Any Acoustic Guitar Players use anything to Polish off marks on Guitar?

[kkritsilas]

No you cannot. Between the lacquer coating finishing its outgassing and the playing in of the top, it is amazing how much sound, and how good the sound can be. It is also remarkable as to how light these really old guitars are. I thought that we were going to have to strap that J35 down or it would float away. Seriously, it felt like it was half the weight that its appearance would have led you to believe.

Hope you are using walnut oil on the fretboard.

[willowcat11]

Sorry Willowcat, I didn't mean to hijack your thread. My attempt at levity was to point out that sometimes guitars with a few scratches here and there are like grey hairs on our head, they show a sense of maturity, dignity and experience.

Oh no, that's ok, and I agree with you on the grey hair and maturity thing.

I guess since I'm bald now, I can't mature anymore! 😂

[willowcat11]

The luthier I used to work with used M04, M01, M02, and M09. He still uses them to this day. At the shop, we kept M09 on the shelf.

I tried M09 on my friend's beat up Yamaha Maple Custom drum set in 2004. Didn't make a dent, but cleaned them up really nice.




I let a friend borrow my Les Paul Classic Plus. He's since been divorced, and I'm afraid to ask where the guitar is....

Last time I polished my dw Birdseye maple, I used Menzerna SF4000 on a 4" blue buff and shine pad, and a Porter Cable 7424xp. Finished with Zymol Creame wax.

I use Meguiar's M21 on my Paiste cymbals.

This is Awesome info! Thankyou you very much for this post!

[DSVETS7R]

No you cannot. Between the lacquer coating finishing its outgassing and the playing in of the top, it is amazing how much sound, and how good the sound can be. It is also remarkable as to how light these really old guitars are. I thought that we were going to have to strap that J35 down or it would float away. Seriously, it felt like it was half the weight that its appearance would have led you to believe.

Hope you are using walnut oil on the fretboard.

Actually, I haven't tried Walnut oil. I agree these old guitars were built very light compared to my 15 Taylor 814 ce.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[DSVETS7R]

This is what I use on the fretboard after I clean it with this


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[kkritsilas]

This is what I use on the fretboard after I clean it with this




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

If you want to do the best for your guitar, use non-polymerized Walnut oil on the fretboard. Part of the reason you need to use 0000 steel wool before conditioning the fretboard is due to the residues left by your Howard's Wax-N-Feed, most likely they are beeswax, as beeswax will not penetrate the wood. Your fingers, both due to body heat and natural skin oils, is reacting with the residues to make up a gummy residue that you are removing with the 0000 steel wool and Pro Clean Up . By the way, the Howard's Feed-N-Wax contains petroleum distillates most likely, as seen from the "combustible" warning. Petroleum distillates should not be used on natural wood, it causes the wood to to dry out and take a desiccated, dry, and pale appearance. The Orange oil is doing the same.

At your next fretboard cleaning, use the Pro Clean Up and steel wool to get to the bare wood. Then, use the Walnut oil instead of the Howard's Feed-N_Wax. Put the Walnut oil on sparingly, wait a minute, and then wipe of. Doing 3-4 frets at a time is probably best. I am willing to bet that you won't be needing the Pro-Clean Up and possibly not even the steel wool going forward. You should be able to reduce your fretboard cleaning frequency to once every year, or even two (will depend on the individual, and whether or not they wash their hands before playing the instrument). As a bonus, you will find that your fretboard feels really nice.

The non-polymerized (sometimes called raw) walnut oil is the easiest to find wood oil that is closest to the natural rosewood oil that was in the fretboard when it was first cut. Rosewood oil would be best, but that is horrendously expensive, and very, very hard to find. You can find furniture/woodworking grade walnut oil at most woodworking shops ( I got mine at Lee Valley Tools, a $15 can is good for life). Its most common use is as a finish on wood salad bowls.

[dlc95]

This is Awesome info! Thankyou you very much for this post!

No Problem!

If I need to do them again, I'll probably just use a light paint cleaner by hand. Probably like Zymol HD Cleanse, and follow with the Creame wax again.

If I have to do repairs for someone, I'll use the Rupes system, or my Menzerna/Lake Country Hydrotech combo with a Porter Cable 7424.

[DSVETS7R]

If you want to do the best for your guitar, use non-polymerized Walnut oil on the fretboard. Part of the reason you need to use 0000 steel wool before conditioning the fretboard is due to the residues left by your Howard's Wax-N-Feed, most likely they are beeswax, as beeswax will not penetrate the wood. Your fingers, both due to body heat and natural skin oils, is reacting with the residues to make up a gummy residue that you are removing with the 0000 steel wool and Pro Clean Up . By the way, the Howard's Feed-N-Wax contains petroleum distillates most likely, as seen from the "combustible" warning. Petroleum distillates should not be used on natural wood, it causes the wood to to dry out and take a desiccated, dry, and pale appearance. The Orange oil is doing the same.

At your next fretboard cleaning, use the Pro Clean Up and steel wool to get to the bare wood. Then, use the Walnut oil instead of the Howard's Feed-N_Wax. Put the Walnut oil on sparingly, wait a minute, and then wipe of. Doing 3-4 frets at a time is probably best. I am willing to bet that you won't be needing the Pro-Clean Up and possibly not even the steel wool going forward. You should be able to reduce your fretboard cleaning frequency to once every year, or even two (will depend on the individual, and whether or not they wash their hands before playing the instrument). As a bonus, you will find that your fretboard feels really nice.

The non-polymerized (sometimes called raw) walnut oil is the easiest to find wood oil that is closest to the natural rosewood oil that was in the fretboard when it was first cut. Rosewood oil would be best, but that is horrendously expensive, and very, very hard to find. You can find furniture/woodworking grade walnut oil at most woodworking shops ( I got mine at Lee Valley Tools, a $15 can is good for life). Its most common use is as a finish on wood salad bowls.

Thanks a bunch for your awesome info. I will definitely stop using Howard's and try your method. This guitar has been played by the likes of Tommy Emmanuel , pat berguson, Jim Nichols, Joe Robinson etc. I don't want to mess it up.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro

[kkritsilas]

Tommy Emmanual is one of my favorite fingerstyle players. I have 7 of his albums. A truly awesome talent. It must be a really proud moment for you when he played your guitar, seeing has how Chet Atkins made him one of the few "Certified Guitar Players".

I'm a fan of Laurence Juber, Alex De Grassi, and a couple of Canadian guys, Don Ross and Don Alder. You listen to these guys and just think to yourself, I should probably just stop trying to play. It isn't that they play guitar well, I can't even figure out how they are getting all of their notes out using two hands. Sometimes sounds like they are playing 3 or 5 different lines at the same time.

[DSVETS7R]

I got to spend 4 days with Tommy at one of his camps. He is the real deal. Super nice genuine person. Truly loves his music and his fans. TE could make a twig sound good. I'll post a pic of his rigs. It will make you cringe how he beats on his matons.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Pro