Do you pamper your gear ?

Rigsby

Got to thinking about this after reading on another forum, about fretboard cleaning, string cleaning, and generally looking after your gear. Generally I find that the thinking on this, falls into two camps. First you have the people who say that a guitar or any instrument is merely a tool for making music, and treat it accordingly. Then you have others who take great care of their instruments, giving them a clean and polish after a practice session. I can see both sides of the coin here, but admit that I fall into the latter camp. I have been amazed at the amount of dirt and gunk that some people manage to let accumulate on their fret boards, as if they had come straight in and started to play, after working on the engine of their car. I know the iconic bassist James Jamerson once said "the funk is in the gunk"....I don't believe that for a minute. On the above forum, some people were even condoning the idea of using chicken grease (seeming Jaco Pastorius did this ) on their fingers to lesson the string friction. :eek:

Demeyes

I don't really pamper my guitars but I keep them in good working order. I don't mind a few dings in the finish because that'll happen eventually but I will condition the fretboard and clean the guitar every now and then. I don't really bother wiping down strings everytime I play but I sometimes clean strings if I don't want to change them yet.
I think most people let their guitars fall into disrepair because they don't know any better, they don't realise their fretboard has dried out or that their trem needs to be cleaned or lubricated. In a manner of minutes you can transform a poorly playing dirty electric into a nice instrument but a lot of people lack the knowledge to do it. They'll just start thinking it's all the same and it being dirty means more character.

reniwren

I Clean the back of the neck regularly, and give the flock a good go over once a month all my fret boards are Acrylic Impregnated or varnished never really had a drying out problem, and only had to clean my frets once, I always make sure all the screws are tightened though alot of people tend to forget this and change strings once every 3-4 months.

As for Jaco (more than likely seen on talkbass) I find myself just wanting to shout " i want to learn and move on from what he did not sound exactly like the man", at everyone that talks about him other examples are "Jaco only needed 4 strings" etc etc

Rigsby

Demeyes wrote: »

They'll just start thinking it's all the same and it being dirty means more character.

Yeah, I have seen this mentioned a few times. The guitar has "Mojo" when it looks like it has been used to dig the garden.

reniwren wrote: »

As for Jaco (more than likely seen on talkbass) I find myself just wanting to shout " i want to learn and move on from what he did not sound exactly like the man", at everyone that talks about him other examples are "Jaco only needed 4 strings" etc etc

Yes, it was on TB, but I have seen it mentioned elsewhere a few time also. I agree 100% with your opinions on Jaco.

Squidgy Black

Mine gets a wipe down and a quick clean whenever I change the strings, which at the moment is only every month or two. Other than that I wouldn't bother.

boycey

I don't pamper them, but I will wipe down the strings if I'm working up a sweat. I, like many others, seem to be blessed with Xenomorph corrosive acid sweat, and one decent session could mean the end of a fresh set of strings. And I can't afford to be changing strings every week!!

Everyone should learn the basics of maintanence and cleaning though. The difference in grotty frets and freshly cleaned ones is huge, your guitar will feel nicer to play with clean frets and a clean neck. End of.
Rosewood fretboards need a bit of TLC too. The amount of expensive guitars I've seen with rosewood fretboards as dry as a nuns is shocking. €7 for a bottle of lemon oil is a good investment!

Lastly, as reniwren said, screws and bits and bobs need to be maintained. Annoying rattles and buzzes are, erm, annoying!

rcaz

The bits that are directly responsible for the playing - fretboard, neck, bridge, vibrato where applicable - I take good care of them. I clean off my fretboard and wipe it with some oil every 3/4 months or so... I don't know if that's often enough, it's just usually when I feel like I 'should' do it.

