gone and it seemed to work really well. I also used windex on the chrome. It seemed fine, but after watching this I'm glad I didn't use it on anything else!
Thank you for your mistakes. Thanks to you we won’t need to experience those same failures. Happy holidays
Sorry....goo gone is way too strong....it will eat a hole in carpet..or damage any finish easily
@@hallobre haha...you don't know about my myriad failures over the 30+ years. Many were pretty embarrassing, actually.
@@markbaum9615 It will NOT damage any guitar strings or any poly or acrylic finish, but is not for lacquer or cellulose. I use it to take off glue goo on poly guitars all the time without any issues.
Hey Phil, I read a passage in a guitar repair book of mine where apparently BBking use to use a Blitz cloth to clean his strings after playing every time. I've been doing this for over 20years. Before and after playing I wash my hands and after I'm done playing I wipe the strings down with a Blitz cloth. Always seems to work and a lot less maintenance needs to be done to my guitars over all in keeping with this regiment. Some , like my son say it's too much effort, however the sound of my guitars are always consistent and the strings feel smooth all the time. Once your use to it , you don't even think of it.
Great videos and information as usual, cheers!
Pledge is my favourite , I was a lab tech for years and i understand the formula ... perfectly safe and it protects /// I highly don't recommend water or vinegar ( acetic acid on guitars or floors . )
Another nice video. One point of departure... I would never use WD-40 on a guitar finish. That is awful stuff, WD stands for "water displacement" and it lacquers over time. One can, in a severe case, MAYBE carefully use Naphtha to clean the finish - put on a towel or pad as Phillip explains in the video - and go easy. Martin Guitar Company once advised me to use Naptha to clean ball pen ink from the surface of my guitar with Naphtha, saying small amounts would not harm the nitrocellulose finish, especially if one removes excess with a barely damp cloth afterward. Oddly enough, it worked - but not right away - at first, I was crushed because the ink remained, but after a few weeks, it disappeared and the instrument was like new. So, way cool. You can imagine how I felt when I discovered I had ball pen ink on the top of my new guitar. So, I would use Naphtha sparingly - not WD-40 - for sticky stuff or other stubborn residue on the finish. It does a great job dissolving glue residue from labels and price tags on all sorts of stuff. As with any cleaner, be careful dealing with paint or colors that could react and fade. Just MY take. Good luck guitar mavens! TT
Naptha is awesome for cleaning strings. Just a dab on a cloth will wipe away any funk from them. I pull an old t-shirt under the strings to protect my fretboard. Naptha is what most lighter fluids are based on. You can get it cheap on Amazon.
Hi how to clean less Paul guitar pickup bridge ?
Thanks for sharing this, Phillip! Very much appreciated!
thank you so much! i just got a dusty guitar and was wondering how to clean it. this was very helpful!!!!!!!!!!!!
DR. Ducks ax wax is great for fretboards, and polishing a guitar. 3 in 1 oil is good for keeping metal parts from rusting and to keep them lubed, also works great on fretboard and fret cleaning. Martin cleaner/polish is good as well. I use all 3 and recommend them.
Olive oil....fuggetaboutit.
Anything used in a salad doesn't belong on a guitar.
somebody toucha my *spaghet*
I put flax seed oil on mine
Heres the thing guys, you dont oil your fretboards the only thing to clean your guitar you can use water and a rag, the oil will actually be soaked into the wood and will loose the frets over time and will feel greasy afterwards, and depending on how you do it may even look cloudy after a few hours, realistically if the wood looks dry again no oil, just use a humidifier!! I dont know why this mistake has been passed down from generations to generations its just not needed and yhe oil actually does more harm to your guitar then fix
Merry christmas Phil! Keep on rockin!
Been cleaning my guitars with IPA for over 10 years. No adverse reaction - great way to clean a grimy instrument.
Phillip, you also advise cleaning with lighter fluid and WD40 - both are way stronger solvents than IPA.
Olive oil: my luthier is a qualified string instrument (ie violin, viola, etc) repairer who does guitar work as a side-line. He recommends olive oil for fingerboards - a light application every six months. But - here's the kicker - do NOT use the expensive extra-virgin-first-cold-pressing stuff. It goes rancid and soon becomes a sticky mess. Use a light inexpensive olive oil of the sort often sold in spray bottles. I've been using it for years and can confirm it both cleans and conditions the fretboard and does NOT go sticky or smelly. And it lubricates strings (apply on a moistened clean lint-free cloth).
