Cleaning an Older Guitar

Random1643 · #1 03-16-2015, 09:33 PM

I recently had a 1968 year old Standel AKA Harptone mahogany/spruce jumbo restored. Bought it new in ’69. Arched back, zero fret, 1.8” at the nut, just a weird guitar but always a nice player with great even tone. After years of abuse and neglect it amazingly plays and sounds like a dream.

I’d like to take better care of it now. Cosmetically, it’s beyond hope, but I figure I can buff the dirt and smoke (I quit in ’81) out of it. I’m a little nervous because the finish isn’t sealed like my newer guitars. The wood is kinda open with lotsa surface crazing. Probably more absorbent? My luthier said stay away from cleaners/polishes with silicone recommending Martin or Gibson brand polishes. My local music store carries Taylor guitar polish – made by Nomad – and after they checked with Nomad and learned that the Taylor product contains only trace amounts of silicone, I figured I’d buy and try the Taylor cleaner/polish.

Following the directions, I shook up then sprayed some on part of the back, schmeered around, then buffed with a new dry cloth. Okay. Not too bad. I did the whole back. Twice. Then I focused on just a portion of the side of the guitar on the top-side of the upper bout by the neck. Sprayed, then started to schmeer and immediately the polish became gummy and started pulling the stain out of the wood. I tried to buff out with a clean cloth and the result is a dull haze on the surface. So, I stopped.

Any insights, folks? I want to clean up the guitar but clearly this is not the answer. I read a piece online suggesting that guitar finishes of 40, 50 years ago aren’t the same as “modern” finishes. Is this correct? Are there products and/or methods that are safe to use for my old guitar? What’s a good next step?

slide496 · #2 03-17-2015, 06:30 AM

I use both the Gibson Restorative Finish and the stewart mcdonald product which is called Preservation Polish on all my guitars from the 1930's to the 1990s which is the Nick Lucas reissue.. You can call stewart mcdonald and ask if its right for your guitar.

I used to use the nomad product but like the above better - I do use it on my electric though which is an Epiphone.

Random1643 · #3 03-17-2015, 12:17 PM

Thanks for your experience and ideas!!

Random1643 · #4 03-20-2015, 03:58 PM

I'm working my way through the list of products all y'all've provided. Preservation Polish arrived today from stewmac. Will try over weekend. Thanks again!

slide496 · #5 03-22-2015, 06:40 PM

Good luck with the preservation polish- hope it works for you. I use a little on a cloth with a light touch

Just used it on a bunch of my guitars with no damage to them and my kay music note is fragile enough that you can't use delicate painters tape and it didn't hurt it at all. I have one a stencilled harmony-richter late 30s-early 40's and it really brought up the color of the stencil and made that one look pretty good as well.

Ned Milburn · #6 03-22-2015, 09:06 PM

I use very few products. For cleaning, you can use water with a tiny drop of dish soap. For polishing (and cleaning) you can use 3m Imperial Hand Glaze which used to be repackaged and sold as daddario guitar Polish.

Random1643 · #7 03-23-2015, 08:48 AM

Ned, thanks for chiming in. I used the Preservation Polish over the weekend and had none of the gumming up and stain removal issues that the Taylor product caused. After one complete round of schmeering and buffing, there's still plenty of dirt in the guitar; this makes sense after years and years (and years) of playing and not maintaining. I'll shift to water and a drop of dish soap for the next few rounds. This is great. Am finally taking care of my guitar.

Ned Milburn · #8 03-23-2015, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Random1643

Ned, thanks for chiming in. I used the Preservation Polish over the weekend and had none of the gumming up and stain removal issues that the Taylor product caused. After one complete round of schmeering and buffing, there's still plenty of dirt in the guitar; this makes sense after years and years (and years) of playing and not maintaining. I'll shift to water and a drop of dish soap for the next few rounds. This is great. Am finally taking care of my guitar.

I should also add, I use "cotton balls" (not "absorbent balls" which are acrylic), and only dampen it VERY slightly. Start on the dryer side, then add a touch of water as needed. But it should never feel "wet" per se.

Random1643 · #9 03-23-2015, 02:31 PM

Okay, got it. Thanks.

pdx · #10 04-01-2015, 08:42 PM

Virtuoso is pretty kick ***.