Members Mind Riot Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 I like my guitars to look nice and be in good shape. Keeping them that way will also make them sell better, should I ever need to sell any of them. In purely practical terms, if your guitar is dirty and you're handling it then you're going to get gunk on your hands, and that will make your strings go dead faster than if your guitar and hands were clean before you played. I keep them clean and try to wash my hands before I play, and it makes my strings last a lot longer. If your fingerboard is rosewood or some other unfinished wood, if it's really filthy for a long period of time then dirt and sweat can work their way under the frets and soak into the end grain of the wood, which can cause rot. Admittedly, things would have to be pretty bad for a long time for that to happen, but it does happen. Not to mention if you have dirty nasty frets and fretboard, it'll feel really gross to play on and won't sound as clean. Personally, I wipe my guitars down with 100% cotton flannel every now and then, and always when I change strings. If they're somewhat dirty, I'll use a little naphtha to clean them. I also keep my frets polished using a few different methods. I also keep a couple of bottles of Mequiar's stuff around. I have the Mirror Glaze #7, which is a pure polish. I also have a bottle of the #9, which is a gentle swirl mark remover. I use that to remove light pick scratches and such, it works great and leaves a nice shine. Despite what it may sound like, I'm not anal about my guitars. Most of them have dings and a few deeper scratches, but if I can keep them in relatively good shape with a little effort and time then I think it's worth it. Guitars will get scratched and dinged if you use them, but there's a difference between normal wear and tear and neglect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tweedledee Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Not polishing your guitars because it gives them more "personality" or "mojo" doesn't make you any better than someone who likes to keep their guitars shiny and looking new. It doesn't make you a more legitimate guitarist either. It's just a matter of taste. Saying you don't understand why people polish their guitars is absurd. Of course you understand why people do it, you just happen to think that it is unnecessary. That's different than not understanding why people do it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members lowbrow Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 I should polish mine...and generally do when I take pics....but really I only clean the strings after playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Cletus Spuckle Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 I just don't like the fingerprints. I should have bought a guitar with a matte finish, but that seems to be a stupid criterion for choosing a guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Matter-Eater Lad Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 I very rarely do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EdMan63 Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 The only time I wipe down my guitar is if I do a string change. I could really care less other than that. But my guitars don't really get that dirty to begin with. (non gigger) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members EdMan63 Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Originally posted by squealie I don't even have paint on my favorite guitar. Some sandpaper knocks off the Jager marks, if needed. Seriously. Nice Avatar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GuitarMasterNot Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Originally posted by onbongos there are like 3 threads about it. what's the point? it's just going to be more shiny. i have never in my life done any more to a guitar body than wipe it down with a towel if i drooled on it same reason people polish their cars. It's like asking why take a bath if you are going to end up being dirty later anyway? Which some people probably really do ask. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members mike.sartori Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Originally posted by GuitarMasterNot same reason people polish their cars. people polish fast cars they never drive fast . . . I'm usually too busy playing my guitar to polish it, except sometimes these 2 teenage guys borrow my guitar, and I get it back with this nasty crust on the back of the neck. I use windex and a paper towel to get it off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jjpistols Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 I'm a {censored}in slob in nearly every aspect of my life, and even I take the time to clean up my guitars now and thenthe gigging ones can't get nasty quick if I don't keep upI use regular old guitar cleaner/polish - had a bottle of Gibson for years, finally ran out - got GHS now cuz the store didn't have Gibsonworks fine, tastes yucky Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sohc1971 Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Originally posted by guitar-fish I polish my guits when I restring them, because it's easier without strings. I like them to look decent. Same here. Just get the grime off of there. A clean guitar feels better in your hands. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Very seldom do I as much as wipe my guitar down after playing. I hardly ever polish any of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members zepfan976 Posted January 4, 2007 Members Share Posted January 4, 2007 Originally posted by 9ball i like to polish mine sometimes to get all the fingerprints and dust off of it. +1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Puppetyr Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Originally posted by One-armed Alec Yep. I just wipe them down with one of these after playing. Works very well Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members J San Dimas Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 some of us like them CLEAN!! though i've owned a few that had some major bruising, i still cared for them as if they had a $5000.00 lacquer show paint job. that's just how i care for my stuff. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bbreaker Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 I polish my guitars. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sohc1971 Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Originally posted by Bbreaker I polish my guitars. Spring Cleaning must be fun! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Tweedledee Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Originally posted by Bbreaker I polish my guitars. Then you must not be a REAL player, Bbreaker. Real players leave all the grime on their guitars, don't they? That's what creates mojo. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bbreaker Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Originally posted by Tweedledee Then you must not be a REAL player, Bbreaker. Real players leave all the grime on their guitars, don't they? That's what creates mojo. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ickmule1 Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Cause it feels good!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ChihliDog Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 I never hide the fact that looks play a part in what attracts me to a guitar. Playability, sound, and looks all matter to me. If a guitar is lacking in any of those categories, it doesnt interest me. So, I like to keep my guitars looking good, and I admit, I keep them polished up real nice and purty, 'cause that's the way I like them. They're MY guitars, I can do that if I wish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ickmule1 Posted January 5, 2007 Members Share Posted January 5, 2007 Originally posted by ChihliDog I never hide the fact that looks play a part in what attracts me to a guitar. Playability, sound, and looks all matter to me. If a guitar is lacking in any of those categories, it doesnt interest me. So, I like to keep my guitars looking good, and I admit, I keep them polished up real nice and purty, 'cause that's the way I like them. They're MY guitars, I can do that if I wish. I'm with ya! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.