TOPIC: My dirty guitar

I was told by someone who knows what they're talking about that the Gibson polish actually helps restore the original Gibson finishes (it contains whatever the factory uses on the finish, nitro I think), the rest are just cleaners/polishes. So I use Gibson polish/cleaner on my Gibson and Martin or Dunlop products on the others-guitars and basses. I sometimes use a bit of lemon oil on the fretboards of my basses and guitars after they've been cleaned and the strings are off. But only a couple of times a year at most. And you have to wipe off all the excess.

I clean each instrument including fretboard, when it's been played a bunch (basses) and strings are still good (clean strings with rubbing alcohol), or in case of guitar, at each string change (or sooner if necessary and that light hits them!!). Don't forget the back of the neck. Very important.

For very dirty fretboards GHS makes a product called Gorgomyte which is a fret cleaning cloth you cut into small squares and use on the fretboard. Very effective but to be used sparingly. One cloth will clean a bunch of instruments.

I've found that Pledge and a microfiber cloth work nicely. For any metal parts, using a little HAR (breathing on it) tends to do it.

Other than that, just use your favorite polish and your musceles (muscles) to get any tough spots that don't want to come out.

Mr. 535, out.

I second the vote for Gibson guitar polish, use it on all of our instruments. Use sparingly, a little goes a long way. Microfiber cleaning cloths. BTW, microfiber cleaning cloths of any sort should not be machine washed with fabric softener.

A few weeks ago I put new strings on my guitar, befor I put the new strings onto my guitar, I cleaned and waxed it. While I turned the guitar over to clean the back side, the saddle fell out, (the long part forward of the bridge, that lifts the strings up). Not knowingly I put it in back wards,the highest end must be holding up the thicker strings and the lowest end should be holding up the thinner strings. I could not understand that my guitar tuner was acting strangly lately. I found out lately on the internet, that having that long bar backwards will effect the tuner.

Man, you guys need to look at some of those old acoustics that the early blues players picked on. I saw an old photo of Robert Johnson with some old grungy axe that looked like he dragged it from the attic (or worse). Ever see some of the guitars Willie Nelson plays? One of his acoustics has a giant grapefruit sized hole in the front near the bridge...looked like a total piece of crap, and it sounded good... tone sounded alittle tinny, maybe the hole was some sort of new tuning mode...but he's Willie Nelson..and i'm not taking a sledge hammer to my Martin. I think alittle grunge adds character. Just look at Fretmentor's old Martin he plays...it has character wear. I think they get better when the position markings on the fretboard get worn off. (it might be a clue as to the skill of the player)

You are right, I saw Willie Nelson on TV a few nights ago, and I saw the grape fruit size hole just above the bridge and sound hole. But the tone of his quitar sounded good. It looks like alot of people autographed their names onto his guitar.