Cleaning your instrument.

dabhoys

Just wondering what people here do to clean there guitars and basses. I change the strings on mine once a week check intonation and action height and clean it with gibson polish. Then every 2-3 weeks I use linseed oil on the fretboard. I was wondering if neone has ne other ideas or that. Like cleaning the frets etc. I'm a firm believer in treat your instrument right and it will treat you right!!!

Dr. Loon

Changing strings once a week sounds a bit like cleaning over kill. That'd be like a drummer changing skins every few months!

I like the sound of an instrument with character. I also like the sound of well played drum skins. I don't know, maybe it's different for guitarists.... but not to my knowledge.

As for drums, I'd give tham a wipe down with a cloth. A proper polish every now and again. Like I said I like character.

dabhoys

Its not overkill they loose there sharpness and sound dull after a weeks worth of playing for me which is about anywhere between 10-15 hours. There not bad strings or that. There Ernie Balls. I wipe the strings and neck down after playing too. These we're the things the guy I bought it off told me to do to keep it in good knick!!!!

Dr. Loon

Maybe you shouldn't bother playing it at all. Buy a glass case for it, and don't take it out unless it needs a clean!?

dabhoys

Lol nah me's like playing it. I know it sounds nuts. Its just I was told look after it now so that in the long term it will be in good nick. I'm not talking cosmetics here. If ya don't clean the neck or fret boards. Dead skin cells and oil build up and you can get that sticky feeling on the neck etc.. I Don't do it to keep it shiny. I see it as like changing the oil in a car. Just keep it running right thats all. I mean the guitar is worth as much as some cars but its purely to keep it running as good as it should...

Dr. Loon

I know just messin..... if I had a decent enough kit and a place where I was able to keep it set up. I'd keep it in excellent nick... I'd make sure it was looked after. At the moment I'm using an sonor kit that I don't play on very often as it's almost always in storage. Except for the stands and snare... and I don't care too much for them as they're crap anyway.

When I have a nice new kit/cymbals and a rehearsal place for it, I'll keep it lovely.

disgruntled

I think changing your strings once a week is a little excessive and it must cost you a fortune. I know why you do but personally I try to get a couple of weeks out of them. You could try using something like fast fret to try to prolong the life of your strings or else might be worth changing to Exilir's. Sounds like everything else you do is pretty comprensive.

dabhoys

I get them pretty cheap, alot less then most people spend on cigaretes a day! I just love the feel and sound of new strings. that the biggest reason I change them. Its not like I'm going nuts cleaning my guitar!!! Just keep in playing lovely thats all. When ya say "Sounds like everything else you do is pretty comprensive" what da ya mean. I'm going overboard???

I'm not argueing with ya's or nething was just curious to see how everyone else looks after there equipment

feylya

Maybe you should try Polywebs or Nanowebs? They supposedly last longer?!?!

Anyway, for cleaning, Dr Stringfellows Lemon Oil is my personal preference. Bit on the fretboard, each fret, let it soak and buff it off. Nice nice. For the body, usually just a soft cloth. If it's a tough mark, a little bit of spit. If that doesn't work, I little bit of Lemon Oil. If that doesn't work, a TINY bit of warm soapy water is incredible. For the back of the neck, again, Lemon Oil but it needs a good buffing to remove the oily feel. I also coat the strings in cooking oil! Keeps them clean, makes them last longer and makes the guitar easier to play!

disgruntled

I just meant that you maintain your guitar very well. I'm not so good. I generally try to get two or three weeks out of strings but I know what you mean about new ones. I wipe down the neck after playing and give it a quick polish every other day. Then every month or two I'll check the action, intonation and oil the fingerboard. Don't know if that's much help to you but there you go.

dabhoys

I was suggested lemon oil too. But I like the smell of linseed oil and it was dirt cheap like a euro for a big bottle!!!

At least I'm not the only one out there who looks after there guitar the same way as I do

Any suggestions for cleaning the actual frets. I was told silver polish. But I ain't keen on that idea???

feylya

0000 steel wool. Just be very careful. Or make yourself some fretboard protectors from drinks cans

I got about 6 months out of my last set of strings. A lot of playing on them and I only changed them cos they broke. Still bright and incredibly small amounts of wear on them. Didn't even pay for them Dean Markley Blue Steel.

dabhoys

Was thinking steel wool. But also to cover the pick ups as being magnetic will pick up all the small fibres!!!

Do ya just lightly rub them. I mean I just want to clean the dead skin cells etc off them. I mean my guitars are PRS McCarty, US Fender Deluxe and US Ovation acoustic and the fret work on all them is good neway!! Just want to clean them. I'm sure layers of dead skin on a fret don't help its playibility!!!

