The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #26

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    Quote Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
    Hey Joe....your black L5 glows like a 200w bulb now. After you use this stuff you wonder why it is only $13.00 for the small little bottle. You know me, I am critical and not easily impressed. You can tell the 1st time you use this stuff that nitrocellulose loves this stuff. I too had a cloudy spot on the neck of my 175. After one application it is completely gone and slicker than snot. I am kind of thinking this stuff may really help prevent checking too just by the way the nitro feels after you use it. That of course is just a Vinny theory though. TI flats and Virtuoso polish will always be in my arsenal.
    Marc has been using this stuff for a long time and he plays DA's. I came late to the party.
    Vinny theories are legendary bro. I use the voodoo TI string change Vinny theory and I swear by it. I'll keep listening and learning.. Thanks Vinny.
    You are always trying to help around here. You're in my "Gallery of the Greats".. I'm sure everyone else feels that way too..

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #27

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    Quote Originally Posted by Al Br.
    I have a 72 Gibson Les Paul which seems to be exhibiting the finish issues described. I've used Martin Guitar Polish and another popular brand with cleaner and a Carnuba based wax. I still have the dull spots where the ravages of age have left their mark.
    The question is, is the finish on my LP nitro or other? Have not been able to find a spec for that year.


    Thanks in advance.
    I was under the impression that most old Gibsons are nitro, but I'm no expert on this.

  4. #28

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    Quote Originally Posted by Eddie Lang
    Virtuoso does not seem to be sold here locally. Does anyone know how it compares to Music Nomad guitar polish (which I haven't tried yet either)?
    Unlike Vinny's experience, I've had great success with Nomad Pro Strength Polish. I've used it on an Eastman 910, Gibson 175, Heritage 535. It did a great job of buffing out marks in the finish, highly recommend it. I have not tried Virtuoso, seems comparable to me.

  5. #29

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    Virtuoso is by far the best polish/cleaner I've tried. I've gotten impressive results with it. I have '63 gretsch Tennessean that I've had for about 25 years. I'm pretty sure it had never been polished. I myself tried the Martin polish on it many years ago but it did basically nothing. The virtuoso cleaned away 50 years of grime like a charm. I did have to use the cleaner 3 or 4 times though before it really started to shine. Other guitars didn't need more than one application. Great product and definitely worth the price.

  6. #30
    All Gibsons are nitro.

  7. #31

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    just to keep this thread from getting too boring, doesn't anybody here like Dunlop 65? One of the local luthiers swears by it so I got some . . . pretty good results IMO.

    Though this thread has me virtuoso intrigued . . . I mean, with a name like that I expect my guitars to look better & I might even play better too!

  8. #32

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    And just because I like being the guy who stirs the pot:

    Legend Guitar Polish .

  9. #33

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    Dunlop is good...but it will not remove any haze on the guitar. I know I tried it. A luthier finally buffed it away.

  10. #34

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    For UK members, there is an importer in Manchester: Virtuoso Polish | theguitarrepairworkshop.com

    I have no connection with them - just found them online.

  11. #35

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    I actually have possibly the oldest guitar on this forum. It comes from the 1760s! I'm not sure what varnish was used back then. If anyone has an idea, please let me know.

  12. #36

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
    For UK members, there is an importer in Manchester: Virtuoso Polish | theguitarrepairworkshop.com

    I have no connection with them - just found them online.
    That's where I got mine from.

  13. #37

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
    I actually have possibly the oldest guitar on this forum. It comes from the 1760s! I'm not sure what varnish was used back then. If anyone has an idea, please let me know.
    Hi Rob,
    1760's wow. Can you show us a picture? I don't think I've ever seen a stringed instrument that old. It must be amazing.
    Joe D.

