What do I clean my guitar with?
 

Did a search and couldn't find what I was looking for. I bought a MIM '95 Fender Strat recently. It's a really nice, well made instrument. Nice, rich sound. The thing is, it's getting full of fingerprints. What do I use to wipe it down and keep the enamel and fretboard clear of grease and dust?

Fender guitar polish
Gibson guitar polish
Martin guitar polish
Ernie Ball guitar polish
Lemon Pledge

and save the money from all those name brands that are just re-bottled furniture polish.

10-4.
:)

So let me get this straight - you're recommending guitar polish? Just kidding, I have pledge under the sink. I'll give that a shot. Thanks for the tip!

Always used Pledge on mine!

I dunno what Pledge is, but dont use anything with silicon in it. Id be wary of any furniture polish meself.

I have a bottle of Dr Ducks Axe Wax and string lube. Cheap, lasts forever, only use a couple of drops at a time.

Mostly, I use nothing. Wipe them off with good lint free cotton cleaning cloth, espwcially after heavy use. Dr Ducks very occassionally. Works great.

IMO, less is better than more with any cleaners on your guiatrs.

I use Pledge too

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1149821106.jpg

The last time my strat got "cleaned", it was by a 15 year old girl pouring a pitcher of beer over my head (apparently aiming for the guitar) during an illegal show in a "garage club" in El Paso. IIRC, I was wearing only my Chuck Taylors at the time and the bridge pickup (Seymour Duncan Hot Rails Humbucker) "went to the light" almost the instant it came into contact with both the beer and the house electrical system.

Never bothered to wipe it off. I figured the dried beer from the underage girl added "patina". Bridge pickup still doesn't work.

I miss those days.

fingerprints? egad man...who cares. just play the damn thing. I wipe down the strings with a clean cloth after playing to help keep the string lasting a little longer, but as for the body, i care not a whit.

I used to worry about my strats until I didn't. now I don't.

Yeah, never clean a strat. Takes the paint off.

I agree with Janus, nostatic, and stuartj.

A guitar is supposed to have a bit of patina. Years ago, I threw my bass on the back lawn after a crappy gig/fight with girlfriend. It sat there all week. Picked it up off the lawn for the next gig, tuned it, and played. Still play the same instrument.

A clean axe is one that isn't played much live. I might clean my fretboard when I change strings, but that's about it.

Jim

Never clean your guitar, man. All that dirt and grime is what makes the best tone, don'cha know? :D

But seriously though, Pledge is *NOT* good for guitars. I built them for awhile, I should know.

Try this
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Accessories/Cleaners,_polishes,_lubricants/Preservation_Polish.html

or this
http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0990501000

or even guitar care products by Meguiar's!

IMO, if it's meant to be played, then don't clean it... I tend to just wipe down the strings so they don't rust out from a single playing session (I seem to have very acidic sweat).

If you want to look at it instead, shine it up.

Seemed to work fine for SRV:

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1149852286.jpg

I only ever wipe the fret board down when I change the strings. Nothing else needed. Here's how a clean guitar should look - like it's been played and enjoyed.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1149859078.jpg

My main live guitar is a TV yellow les paul junior and I don't care what it looks like, but I do care how it plays. So, I make sure I wipe down the strings immediately after the set to get the sweat, dirt, and skin off.

Thanks for the info guys. However I have to disagree with most of you on one thing...

Now granted I don't give forth my opinion much, it isn't necessary. I just like to ask questions, take the answer, be gracious and move on. But this whole "patina" thing, it doesn't settle with me.

"Patina" looks good on copper structures meant to be outside and cedar-shingled cottages on the windward side of an island. And that's about it. On everything else, especially Porsche's, it's a sign of neglect. I saw a 356 the other day being sold with, you guessed it, patina. It looked like a beat up POS. If you don't have the time or motivation to wash and wax your ride over the years, you certainly don't have the motivation to get down there and do the rest of the work as necessary. Patina is a selling point - putting the best spin on something needing work. Next thing you know that stripped out rolling hulk of a '67 S down at the dump could be sold with "Patina, it's been driven".

A fine instrument should be taken care of. SRV's strat looked like it was rolled uphill, yes, but that wasn't the secret to his skill.

So, in the meantime, I'll be wiping my guitar down periodically to keep it clean. I may even disassemble it from time to time and polish the chrome. That's the way I am. Once again, thanks for the replies and the tips. Take care,

Nate

The most attention in cleaning the guitar gets is the fret board, and strings. On the body, 3 of mine have the shinny clear coat, of which I just wipe down with a cloth The sound it what matters to me.

Does pledge have silicone in it? What makes it bad for guitars?

I ask because a guy I know that builds guitars told me it was okay.