I've used it for a while, too. It works for me!👍😎🎸🎶
Linseed
@@davekiddie4467
Linseed (aka flax) oil polymerises and goes hard. Great for cricket bats .....
@@FangPaw best thing for guitar necks Rolling Stones luthier used it for 50 years and me being a luthier i use it aiso. olive oil is not recomended
@@davekiddie4467
Is linseed oil OK for ebony boards as well?
Best channel about guitars, Feliz Navidad Phil desde Guadalajara México 🤘🏻
Feliz Navidad
I've started to use Ballistol (a mineral oil) to condition fretboards in place of lemon oil. I also use it to clean strings. I place a small amount on a microfiber cloth, and run the cloth underneath the strings. I would say it's the same as lemon oil in respect to how often to use, as you don't really want a fretboard all saturated with any oil, but, used sparingly, it can preserve and clean.
Thanks Phillip. I always enjoy your enthusiasm and knowledge sharing. Merry Christmas! :)
Merry Christmas
What about Murphy's Oil Soap? I've been using it on my acoustics for quite awhile - seems to work great.
I’ve used 95% iso alcohol on a rag to clean the strings for a year now. I thought I was the only person to do such a thing.
Bourbon.
@@therugburnz That's a waste of bourbon. Use something undrinkable.... like gin.
@@LightningDogg My guitar Carol and I drink Kentucky Bourbon. If we want something undrinkable l use Jack Daniel's.
@@therugburnz Lol I thought you were suggesting bourbon as a cleaner. I'm a scotch man but I think I could drink almost any whiskey before gin. Cheers
Now you're getting it. Although on a few occasions I did give my guitar a drink.
I read in Scientific American that Stradivarius soaked certain woods in beer and may have used other Spirits in his wood curing process. I'm now a slightly wiser 55 but at 16 I thought, wow ill drink with my guitar(I had given her her name) to make her alive as I had no other friends. The fantasy of it was fun. Plus reasons.
Thanx for responding
Great video, quick question you mentioned not using isopropyl alcohol during the winded section. Why can’t you use it? Is it due to messing with the finish or the abrasives piece? I’ve used it in the past to clean fretboards before I oiled them if they were really dirty and sometimes on the body so was curious. Thanks again and always appreciate your videos
Top man - thank you for the much-appreciated guidance!
Your videos are second to none Phil. Very much appreciate the time and work put in.
For sticker removal... I have my first bass from when I was a kid that's got a bunch of stickers on it. I'm finding that it actually has some real value beyond sentimental and was pondering restoring it. My worry, the stickers have been on it 30+ years now and I'm worried there may be some UV shading. It's been in case, bag or closet most of that time but not all of it. Is this something you've come across? Should I worry about it? Any advice would be most appreciated.
Merry Christmas! Great info. With some of my students I take a Scotch-Brite scouring pad ( make sure it's not the one with soap in it)) and wrap the corner around the edge of a plane string, and rub it up and down. Some of these kids never wash their hands. And that's another thing I always tell them to wash their hands before playing.
Just experienced the "Smelly Fingers" from my Guitar Strings, that's why I'm here and Thank you again Phil!!
I use fast fret on my strings before and after I play, I find it helps the strings stay bright sounding for longer, I also like how they feel when I’ve applied it.
Same for me. Someone showed me that product years ago.
I love that stuff. Also helps with string noise front moving your fingers across wound strings. At a good gig, sweat will do that same.
Lighter fluid and a match seems to clean everything! 🔥🎸🔥
Ask Jimi!
Merry Christmas! Love your channel!
Thanks ! The tips really help for a new player like myself!
Phil, I remember John Cippolino saying in an old Guitar Player Magazine interview that he used Hoppes #9 nitro solvent to clean his guitar strings and that he could use the same set for months and longer. I guess if it works on cleaning guns it could work on strings as well. He said that he didn't like to change his strings unless they broke or were completely played out. Have you ever heard of this before?
Having grown up in the land of slot machines, i was amused by the "garlic smell" notion. That nickel smell is as nostalgic as grandmas cookies to me lol
This is really helpful! Thanks man!