Like I said I do these things not to make it look nice but to keep it running smoothly

feylya

Put masking tape across the pickups (you can clean the goo off with Lemon oil or Naptha(lighter fluid )) Just gently rub it on the frets. But on those guitars, I strongly suggest fretboard guards!! Don't want to scratch it, especially if it's finished maple.

dabhoys

What do you mean by fret guards?? The fretboards and finishes are different on each one

PRS - Rosewood fret board with abalone/pearl inlays, Maple top
Fender - Roseworrd with dot inlays, ash body
Ovation - Ebony fretboard, spruce top and is about 23 years old

Would this make ne difference to cleaning the frets. and how often should I do it. once a month??

feylya

TBH, frets don't really have to be cleaned. It doesn't make any sonic difference because the string doesn't touch that part of the fret.

Fret guards are basically small pieces of aluminium with a slot in the middle, designed to fit over the fret and protect the wood while doing work to the fret, such as polishing.

I'd say once or twice a year is all you'd need. I have never done it to my guitars or any guitars that I work on simply because I don't see the need. I'd only do it if I had done work on the fret like crowning it.

disgruntled

feylya

Yup, that's the one.

dabhoys

Thanks disgruntled appreciate it.

Well to be honest from your help, it doesn't seem like ne need to do the frets saved me the hassle.

feylya

I'm trained in talking people out of doing things. That's why I get guitar work

Glad to help.

dabhoys

Well I still keep up all my other cleaning routines. like I said if your treat your instruments right they'll treat you right

Thanks..

feylya

Originally posted by dabhoys
if your treat your instruments right they'll treat you right

Maybe that's what I'm doing wrong....

No worries.

parasite

are there certain types of wood you can't use linseed/lemon oil on, it's just i'm not entirely sure what wood my fretboard is ...

feylya

You're not suppose to use Lemon Oil on Finished or Unfinshed Maple I think.

It's kinda simple to figure out your fretboard type - what colour is it and what guitar is it?

Töpher

Quality, as immature as it may be, I saw that thread title and just laughed my ass foff for about 5 minutes!

Doctor J

Yeah, instrument cleaning.

Get it real clean so I can see my face in it

Zoton

Originally posted by Doctor J
Yeah, instrument cleaning.

Get it real clean so I can see my face in it

oh....now thats just asking for it.

Töpher

:ninja: *fap fap fap* :ninja:

feylya

Ah, this was turning out to be such a useful thread. It could have been pinned and people could marvel at cleaning techniques. Instead, certain immature people had to ruin it for everyone. For Shame.

ferdi

you are sooo un rock n roll cleaning your instruments. unless there is blood spattered across my fretboard, i'm not happy.

Doctor J

Immature? Here's how I clean my ESP bass. Every 5 or 6 years, I sand the body, removing all the crud that has built up in the meantime. Honestly. Give the fretboard a whack of Pledge or Mr Sheen every second or third time I change the strings. Whammo. Ready to rock.

As to how I clean my instrument...

Zoton

So whats the best process for cleaning all the gunk from around the frets?

parasite

Originally posted by feylya
You're not suppose to use Lemon Oil on Finished or Unfinshed Maple I think.

It's kinda simple to figure out your fretboard type - what colour is it and what guitar is it?

takamine egs-430sc
seemingly it's a rosewood fretboard, so a bit of lemon oil would do the job, yeah ? what would you recommend for a polish too, i can't seem to slide as easily anymore
hrmmm

feylya

Yeah, a little bit of lemon oil on the board, wipe it, polish. Do the back of the neck with some lemon oil too but make sure you remove all the oil afterwards. Dunlop guitar polish is good.

mirv

You shouldn't need to oil your fretboard more than once or twice a year, every week sounds like overkill. For your string habits try www.webstrings.com I got 7 packs of 10s for ~€17 which is quite nice to be honest. You could even shove them in the freezer in a ziplock to 'cryogenically activate' them, which is the point of blue steels I think.

I use a cotton sock and water to clean my guitar, but it's a Gibson Faded SG so its got a satinish finish so there's no visible dirt anywhere except for the pickguard. The problem is that SG pickguards are quite big, and the tune-o-matic is a problem area. Got a beautiful ebony fretboard which doesn't show dirt as much but I rub that with water and the cotton sock/rag and it gets rid of it. I then slide the rag up onto the strings and up the fretboard to get rid of dead skin underneath the strings

I do this every few days when the pickguard gets a bit dusty, and it takes about 1 min or so, don't go overkill on the polishing, apparently linseed oil can build up a gummy residue after a while.

feylya

Hang on, you put water onto an unfinished ebony fretboard? Asking for trouble there tbh.

mirv

I'm not exactly pouring water over it, ala lemon oil type treatment. I'm just using a slightly moist cotton rag so any grime will come off.

feylya

Hmm, I still wouldn't recommend it though tbh.

mirv

How did your DS-1 mod go anyway?

feylya

A bit mad tbh. Still have to do some more work to it. Have all teh right value caps on my desk but they're not high quality metal film ones I think. Although, at the moment the DS-1 is incredibly bassy. Very odd but I like it. Have a perfect tone for Kindred Spirits by LTE.

ferdi

cleaning your instrument

Is flax oil Th same as linseed Oil and Will it be okay to clean my Epiphone LP Standardf with it.

feylya

Why do you want to clean your guitar with oil? That doesn't make any sense tbh. You only use oil on the fretboard and only if it's rosewood or ebony.