The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    for my Eastman guitar? I've used it on less expensive guitars in the past but this is my first Nitrocellulose finished guitar.

    Other recommendations?

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  3. #2

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    It depends how often you lick your guitar.

    But yes it should be ok.

  4. #3

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    If it's got any silicones or lanolin, it can attack the glue in the joints and pop them open. I've heard of fingerboards coming off a guitar. I've been told never to use furniture polish on good guitars , only a cleaner that is made for guitars like Martin or Fender products.

  5. #4

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    I wouldn't use it.

    My favorite guitar cleaner is hot breath and a torn up flannel shirt.

  6. #5

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    EDIT: Tried to soften the response,...

    >>> silicones or lanolin, it can attack the glue in the joints and pop them open.

    Silicone is inert. It does no damage whatsoever to nitrocellulose lacquer. Really. It will not attack glue joints. It does not attack anything on your guitar.

    It is remotely conceivable that silicone would do as much damage as the often-recommended oils for fingerboards (lemon, mineral, linseed) if it was soaked into a poorly done glue joint. But no, silicone does not attack anything used on or in your guitar.

    Now, the reason that silicone is held in poor esteem is that it is a colossal pain if you need to re-finish a surface. A single molecule of silicone will cause a "fish-eye" in the lacquer. This is an area where the lacquer will not flow - a little un-finished point.

    Stop by an auto body shop and ask them about silicone when they try to re-spray a car fender.

    You can successfully clean the silicone off a surface before re-finishing, but it involves extra work and sometimes you miss a molecule here and there.

    This genuine inconvenience is the origin of the various data-free tales of silicone woe.

    ****************

    "But my friend Buzzy the Burnout sez he ruined a guitar with,..."

    Yeah, whatever. It is likely that many stories are confused as to the origin of then lacquer trouble.

    ********************

    Nitrocellulose lacquer never cures. It "dries". The molecules never link up the way they do in urethane varnish, or interior latex wall paint.

    Nitro is easily damaged by solvents that will not affect a cured urethane, polyester, or epoxy finish. I have no idea if the solvents in Lemon Pledge are a problem.

    For fun, read the MSDS sheet for "Finger Ease". You have to peel back a layer of info to see that it is silicone, solvent, and propellant. (No lemon-fresh scent though.) I have never used Lemon Pledge, but there will be an MSDS sheet on it that will likely tell you what you need to know.

    Many consider naptha to be a safe solvent for nitrocellulose. It is, however, flammable.

    The classic way to test for solvent trouble is to get some on a q-tip and try under the truss rod cover or under the tailpiece mount.

    A wonderful and very gentle cleaner and polish was recommended to me by a guy who does a better nitro finish than I will ever manage. It is called Zymol. I find that it works better than the Gibson or Dunlop products. But many are very happy with the Gibson and Dunlop polishes.
    Last edited by NiAg; 02-22-2011 at 12:32 PM.

  7. #6

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    Quote Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
    I wouldn't use it.

    My favorite guitar cleaner is hot breath and a torn up flannel shirt.
    +1 I wouldn't use it.

    You got a good guitar, buy some decent guitar polish and not some general-use furniture polish. Also check into getting some oil for the fretboard if ebony.

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by docbop
    +1 I wouldn't use it.

    You got a good guitar, buy some decent guitar polish and not some general-use furniture polish. Also check into getting some oil for the fretboard if ebony.
    Thanks for all the responses. I'll loosen the purse strings for some guitar polish. I'll stop by the local shop and see what they have.

    The fretboard is indeed ebony...recommendations for oil?

  9. #8

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    Lemon oil-- which is really just a mild mineral oil with a lemony scent.

    You DON'T want anything with actual citrus in it.

    If you play a guitar often enough, the oils from your fingers are usually enough to keep the fretboard in good shape--but if things look a little dry, this stuff is very mild and will work just fine.

  10. #9

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    Thanks for the advice. Can I use lemon oil for my guitars that have rosewood fretboards too?

  11. #10

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    Yup.

    Just don't use it on finished board (like a fender maple neck) as it'll just sit on top and do nothing but make you feel greasy and smell lemony until you either wipe it all off or it all wipes off on you!

  12. #11

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    We need more Lemon Pledge.

  13. #12

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    Can't I just give you money and you go out and buy more Lemon Pledge?

  14. #13

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    Forgive me for asking: Do ebony boards need oil? I have read not but since I dont have any first hand experience I thought I would ask.