What was Captain Beefheart's quote? "Don't clean the sweat off your instrument, you have to leave it on there. Then you have to get that stink into your music" or something? I like that quote, but I'm not militant about his philosophy :pac:

As for people who clean every spot of their instrument and cry every time they knock it off a table or whatever - I don't have the time for that amount of worrying! My guitars are two bits of wood and a few bits of metal, they're some of my tools, and if whacking them around makes a good sound (I've learned some of my moves from Thurston Moore and Jonny Greenwood ) then they'll get a bit beaten up! But then I don't really like extremely expensive instruments. So if I was playing on a vintage guitar or something really high end I might change that... But I'm happy with beating up my Tele standard! :pac:

Ostrom

Not exactly. I'm religious with my acoustic - always stored in its case, wiped down, cleaned thoroughly during restringing.

My strat is neither cleaned nor housed. I bought it new and am looking forward to the day it looks as authentically battered as Rory Gallaghers. And, what with all the tales of better sound through neglect (Blackmore, SRV, Mayer) I'm waiting in hope.

CianRyan

Got two starts, both aging nicely.
Nothing looks better than an old strat with a yellowish/greenish pickgard and pick ups with some paint knocked off it.

I keep them in working order but age is something that happens to everyone and everything, it's a thing to be proud of. Road ware shows use, love and companionship... Because my guitars are my mates.:pac:

Rigsby

El Pr0n wrote: »

I clean off my fretboard and wipe it with some oil every 3/4 months or so... I don't know if that's often enough, it's just usually when I feel like I 'should' do it.

I'd go a little less often with the oil. Too much is worse than too little. I have read where too much oil being applied has loosened the frets.

Dublin Guitar

The use of lemon oil can make all the difference with your instrument. Apply it when old strings are on if you change one string at a time, or apply to the fretboard if you take off all of the strings. Allow it a good few minutes to soak in, then wipe off the excess, it will only take in what it needs. I bought an instrument last year, and due to the dry conditions in my new house have had to have a serious fret job done on it as I wasn't conditioning and hydrating it.

A guitar is like a car, it's great to polish and preen them, but they need servicing regularly. I work on my guitars regularly, then send them to a pro every year or so for a service, fret polish etc. The difference €50-€100 a year can make is amazing.

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boycey wrote: »

I don't pamper them, but I will wipe down the strings if I'm working up a sweat. I, like many others, seem to be blessed with Xenomorph corrosive acid sweat, and one decent session could mean the end of a fresh set of strings. And I can't afford to be changing strings every week!!

Im the same, i only get 2 gigs max out of a set of strings. Thh the screws on my guitars scratch plates are rusted over because of this. dont mind it though. I like guitars that have been beaten up due to years of playing. dont like false aged guitars. and a hate dirty fret boards!!!

Ravelleman

My guitars live in their cases. A couple of years ago I started leaving my Robert Cray Strat out since it didn't have a hardcase and the cat conspired to knock it over and put two dents in the neck. I subsequently sold the Strat and the poor kitty died, much to my distress.

I don't really bothered wiping the guitars down, but I do oil the fretboards when and where necessary.

I also get pretty uptight when other people are playing and touching my guitars. I always expect them to be way less careful than I am.

Zangetsu

I'm always buying second hand these days so I don't have to worry about keeping them shiny and ding free!

I treat them well though, clean fretboard, dust free and fresh strings every few weeks!

Rigsby

Zangetsu wrote: »

fresh strings every few weeks!

I assume you are not a bass player, as changing bass strings that often would put a fair dent in the wallet. :eek:

Zangetsu

Rigsby wrote: »

I assume you are not a bass player, as changing bass strings that often would put a fair dent in the wallet. :eek:

Hehe acoustic guitar :P

Haven't changed the flat wounds on my bass in about 2 years :eek: :pac:

rcaz

efla wrote: »

My strat is neither cleaned nor housed. I bought it new and am looking forward to the day it looks as authentically battered as Rory Gallaghers. And, what with all the tales of better sound through neglect (Blackmore, SRV, Mayer) I'm waiting in hope.

If you bought it new recently, then it'll have a poly finish. Those 'classic' battered-looking guitars had nitrocellulose finishes, which wear way easier. A guitar finished in poly won't age like that.