Merry Christmas Phil to you and your family. Love the videos, all the best for 2020.
I've heard soooo many differing opinions over the years on boiling guitar strings, but I don't think I've ever heard of it for the purpose of cleaning the strings, so that was interesting.
Maybe it's laziness but I've never put strings *back* on a guitar after removing them. I do clean them after playing (sometimes better than others if I'm being honest) and tend to keep them on the guitar until they're that guest who has totally worn out their welcome and have to tell them the party is over and they gotta leave.
Great video that every single guitar player of all skill levels should watch. Those playing with coated strings might want to take that (and some common sense lol) into account. Speaking of, I know it's subjective (playing/feel-wise) but would like to hear your thoughts on them. I used to go back and forth on them; I like their longevity but stopped using them because I prefer the feel and other characteristics of traditional nickel-wound.
Sorry for the wall of text but thanks again for this one.
Cheers man for the information guitar cleaning, it's quite an important factor to ensuring the quality I believe of the guitar
Best is prevention...keep the fingernails short. It's so hurtful to see a clawed away fretboard.
Most scratches on the body and pickguard are from the nails, not the pick.
Its never pointless to refresh oneself upon the basics.
great to see you with John Mankuta and company the other night - Big love from the UK Phil!
That was a lot of fun.
@@PhillipMcKnight - They are a good bunch of guys! I'll be honest, I was itching to try and get the Glarry Tele thinline - I'm pouring every spare penny of my meagre wage into my lovely little home studio (more than welcome to poke your nose into my weeny lil' channel to check it out, a nod of approval or some knowing criticism would be like unto a badge of honour for me!) - but, I'm likely going to buy one anyway, Lord knows what shipping would cost to the UK, and there were folk there that perhaps cant EVER afford to buy guitars, so I stayed out of it. But, it is a real pleasure to see just how many of the RUclips guitar community do such giveaways... I'm actually proud of us..! End of the day, some pretty darn good people. Thankyou for your help through the last few years - learned a lot about the retail/ distributor / manufacturing of guitars from you, and your reviews always smack of honesty. Sorry about all these words; I rarely comment, so, I guess I'm splurging! Bless you, stay healthy and safe out there Sonic Sensei!!! - New Forest, UK
I have change strings to get rid of the garlic smell. Mine were elixirs and usually half one out or close to worn out. It got to a point where I started clipping strings on about four different guitars to get rid of that smell. Been using the XLR 8 For a better string glide but I found that once you start using it you have to keep applying it or you lose the easy slide and it starts to grip just a little bit
Dude, i love you so much you're basically a guitar sensei.
I've learned so much from you that it is astounding!
Frequently, i will watch another one of your videos and am consistently impressed with your ability to teach me a new tip, trick, or bit of knowledge that i was unaware of.
You're amazing, and i hope you realize how appreciated you are.
Not only are you incredibly knowledgeable, but the way you consciously decide to provide solutions for people who dont own, or have the ability to expend resources on, expensive tools; is both admirable and creative.
You sincerely have a great deal of respect and admiration from me.
Thank you, sensei!
Merry Christmas everyone, hope you all get 20 new guitars
I got another tuner (already got Three) no guitar ☹
Awesome advice Phillip thank you for the channel
I was expecting a shaken not stirred joke. Thanks for the tips Phil.
Hey Phil, Merry Christmas to you & your family. See you at NAMM
Merry Christmas! See you at NAMM
anyone else sniff there fretting hand when he mentioned the garlic smell?
Merry Christmas good sir. Cheers to another year of rocking out!
Merry Christmas
I use a mineral oil I found in Home Depot that's used to "refresh" butcher blocks. Works beautiful
I found microfiber gloves in a dollar store in Japan. Every time I finish playing, I put on the microfiber gloves and give the guitar a quick wipe down. Works great.
Why not play with them on?
Strap it to the roof and send it through the car wash I mean what could go wrong?
On a serous note, happy Christmas and thanks for some great content.
Merry Christmas
Or just break it down and throw it in the dishwasher. Top rack only!
Merry Christmas! Windex on electric guitar body’s works great. On unfinished wood it’s a no no. Linseed oil on fret boards or orange oil. Mineral oil works great for fretboards also.
For cleaning fretboard and strings etc I use ballistol oil. Works great for me.
