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How To Clean And Maintain Your Guitar, Strings, Parts And Hardware
Cleaning the Guitar Body
Nitrocellulose Finish - Do NOT use any furniture polishes on a guitar with a nitrocellulose finish. Furniture polish can damage nitrocellulose finishes. A new guitar with a nitrocellulose finish will sometimes feel sticky. This is because nitrocellulose may dry fairly quickly, but it can take months to "cure". There will be a residue that needs to be constantly worked into the surface until the "stickiness" finally disappears. To do this, take a clean microfiber cloth and give the instrument a good polish with the cloth after every use. Once this stickiness has disappeared and the guitar feels "slippy" when you pick it up, then you can begin to use some of the professional guitar cleaning products that are available.
Using a microfiber cloth, apply a SMALL amount of guitar polish to the cloth (I like to use Dunlop 65 Guitar Polish and Cleaner). Alternatively, 4 or 5 small sprays to the face of the body, then gently polish in a circular motion. Flip the cloth and then polish off any remaining residue or marks with the dry portion of the cloth. You can do this all the way around the whole body of the guitar.
This polish is also appropriate for cleaning all the hardware - pickups, bridge, tuners, etc. on the guitar. You can usually use what's remaining on the cloth after cleaning the body for this purpose.
Cleaning Rosewood or Ebony Fret boards
DO NOT use Lemon Oil on your fret board - by that I mean 100% lemon oil, which will dry out the timber and possibly damage the frets and fret dots or inlays. Dunlop cleaning and polishing products are extremely effective and add condition to your guitar timber and polished surfaces. Polishing your guitar body frequently is recommended after every few uses, however, fret board cleaning or conditioning probably only needs to be done once or twice a year. Initially, with a clean cloth, wipe down the fret board with fret board cleaner to remove any dirt or dust particles. Then apply your conditioner (Dunlop 02 Deep Conditioner is a great option.) Apply the conditioner with the bottle applicator, then polish off with a clean cloth rubbing into every corner of the fret board. If desired, apply a 2nd coat and polish off again.
Cleaning Maple Fret boards
A Maple fret board will usually not require conditioning, as more often than not they have a clear gloss coat. Using a polish that is not harsh will avoid any damage to the finish on the fret board. Make sure there are no cracks in the finish, otherwise any polish may penetrate the coating and stain the maple. You may choose to use no polish at all, and simply use a soft cloth with a quick wipe over. If using product, spray sparingly onto the cloth first and then wipe over and polish off.
Unfinished Maple Fret boards can be cleaned by using a light "scouring" with very fine #0000 steel wool. Any larger gauge will damage the timber. With strings removed, begin by using blue painters tape to mask off your pickups, bridge, tremolo cavity and any other working parts that you want to avoid getting steel wool fibers into. Don't use masking tape, sellotape or electrician's tape or you'll be left with glue residue over everything. Going with the grain, lightly rub over each fret down the entire fret board. Take it easy or you risk damaging the fingerboard. If the back of the neck is also unfinished, go over this lightly also. Now use an old sock or soft cloth and dust off all the excess dirt that you've just scoured off your fret board and vacuum up all the steel wool fibers off your work area. Tip: Polish your guitar body first, before "scouring" your fret board. This helps to protect the maple neck.
Tuning Posts and Tuning Buttons
Whilst the strings are off the guitar, it's a good idea to check the tuner posts and buttons for any looseness. Take an appropriate sized nut wrench (e.g. 10mm) and tighten the posts up a little bit if loose. On the side of the tuner buttons you will see a little Philips head screw. Tighten this with a small Philips head screwdriver, by turning the screw to the right. Don't make it too tight. Firm it just enough to keep the button from loosening and moving, possibly making the guitar go out of tune.
Keeping Your Guitar Strings Clean
1. Wash your hands. If you can, always give your hands a good wash before you play. By removing any sweat, grime and dirt from your fingertips prior to playing, this will definitely help to give your strings more life.
2. There are any number of string cleaning products and methods shown on the internet, but for a truly good clean of your strings, my recommendation is to use Dunlop 65 Ultraglide String Cleaner and Conditioner. You can apply with the bottle applicator and slide down each string, then clean off with the cloth provided. To save wasting product, you can apply a dab of the cleaner directly onto the cloth, then pinch the string between the cloth using two fingers and run the cloth up and down the string a few times.
3. If you don't have any cleaning spray or a cloth with you, with you can always use a soft tissue or serviette to wipe away any residue left after playing. It's not the ideal solution to keeping your guitar neck and strings clean, but if you're on the road, or at a gig, it's not a bad way to get the job done.
