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Have you replaced the strings yet? If what did you replace them with?
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06-12-2015 09:08 PM
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Who? Me? I got a guy who makes harpsichords to make me strings. Mainly yellow and rose brass. They've lasted 15 years, and counting!
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15yrs Are they as expensive as TI's?
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Nothing's as expensive as TI's
Luckily I get them for free.
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I bought some Virtuoso polish solely from Vinny's recommendation. Couldn't be happier, no swirl marks and as shiny as the day I received my archtop. Good call Vinnie.
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I see that there is Virtuoso Guitar Polish and Guitar Cleaner.
Do you only use the polish or do you start with the cleaner?
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You start with the cleaner and then the polish.
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Right on kid. You rarely need to use the cleaner but it works great also with no abrasives. You can buy them seperately or as a package.
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I only bought the polish. It did everything I needed. Bear in mind my ES175 is nearly 40 years old and had never been polished since I got it (33 years!).
It used to belong to Gerry Rafferty (of Stealers Wheel and 'Baker Street' fame). I don't think he ever polished it either!
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Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
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Its $9.99 a bottle and $3 shipping on Ebay. Bob
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Back when I used to play & collect vintage guitars I had a half-dozen different Meguiar's compounds that enabled me to take care of any cosmetic issues that arose. I also had a large basement, so storing lots of large bottles wasn't really a problem :-)
On a visit to Gruhn's I noticed a repairman using some cleaner/polish that seemed to work very well. George told me it was custom-formulated by Meguiar's for him and that he was going to market it as "Gruhn Glaze." As soon as it was available I bought a bottle. It proved to be quite versatile--apply it with a light touch and it made a good cleaner, press harder when first applying and it could cut heavy oxidation nicely. With a little finesse it replaced most of what I'd been using. A little goes a long way too, since the small bottle I used for fifteen years is still half full.
As I transitioned from vintage guitars to newer ones (many of which are now twenty years old!) my main concern changed from cleaning up accumulated crud to removing sweat and oil from gigging on a daily basis. Although I live in a place famous for "dry heat" I play plenty of hot and sweaty stages and outdoor venues in short sleeves. Over time that stuff can eat a finish. Gruhn Glaze removes it easily, but it seems like using a sledgehammer to kill a mosquito. Gibson recommends and uses naptha, but I'd rather not wok with flammable liquids.
So ten years ago I bought a Fender Care Kit, which has three Meguiar's compounds. One is a really excellent polish. I rarely see a reason to polish a guitar, but the Fender polish is as good as I've used. Number two is Swirl & Haze remover. This seems to be similar to Gruhn Glaze in function and works well. The final product is Mist & Wipe, which is what I use after every sweaty gig. For light cleanup I just spray it on a cloth, for heavier buildups I spray it on the guitar. Takes the stuff right off and leaves the guitar shiny. Works great on the neck as well.
The only problem with this kit is that they don't sell it anymore. There is a new kit with four bottles, but I haven't tried it. Meguiar's has an automotive detailer called Mist & Wipe that some people claim is the same stuff as the Fender, but Meguiar's told me that their guitar products are not necessarily the same as their auto products. Not exactly a definitive answer, but it was all they'd say about it. I still have quite a lot of M&W and almost all the polish and the swirl remover, so I'm in no danger of running out any time soon.
All that being said, I mostly clean my guitars after playing with just a chamois. I wipe down all the hardware and strings. If I then feel any stuff along the top of the lower bout or back of the neck I use the M&W. In my gig bag is a bottle of Gibson spray polish that's probably around 40 years old. If my guitar has a sticky neck during a gig I spray a little on a cloth and wipe the neck. This bottle is at least half full--it doesn't take much and the cheap Gibson stuff is just fine for this purpose. George Gruhn and Jimmy D'Aquisto both told me they liked Lemon Pledge, but the Gibson bottle is much more gig-bag friendly.
Danny W.
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$13.00 delivered at Reverb.com
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None of those on Reverb ship to Canada.
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Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
Came across this cool web site:
Home
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That's how my axes are shining now. Great stuff !
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Got a bottle today. Its brilliant! Its shiny and it makes the neck so fast!
I love Poland!
Ted
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Here you go gang.
$9.98 per 4 oz. bottle for the polish and "free" shipping, and a free polishing cloth. You're welcome!
Virtuoso Premium Guitar Polish with Polishing Cloth | eBay
edit - Or here
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Virtuoso-Pre...item2353907d32Last edited by 2bornot2bop; 07-07-2015 at 04:22 PM.
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Originally Posted by 2bornot2bop
that's $6 or less plus the shipping.
such a deal, but I'm still working on my first bottle all these yrs later.
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Originally Posted by wintermoon
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Would you recommend Polish only, or the Polish / Cleaner combo?
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Originally Posted by Eddie Lang
I have both but the cleaner rarely gets used, it's for heavy applications.
the polish will handle most normal situations.
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@ 2b and Wintermoon, thx!
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Thanks for posting this! I have both the cleaner and polish, and have for quite some time. Honestly, I always thought they worked nicely, but never felt they deserved all of the hype they receive. I almost posted that above, but figured I'd better give it one more shot and really wipe down my guitar before sharing an uneducated opinion on the internet! I clean and polish my guitars, but not super often. Maybe twice a year. It was definitely time for a polish on my archtop. I spent about 10 minutes doing the entire instrument very well. Cleaner first, to remove the arm haze and gunk, and then polish everywhere.
I have to admit, I've never noticed this big of a difference before. The black is a lustrous black, and the entire finish seems shinier and "deeper" than it did before. I really studied it before and after because, again, I really wanted to provide my honest feedback on this thread. And my feedback is that this stuff is amazing. And that I need to polish my guitars more often! I had never noticed how nice it made the neck feel before either, so thanks for pointing that out!
I didn't get any "before" pictures, but just imagine a beautiful archtop that is way too dusty and smudged from sitting out on a stand and being played daily. Here are some after photos. I don't think they do justice to the lustrous shine, but hopefully they give you an idea of how it looks. I'm going to have to do this more often!
Another way to look at the fingerboard
Today, 10:35 PM in Theory