nitro cleaning frequency

[joe2758]

Say there's 3 players

1.cleans and polishes his nitro archtop too much (what is too much?)
2.cleans maybe polishes whatever you definition of the right amount is (what is the right amount?)
3. almost never cleans

what happens to each of these guitars after 10, 20, 30 years?

I lean toward not cleaning, but I think too much of an extreme can't be good for my expensive lifetime investment. I would clean more, but for some reason I just ALWAYS get those light swirl marks (micro fiber cloths, any product, ALWAYS). I don't personally mind them I guess, but worry about long term effects.

I'm thinking of longevity and future value. Looking good now isn't as important as it being able to be cleaned up nice easily if I ever need to

[vinnyv1k]

I keep my guitars clean. I believe like a car finish, lacquer needs to be nourished or it will dry out and crack so a good polish/wax is just good maintenance. A good carnauba wax once or twice a year. I clean my neck after every use with a good guitar polish or any auto polish that is silicone free. My 20 year old finish on my L-5 still looks new.

[Bob_Ross]

In 30 years, guitarist #3 owns an ugly guitar...but other than that I have no idea what the implications are.

fwiw I only polish my guitars when I start to notice fingerprints (or armprints) on the body. So that maybe works out to once a year?
But I wipe down the back of the neck and strings after every use. No polish, just a dry rag.

[John A.]

Say there's 3 players

1.cleans and polishes his nitro archtop too much (what is too much?)
2.cleans maybe polishes whatever you definition of the right amount is (what is the right amount?)
3. almost never cleans

what happens to each of these guitars after 10, 20, 30 years?

I lean toward not cleaning, but I think too much of an extreme can't be good for my expensive lifetime investment. I would clean more, but for some reason I just ALWAYS get those light swirl marks (micro fiber cloths, any product, ALWAYS). I don't personally mind them I guess, but worry about long term effects.

I'm thinking of longevity and future value. Looking good now isn't as important as it being able to be cleaned up nice easily if I ever need to

I guess I'm somewhere in the neighborhood of 2. I wipe my guitars down with soft cloth regularly. I probably should do it before and after every time I play, but it's more along the lines of when I notice schmutz/dust or realize I haven't done it in a while. Cleaning with an actual cleaner (e.g., Virtuoso Cleaner) is a very occasional thing or there's schmutz or hazing that the dust cloth isn't clearing up. Polishing, roughly every string change, or if it looks like it needs it. All of the above applies to all my guitars, not just nitro-finish or archtop (I have one nitro archtop and one nitro solidbody; the rest of my guitars are poly finished).

Re:1, in terms of the health of the finish, I imagine there is such a thing as too much cleaning and polishing with products that incorporate some sort of abrasives, but I don't have a concrete sense of it.

Re: 3 a friend of mine basically never cleans or polishes his (early 90s 335, late 70s LP). The finishes look pretty dull, but not checked. The LP has cherry sunburst, and the red us pretty faded, but that's probably not due to lack of cleaning/polishing. I suspect both could be brought back to full gloss with something like a round of Virtuoso cleaner + polish (though I doubt the red would come back). They have a bit of a grimy feel to them that I definitely don't like, but he's fine with it.

[joe2758]

Cheapest cloths that will never leave swirl marks? I don't get how other people just use t-shirts and don't get them...I'm cursed

[vinnyv1k]

Cheapest cloths that will never leave swirl marks? I don't get how other people just use t-shirts and don't get them...I'm cursed

High quality microfiber cloths like from the Rag Company. I like the dual pile ones that are edge less.

[deacon Mark]

I don't polish them as such all that much. I always have a sleeve on over the bout playing or use a small towel to keep finish from wear by right arm. I don't even wipe the strings all that much, but I am not hard on guitars in general. If things start getting fingerprints or some build up I will do a polish I use basically it is Meguires Polish. That happens usually maybe every 2 years. Otherwise no need to have it polished everyday.