    I have used lemon oil for fingerboard with no issues. I then tried guitar honey (just for fun) and it works just as well as lemon oil but smells better and feels better. It is, of course 10X more expensive but a bottle would probably last a user 3 years or so.

  15. #14

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    Quote Originally Posted by 12GA
    Thanks for all the responses. I'll loosen the purse strings for some guitar polish. I'll stop by the local shop and see what they have.

    The fretboard is indeed ebony...recommendations for oil?
    Boiled linseed oil is what I use these days. StewMac makes a fretboard conditioner (main ingredient is linseed oil) if you want guitar specific product.

  16. #15

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    I've used pledge and similar furniture polishes on guitars for over 30 years with no problems. Same with using baby oil on rosewood fretboards, not a problem.

  17. #16

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    Quote Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
    My favorite guitar cleaner is hot breath and a torn up flannel shirt.
    My mother thinks my old shirts make great cleaning rags. Only trouble is, I still want to wear them. I've been staying with her lately because she is in her 80s and frail. It's been hell on my wardrobe, I tell you.

  18. #17

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    Hey NiAg. I should have reworded my response when it comes to the silicone. If you need to make a repair and there is silicone in an area where you want to use glue, it will act like a lubricant and give you a less than optimal joint. You're definitely right about the fish eye problem, though.

  19. #18

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    Hi H-Ford,

    Yeah, silicone on material that you were trying to glue would be a problem, but really not an order of magnitude worse than lemon oil, or mineral oil, or bacon (I suppose) in the same joint.

    So you'd have to get silicone in an area that was:

    - Exposed
    - Uncleanable
    - The site of a future glue joint

    Kind of a long shot. Think of all the furniture with exposed veneer edges that get gassed with Pledge on a regular basis with no problem.

    But, indeed I would not use Pledge (which may or may not have silicone). There are just fine alternatives.

  20. #19

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    I like these Petros Instrument Polish products. You can buy these as a set for a few bucks. They last almost forever.

    Petros Professional Instrument Care Products

    Also, I would recommend getting some quality microfiber cloths at an auto parts store or Amazon. I think they are even better than soft flannel. Really pull off the skin grease. Add a few drops of Naphtha if you have some stubborn, hazy places.

  21. #20

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    >>>would not use Pledge (which may or may not have silicone)

    So I figured it better to know what is in it.

    Pledge (the lemon scented spray in question) contains Dimethicone and/or
    Polydimethylsiloxane.

    So in short - yes, Pledge has a type of silicone oil that I presume is expected to polymerize in use. As I understand it, the practical solvent is isoparaffin.

    In my opinion, having this liquid wick into a finish crack (or glue joint) will not specifically attack anything, but it could definitely discolor the wood underneath and be a significant problem in a re-finish or repair.

    But this practical concern holds true for pretty much any polish out there.

    For all polishes, it makes the most sense to me to apply the polish to your cloth of choice (cotton diapers from Walmart are my fave) then wipe this on the surface of the guitar, but not in a way that would get into any finish cracks.

    In my opinion.
    Last edited by NiAg; 02-23-2011 at 06:45 PM. Reason: spelling

  22. #21

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    My favorite is Virtuoso.

    Virtuoso Premium Guitar Polish or Cleaner

    Here is some info from their site:

    http://www.virtuosopolish.com/

  23. #22

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    Any vendor can get you the MSDS sheet on their polishing products. This allows you to see what is in there for solvents, oils, and polymerizing oils (or other polymerizing ingredients).

  24. #23

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    meguiras cleaner wax ... micro fiber cloth...i keep seeing meguiras on the workbench of some top named guitar shops..and quite a few players and high end detailers use it...results are excellent...very easy to use...wipe on very light coat/wipe off..no hard rubbing needed...

  25. #24

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    Quote Originally Posted by mr. beaumont
    I wouldn't use it.

    My favorite guitar cleaner is hot breath and a torn up flannel shirt.

    +1 for me. Modern cleaners have silicon in them which can lead to repair issues in the future. I apprenticed as a furniture finisher, using cellulose and two pack laquers. Any sign of silicon and you just may as well junk the piece your working on and cut a fresh piece of wood and start again. If we used any silicon hammer finish paints we always took half a day to clean out the spray booth we had used. If you need any tips on cleaning then check out stewmac.com.

    Trade Secrets at Stewart-MacDonald

    Hope this helps

  26. #25

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    yes, you're soaking in it.