As always, your GREAT!!!! MERRY CHRISTMAS to all!!!!!!
Merry Christmas
Thanks, really useful tips... Merry Christmas...❤️
Merry Christmas
Hi, Phillip. I was wondering if it's safe to use Goo Gone on acaustic guitar body surface? I bought a YAMAHA SCF08 for $30 from pawn shop and it had so many old stickers which some of them are already hardened and tough to remove.
Thank you PHIL 👍 and Merry Christmas 🎄
what about pledge polish,been using it for 40 years,just be sure to wipe down after applying .Thanks from Glendale,Good holidays.
Pledge has silicone in it.
I too have used Pledge for a long time even when some have said not to. It cleans and polishes at the same time, and works great. The first time I tried it was on an old beater axe and it was fine, so from then on I have used it on all my guitars. Never presented an issue.
I use lemon Pledge to clean my motorcycle also
Kizzy C I’m pretty sure you’re correct! It’s an antifreeze green Victory Cross Country
Long time viewer. Just want to say I appreciate the way you do what you do and a big Merry Christmas to you and your family, Phil!
Merry Christmas! Thank you for all the videos! Helps a ton!!
Merry Christmas
I always boil my nylon strings...
I microwave mine, never fails.
if you boil your nylon strings won't they stretch?
@@robertdiaz2563 only one way to find out for sure! 😉
Al Dante?
@@bjl1000 al dente or andante? 😁
Just stay away from silicon. No benefits worth the possible finishing problems. Building and repairing for many years no need for silicon.
The hard part is a lot of string lubricants has silicone, so I feel sometimes there is no way to stop it. I prefer silicone free polishs like Music nomad
Phillip McKnight crap now I have to check my string lube.
Are you putting computer chips on your guitar??
I just bought a new fretless bass guitar. The fretboard seems a little dull and lifeless. I was expecting a smoother, glossier surface. I friend suggested I treat the fretboard with Tung oil. Do you have any thoughts and recommendations on that?
As always, thank YOU for what you do. Merry Christmas or happy holidays or whatever, have a good time!!
I'd never even considered Windex or such like, but I instantly thought could you use such solutions to deliberately damage the paint for an aged/relic look? (Disclaimer: I wouldn't consider relicing my own kit, just curious!)
Windex isn't strong enough to damage a guitar enough to make it look aged, it'll just look kind of dull over time
I use WD40 to clean my strings, spray a small amount on a tissue, wrap it around each string individually and move it up and down.
Works a treat.
car polish with kanuba wax - i use and i do lemon oil my necks - strat - jes paul jnr - epiphone viola bass - les paul standard burst ! and a mini strat and a violin and a dobro resonator ! love me some GUITARS !
What about unfinished roasted maple? Since it doesn't have a lacker finish, and it looks brown, can I clean it with the same thing I clean my rosewood and ebony fretboards? Thank you
So today we learned that guitars can be used as a weapon against vampires. How awesome is that?!
Merry Christmas Phil and thanks for the great channel.
Merry Christmas
I just bath mine never had any problems
If you give your guitar a shower make sure you use a shower cap on the headstock.
Very practical and helpful info. And I would not have guessed lighter fluid was ok...ha. Thanks again Phil and Merry Christmas!
I've used GOO GONE, WOODCLEANER and DAWN to clean my strings and fretboards and it came out amazing. Then spraying a small amount of WD-40 for conditioning. I've never boiled string but I will try that. Bass string are expensive so yes, I've got to try this.
Ernie ball guitar polish and fast fret for the conditioner and youre done!
Buy white mineral spirits for the price of a banana, take a cloth and wrap it around a piece of wood, like icicle sticks to also clean the underside of the strings. Congratulations! You obtained lifelong fast fret.
@@onpsxmember honesly thats a good idea but 8 dollars a year seems alright by me,easy frets lasts a lot
Fast fret is the shizz
@@markbaum9615 hell yeah!
I used to use fast fret but it left too much of a sticky feel on my fingers after playing
I’ve noticed black stuff from Pao Ferro fretboards. How do I clean this?
Do you black on your hands after you play?
Rick Brown In my experience it’s from unpolished frets more than the board.
My fingers can get black from the strings, and/or possibly frets.
