Polishing and care of CG

[DigitalisVersatilitus]

I seek advice please regarding ebony fingerboard cleaning and a recommendation for guitar polish for use on my Bernabe Guitar.

Fingerboard: I understand some players clean their fingerboards with linseed oil diluted with natural turps. Is this a good practise? I can imagine a build up of residue over time. What would luthiers recommend?

Polishing: At the moment I am using Martin Guitar Polish sparingly as I am suspicious about the ingredients being unlisted. Martin advertise No Silicon in the product. I would appreciate comment and recommendations from Luthiers.

PS In the past I have emailed Paulino about polishing but I have received no reply. The polish he supplied with the guitar was a small plastic unlabelled container of white cream. When applied, it dried quickly leaving a residue powder which had to be immediately polished off. One had to polish section by section which was tedious and definitely required some skill. A better alternative would be welcome.

All comments will be appreciated.

[Beowulf]

For fingerboard cleaning: try "Boogie Juice". I've used it for decades and it works very well with no adverse effects.

[petermc61]

Fingerboard - very occassionally some lemon oil on a clean cloth.

I don’t think you should clean your guitar with anything until/unless you know what finish it has. In any event, a clean fine (smooth) microfibre cloth is probably all you need.

[DigitalisVersatilitus]

Thanks Guys,
So for fretboard Lemon oil is the answer. Many Thanks.
Peter, the Guitar has a hand varnish certificate describing ingredients such as Gum Arabic as a base for the lacquer, pumice, distilled alcohol balsamic oil. No synthetic materials. Hence my sensitivity on the subject of polish.

[JohnB]

I've been playing the classical guitar for 40+ years and have never used any polishing or cleaning products on them and they have survived pretty well (better than I have!).

Fingerboard: I use a moist cloth (crosswise) to clean it when I change strings, then dry any residual moisture with a piece of kitchen towel. If the fretboard gets particularly grotty I use a moist cloth and a moist soft toothbrush. (When I say "moist" I mean "moist", not wet.)

Body of the guitar: I dust with a clean soft cotton cloth [edited, from micro-fibre], if necessary I additionally clean with a (different) clean, moist soft cotton cloth [edited].

The only exception to the above is that I apply some protection to the body that get most wear, e.g. the top of the lower bout, where the arm rests. In those places I periodically use "Renaissance Micro Crystalline Wax". It was developed by the British Museum for use in conservation and it seems to be gaining acceptance in the violin world as a way of protecting the polish where fingers touch.

People sell all sorts of fluids, etc for guitars - whether they are actually needed by most people is a moot point.

[andreas777]

After I receive a used guitar that I bought from someone else I first remove the strings and clean the complete guitar with wet kitchen paper, especially the fretboard.
For my own guitars I have used a microfiber cloth, but my experience is that it causes micro scratches and make the surface dull after some months or years. Today I take a soft leather cloth to remove dust or finger prints.
I have had a guitar with rosewood fretboard where I used a Dunlop lemon oil 65 to clean and moisten the fretboard, but the guitar is sold and for my other guitars there is no need to treat the fretboard.

[Marshall Dixon]

Take a look here:
http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Musicia ... ing01.html

[DigitalisVersatilitus]

Thanks Guys,
All helpful comments and you have provided me with good alternatives and food for thought. So, No to micro-fibre!

Many Thanks,

[joachim33]

If one is using lemon oil on the fretboard, how often would you recommend?

[JohnB]

For my own guitars I have used a microfiber cloth, but my experience is that it causes micro scratches and make the surface dull after some months or years.

Interesting observation. I suppose the effect might be at least in part due to the ability of microfibre cloths to retain dust particles.

I confess that I actually usually use a soft cotton cloth, e.g. from a well washed cotton tee shirt.

[Alan Carruth]

Be careful with commercial 'lemon oil' polishes, some of them contain petroleum distillates that can soak into wood and cause problems. When I feel the need to treat a fingerboard I use a few drops of raw walnut or linseed oil. Wipe off as much as you can. Note that the wood is dead, so there's no need to 'feed' it. If it gets too dry it's because it lacks moisture: you need to get better control of the relative humidity.

The best cleaner I've found for finishes is elbow grease, liberally applied using a soft, barely moist cloth. Everything is soluble in water to some extent, and you can get it off the surface eventually that way. For really stubborn dirt you can use a little bit if detergent, say, a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid to a pint of warm water. This will help break up the grease that's holding the dirt.

I've never used microcrystaline wax, but I've heard some good reports.

[andreas777]

For my own guitars I have used a microfiber cloth, but my experience is that it causes micro scratches and make the surface dull after some months or years.

Interesting observation. I suppose the effect might be at least in part due to the ability of microfibre cloths to retain dust particles.

I confess that I actually usually use a soft cotton cloth, e.g. from a well washed cotton tee shirt.

It's difficult to show it on a picture...

micro_scraches.jpg

I bought this guitar some years ago and treated it with a microfibre cloth quite frequently. Some years later I bought another guitar, same brand, same model, same finish, and treated it with a leather cloth only. I can post another picture to show the difference if requested.

[bluesnik]

I never realized it before but I believe the microfibre cloth I've been using has caused tiny scratches on my guitar! Perhaps it's the dirt that gets caught in the fibers that does the harm? I've been using a Cordoba polishing cloth. I have an unopened Ramirez cloth, not sure if they are all the same from brand to brand. 100% soft cotton well washed tee's from now on. Thanks for the heads up andreas 777.

[ameriken]

I never realized it before but I believe the microfibre cloth I've been using has caused tiny scratches on my guitar! Perhaps it's the dirt that gets caught in the fibers that does the harm? I've been using a Cordoba polishing cloth. I have an unopened Ramirez cloth, not sure if they are all the same from brand to brand. 100% soft cotton well washed tee's from now on. Thanks for the heads up andreas 777.

I just noticed that on mine as well. I've only used the microfiber cloth provided by the builder and I see very fine surface scratches in it.

[andreas777]

Perhaps it's the dirt that gets caught in the fibers that does the harm?

Yes, that's possible, maybe (invisible) dust particles stick better on a microfiber cloth than on a leather cloth.