Rigsby wrote: »

I'd go a little less often with the oil. Too much is worse than too little. I have read where too much oil being applied has loosened the frets.

Any difference between the needs of rosewood and maple and other different woods?

Rigsby

El Pr0n wrote: »

Any difference between the needs of rosewood and maple and other different woods?

Generally maple FB's have a varnish finish and need very little maintenance. I wipe mine down with a damp cloth when I change the strings, then give it a quick polish, though I do wash my hands before I play. Other people might have a harder cleaning job.

From what I have read on the net, once or twice a year is more than enough to oil rosewood. Not sure about other woods, but I'd say the treatment would be similar.

If you google "how to clean a fretboard", you will get thousands of conflicting opinions, especially on what to use. :rolleyes:

Demeyes

El Pr0n wrote: »

Any difference between the needs of rosewood and maple and other different woods?

Rosewood and Ebony require a bit of lemon oil to condition it once or twice a year. You can generally spot when a fretboard needs oil because it will look paler and be really dry. Ebony can crack if not oiled because it is fairly brittle. Maple has to be finished so it won't need the same looking after.

rcaz

Demeyes wrote: »

Maple has to be finished so it won't need the same looking after.

Rigsby wrote:

Generally maple FB's have a varnish finish and need very little maintenance.

I ****ing love my Tele

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El Pr0n wrote: »

If you bought it new recently, then it'll have a poly finish. Those 'classic' battered-looking guitars had nitrocellulose finishes, which wear way easier. A guitar finished in poly won't age like that.

any idea when they started applying that finish to them? ive a 94 usa strat, which is well battered when you look closely at it, but the paint is in good condition. also have a 01 mex strat which i picked up last summer, has been played to death, but the paint is perfect!

Ravelleman

Leonel Alive Insecticide wrote: »

any idea when they started applying that finish to them? ive a 94 usa strat, which is well battered when you look closely at it, but the paint is in good condition. also have a 01 mex strat which i picked up last summer, has been played to death, but the paint is perfect!

Try 40 odd years ago.

Ostrom

El Pr0n wrote: »

If you bought it new recently, then it'll have a poly finish. Those 'classic' battered-looking guitars had nitrocellulose finishes, which wear way easier. A guitar finished in poly won't age like that.

Aw jeez.....

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Ravelleman wrote: »

Try 40 odd years ago.

oh well. have to get some sandpaper so

rcaz

Leonel Alive Insecticide wrote: »

oh well. have to get some sandpaper so

I did that to my Squier strat (that yoke's been through all sorts of 'projects', at the moment it's a 5 string, 2 pickup guitar with no potentiometers and a dodgy killswitch), and though it looked kinda cool, I put it in slightly the wrong place for 'arm wear', looked like it was played by a mutant :pac:

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El Pr0n wrote: »

I did that to my Squier strat (that yoke's been through all sorts of 'projects', at the moment it's a 5 string, 2 pickup guitar with no potentiometers and a dodgy killswitch), and though it looked kinda cool, I put it in slightly the wrong place for 'arm wear', looked like it was played by a mutant :pac:

population

Leonel Alive Insecticide wrote: »

any idea when they started applying that finish to them? ive a 94 usa strat, which is well battered when you look closely at it, but the paint is in good condition. also have a 01 mex strat which i picked up last summer, has been played to death, but the paint is perfect!

The Highway 1 strats are nitrocelulose finish. I have a 2007 one and it is already starting to show a bit of wear which I for one am extremely happy about:D

population

Oh and anytime I change my strings I do a full set up of my guitar. Probably a bit ott but I enjoy the process. I have mates who spend all their free time tinkering wih their cars so I don't think maintaining your guitar should be considered out of the ordinary

Seziertisch

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AVmS4rqmFHo

Gaspode

Quick wipe down after a gig or practice and a good cleanup when changing strings. Certainly not a pampering!