Tip: Try to always keep a small bottle of Dunlop 65 guitar cleaner/polish and a clean, dry cloth in your case ! ;)
Nitrocellulose Finish - Do NOT use any furniture polishes on a guitar with a nitrocellulose finish. Furniture polish can damage nitrocellulose finishes. A new guitar with a nitrocellulose finish will sometimes feel sticky. This is because nitrocellulose may dry fairly quickly, but it can take months to "cure". There will be a residue that needs to be constantly worked into the surface until the "stickiness" finally disappears. To do this, take a clean microfiber cloth and give the instrument a good polish with the cloth after every use. Once this stickiness has disappeared and the guitar feels "slippy" when you pick it up, then you can begin to use some of the professional guitar cleaning products that are available.
Using a microfiber cloth, apply a SMALL amount of guitar polish to the cloth (I like to use Dunlop 65 Guitar Polish and Cleaner). Alternatively, 4 or 5 small sprays to the face of the body, then gently polish in a circular motion. Flip the cloth and then polish off any remaining residue or marks with the dry portion of the cloth. You can do this all the way around the whole body of the guitar.
This polish is also appropriate for cleaning all the hardware - pickups, bridge, tuners, etc. on the guitar. You can usually use what's remaining on the cloth after cleaning the body for this purpose.
Cleaning Rosewood or Ebony Fret boards
DO NOT use Lemon Oil on your fret board - by that I mean 100% lemon oil, which will dry out the timber and possibly damage the frets and fret dots or inlays. Dunlop cleaning and polishing products are extremely effective and add condition to your guitar timber and polished surfaces. Polishing your guitar body frequently is recommended after every few uses, however, fret board cleaning or conditioning probably only needs to be done once or twice a year. Initially, with a clean cloth, wipe down the fret board with fret board cleaner to remove any dirt or dust particles. Then apply your conditioner (Dunlop 02 Deep Conditioner is a great option.) Apply the conditioner with the bottle applicator, then polish off with a clean cloth rubbing into every corner of the fret board. If desired, apply a 2nd coat and polish off again.
Cleaning Maple Fret boards
A Maple fret board will usually not require conditioning, as more often than not they have a clear gloss coat. Using a polish that is not harsh will avoid any damage to the finish on the fret board. Make sure there are no cracks in the finish, otherwise any polish may penetrate the coating and stain the maple. You may choose to use no polish at all, and simply use a soft cloth with a quick wipe over. If using product, spray sparingly onto the cloth first and then wipe over and polish off.
Unfinished Maple Fret boards can be cleaned by using a light "scouring" with very fine #0000 steel wool. Any larger gauge will damage the timber. With strings removed, begin by using blue painters tape to mask off your pickups, bridge, tremolo cavity and any other working parts that you want to avoid getting steel wool fibers into. Don't use masking tape, sellotape or electrician's tape or you'll be left with glue residue over everything. Going with the grain, lightly rub over each fret down the entire fret board. Take it easy or you risk damaging the fingerboard. If the back of the neck is also unfinished, go over this lightly also. Now use an old sock or soft cloth and dust off all the excess dirt that you've just scoured off your fret board and vacuum up all the steel wool fibers off your work area. Tip: Polish your guitar body first, before "scouring" your fret board. This helps to protect the maple neck.
Tuning Posts and Tuning Buttons
Whilst the strings are off the guitar, it's a good idea to check the tuner posts and buttons for any looseness. Take an appropriate sized nut wrench (e.g. 10mm) and tighten the posts up a little bit if loose. On the side of the tuner buttons you will see a little Philips head screw. Tighten this with a small Philips head screwdriver, by turning the screw to the right. Don't make it too tight. Firm it just enough to keep the button from loosening and moving, possibly making the guitar go out of tune.
Keeping Your Guitar Strings Clean
1. Wash your hands. If you can, always give your hands a good wash before you play. By removing any sweat, grime and dirt from your fingertips prior to playing, this will definitely help to give your strings more life.
2. There are any number of string cleaning products and methods shown on the internet, but for a truly good clean of your strings, my recommendation is to use Dunlop 65 Ultraglide String Cleaner and Conditioner. You can apply with the bottle applicator and slide down each string, then clean off with the cloth provided. To save wasting product, you can apply a dab of the cleaner directly onto the cloth, then pinch the string between the cloth using two fingers and run the cloth up and down the string a few times.
3. If you don't have any cleaning spray or a cloth with you, with you can always use a soft tissue or serviette to wipe away any residue left after playing. It's not the ideal solution to keeping your guitar neck and strings clean, but if you're on the road, or at a gig, it's not a bad way to get the job done.
Tip: Try to always keep a small bottle of Dunlop 65 guitar cleaner/polish and a clean, dry cloth in your case ! ;)
