Wiping Down Guitar

Re: Wiping Down Guitar

When it gets that sticky film on it, which, in Florida, happens if you play outside at all.
 
Re: Wiping Down Guitar

When my pick hand sticks to it like Command adhesive.
 
Re: Wiping Down Guitar

occasionally
At least at the biannual string change

I may dust them off from time to time

The girls will sometimes dust them
 
Re: Wiping Down Guitar

As soon as I get home from a gig, I wipe them down, including strings, with a damp rag and then dry with a terry cloth towel. Water will remove 99.8% of contaminants. When the strings are dry, I go over them with the Dunlop 65 String Cleaner. It leaves a light, protective coating on the strings and gives them longer life.

My NCL-finished guitars get a coat of Carnauba wax 2-4 times a year. Fingerboards get oiled as needed. I like the Dunlop 65 Cleaner and the Conditioner. I do not use lemon oil any more. I also will use Gerlitz Guitar Honey on a dry board. Poly-finished guitars will hold up better, with minimal care, but I do keep them clean and polished.

I really try to take great care of my guitars. It makes sense to me to take care of my tools...and my investments. I really don't like a dirty guitar. I've bought a couple of used ones that took hours to clean up; the seller probably would have got more money out of me had they been better cared for.

Of course, if you're going for the relic look, ignore my advice.

Bill
 
Re: Wiping Down Guitar

I don't play out these days so not often. I'll do a quick cleaning during a string change. Usually some of the Gerlitz spray cleaner/conditioner stuff on a microfiber cloth. And, the board will get some treatment at the same time if it needs it.
 
Re: Wiping Down Guitar

I don't let them get dirty or smudgy, but I still will wipe the dust off occasionally and if I see fingerprints or smudges I get out the polish and make them shiny and new again.
 
Re: Wiping Down Guitar

I wipe mine down after every playing session. They deserve it, even the ones that have lots of war wounds. I wipe the strings down with GHS Fast-Fret and they seem to last a lot longer. When I change the strings, they get a nice spa treatment with StewMac Preservation Polish.
 
Re: Wiping Down Guitar

I tend to keep mine wiped down on a regular basis. For me, having my nice ones out and visible helps me pick them up more often and keep them well maintained. For most of my guitars I've put in a lot of time upgrading the pickups or hardware (or both usually), so I like to respect that effort and look after them. For me and for my way of thinking, a guitar sitting in its case unplayed and/or unappreciated is very sad. I love the guitars I've bought and I like to look at them when not playing them.

As a teenager my best friends dad had a very nice Les Paul. He kept it in the case and in their storage area of the house, under the stairs. He only brought it out if he was going to play out.... which wasn't often. My friend said he hardly ever saw his dad just sitting and playing. That always made me sad for some reason. We used to sneak peeks at the guitar when no one was home, but my friend was terrified to even pick it up. He said one smudge or scratch and his dad would know.

Maybe that experience influenced how I like to display my guitars. Mainly, I'm proud of them and want to admire them. Plus, when company does come over they can be conversation pieces.
 
Re: Wiping Down Guitar

As a teenager my best friends dad had a very nice Les Paul. He kept it in the case and in their storage area of the house, under the stairs. He only brought it out if he was going to play out.... which wasn't often. My friend said he hardly ever saw his dad just sitting and playing. That always made me sad for some reason. We used to sneak peeks at the guitar when no one was home, but my friend was terrified to even pick it up. He said one smudge or scratch and his dad would know.

Gross
 
Re: Wiping Down Guitar

Everytime I play ..strings first, then the top/sides. Nothing works better than an old t-shirt :D

First thing I do do when I get home after a gig as well..
 
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