  14. #38

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    It's what is commonly these days referred to as an English Guitar, but that's not what it was called in the 1760s, when it was called a Guittar - correct spelling. I have a website devoted to the Scottish Guittar: The 18th-Century Scottish Wire-Strung "Guittar" | Rob MacKillop

    Virtuoso Guitar polish-robguitt-jpg
    Virtuoso Guitar polish-guittfront-jpgVirtuoso Guitar polish-guittback-jpgVirtuoso Guitar polish-guittheid-jpg

    It could do with a clean, but I've no way of knowing what kind of varnish was used.

    Here's an album that I had out 15 years ago - no longer on release, though the odd CD can be found here and there.


  15. #39

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    They have a weird pegbox mechanism don't they? I've seen it in a book somewhere, and I can see it in one of your photos. Some kind of key and ratchet system to tension each string.

    I wonder why they used such a complicated method?

  16. #40

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    That is amazing Rob.
    To think of all the amazing things that guitar has lived through. Even when the wood was a baby tree. A longstanding historical piece of the earth that was fashioned into an instrument that has been making music for 255 years. I cant even wrap my Brain around that.
    That would be the only Guitar (or Guittar) that I would own that I would absolutely not clean. In fact, I would pay Jane Seymour and Elizabeth Hurley to fondle it and then put it in a glass case for the next 255 years!
    Amazing. I cant thank you enough. Very Cool.
    Joe D.

  17. #41

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    Quote Originally Posted by Rob MacKillop
    I actually have possibly the oldest guitar on this forum. It comes from the 1760s! I'm not sure what varnish was used back then. If anyone has an idea, please let me know.
    Wonder what amps they were using in those times? Huh, makes you think..

  18. #42

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    Quote Originally Posted by Teddyfm
    Wonder what amps they were using in those times? Huh, makes you think..
    The most popular was the 'Club'.

    You used to hit the audience with it until they shut up enough to hear you properly.

  19. #43

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    Graham - that is watch-key tuning, and is the most accurate tuning system I've ever used. Unfortunately the neck is a little warped, so its accuracy is not fully appreciated.

    Joe - I've had it for 15 years, and haven't cleaned it yet. I might never. But I would like to know what varnish they used.

    Teddy - you know, I never thought of that! LOL.

    Anyway, I don't want to derail the thread. Back to Virtuoso varnish!

  20. #44
    In those days it was most likely finished with a French polish procedure. You can see how this is done on Frets.com. Very old school talent. Very few luthiers left that can still do it. Frank Ford is a master of it.

  21. #45

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    Talking about French Polish, do you know what the classical guitar luthiers recommend as a polish for French Polish? Novus #2, a plastic polish for taking out scratches in UW camera domes, aircraft windscreens, etc..

  22. #46

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    The use of shellac and the technique of french polishing is still widely used in the custom classical guitar sector. If done correctly it produces a beautiful deep and rich finish with a luster that is hard to get using more modern finishes. I have a friend who builds custom furniture and he uses it quite a bit but he has spent a lot of time working with it. I also own a couple of guitars with FP finish and they can get marred easily.

    The primary reason nitro and other finish have taken over in the guitar business is that FP is very labor-intensive, requires a fair amount of training and experience and takes a lot of time compared to other finishes. The benefits of shellac i.e. very thin coating coupled with ease of repair get outweighed by the fragility of the finish and the expense i.e. labor and process time.
    Last edited by rob taft; 06-12-2015 at 05:16 PM. Reason: spelling error

  23. #47

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    Thanks, guys. It does look like French Polish.

  24. #48
    Hey Jabby, the Novus 2 works very well on scratches on nitro too but the best stuff I have used is that Guitar Players Scratch remover. It is pricey also but works very well. The pink for light surface scratches and the blue for the deeper scratches. What we do to take care of our babies :-). Nothing more gorgeous that a French polished violin or cello.

  25. #49

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    Quote Originally Posted by vinnyv1k
    Hey Jabby,...Nothing more gorgeous that a French polished violin or cello.
    Not to quibble but they're varnished

  26. #50
    I am talking ones made 2-300 years ago. I have seen a restored 200 year old German violin in French polish and it was the most gorgeous axe I have ever seen.