I came across one guitar that had some kind of dyed rosewood fingerboard. The dye was black, and the owner complained that his fingers were turning black when playing. Which I think was the result of the dye, and the fingerboard oil product/fast fret type stuff, which was acting as a kind of solvent. Heavily played areas on the fingerboard, after wiping with a clean cloth revealed a very pretty red rosewood that the manufacturer wanted to cover up to look more like ebony for some reason.
I do get very black hands. I thought it might be some type of product to protect the wood on the Epi 339 on its long trip from China. This is my first Chinese Epiphone, but I have a few Pao Ferro axes with none of this at all. The same guitar was replaced by Sweetwater for very microphonic/squealing pickups and both have the same issue. I bought this guitar because I don’t own a Dogear single coil guitar and I’ve always wanted one. Sweetwater gave me the option to get the pickups switched out locally, or waxed etc or exchange it. There is no shops locally that want to do this on a 339 due to the hollow body difficulty with the wiring. It’s a beautiful guitar and plays very nicely. Fit and finish are great except the dark stuff on the fretboard. I thought I had it cleaned pretty good using a Frine product, but after restringing it’s still there. My fingers are actually black after playing. A person on the Epiphone guitar lovers Facebook page says it’s oil that seeps from the wood. The pickups are still squealing out of control, I hate it because I like the guitar, but because they aren’t carrying it anymore Sweetwater is going to just take the guitar back or trade for another guitar/product. I’m sure this won’t be my last Pao Ferro fretboard and I’m wondering how to clean whatever this is? Thanks
I've been using EkoWorx on my finished bodies, necks and metal parts for a few years (dilute potassium salts). Fretboard conditioner on old rosewood necks and orange oil on a new build.
Wipe moisture off strings after playing and they last longer, a can of fret eze has lasted me for years (use sparingly).
I use Simple Green on grimey fretboards with a cut down toothbrush. Works great.
12/24/2019: Hello, I love your in-depth reviews with no sugar coating. I would love you to do a review of the Fender deluxe solid-state amp $899.99 plus taxes. here have been a lot of good reviews, but being that it is a new product, it has not been reviewed by the buyers too much. I like that it is very lightweight compared to the tube version, and sounds a lot like the tube version. But, what I do not like (and other viewers too) is that Fender did not put a headphone jack in this solid-state amp. Also, since it is a solid-state amp, I am wondering why it does not have a designated clean channel that does not start breaking up at volume #4, and stays clean maxed out volume. I understand Fender was trying to imitate the tube amp, but why not make it better with these two features? So, hopefully you will get a chance to check it out and answer questions about it. Website: www.guitarcenter.com/Fender/Tone-Master-Deluxe-Reverb-100W-1x12-Guitar-Combo-Amp-Black-1500000291112.gc
Olive oil for *cleaning*? Never heard of that, but it'll work fine to "moisturize" unfinished wood such as rosewood or ebony. As long as you wipe on AND THEN WIPE OFF! If it's going rancid on your guitar, you're using way too much! Use any oil sparingly.
On Hawaii the frettboards get moldy.
I use tea tree oil to clean and hold the mold at bay.
It helps the strings rust slower too.
Armor all on the fretboard, especially maple, makes it extremely slick but does permeate over time causing finish and paint to no longer stick.
My dad uses car wax to clean guitar bodies, would you recommend it?
Yes on modern finishes I have also used it with good success.
Only 100% wax.
No abrasives.
Murry Chribnas
Thanks a lot for the tips! Re EOs - I use a bit of lemon essential oil with water for cleaning off any resedue from stickers as well as dishwsashing in some cases. For a general cleaning solution it is best to drop it onto some salt or sodium. One can use orange, lime EO or grapefruit also bit lemon is the best for greesy stuff. Would it be ok to clean guitar body and strings with that? (Whether steel or nylon)
Happy Holidays Phil! Bless to you and yours in the New Year!
Thank you Adam. Happy Holidays
After playing I use automotive spray detailer on guitar body , neck , pickguard and hardware buffed out with a micro f/t then clean the strings with a naptha/mineral oil mix using 1'x2' cotton cloth rubbing each string wet then rub dry . It's always enjoyable to see and play a clean instrument as it is pulled out of the case .
On a dull draggy neck, automotive polishing compound or swirl remover will get that slick action back. Does a good job.