ax wax question

[Woodde]

I was polishing my guitars the other day using Dr. Duck's ax wax. I bought this product to use on my fret board, but on the bottle it says use on whole guitar. Well I put some on a micro cloth and went to polish my Taylor 314. When I went to polish the back (does not have a gloss finish on back) the guitar just soaked up the polish rather quickly.
I keep the guitar cased and properly humidified. Will the use of this product on the back of my Taylor damage it? How often should it be used? I was told about once a year on the fret board. And what are the dangers associated with over oiling? Mainly looking for info on proper maintenance and how to prevent unneeded damages. TY all in advance

[B. Howard]

Taylor recommends that the fret board be oiled with boiled linseed oil once a year or so. for finished surfaces they recommend spray turtle wax just like for your auto. Though admittedly there are a lot of other products that will fit the bill. If you like DR. Ducks use it, I use Smith's poro polish myself. You should wipe down your instrument with a clean soft cloth anytime you finish playing to get off the bulk of the sweat and grime and then apply polish as needed to keep the surface clean and looking good.

[Ned Milburn]

Originally Posted by Woodde

I was polishing my guitars the other day using Dr. Duck's ax wax. I bought this product to use on my fret board, but on the bottle it says use on whole guitar. Well I put some on a micro cloth and went to polish my Taylor 314. When I went to polish the back (does not have a gloss finish on back) the guitar just soaked up the polish rather quickly.
I keep the guitar cased and properly humidified. Will the use of this product on the back of my Taylor damage it? How often should it be used? I was told about once a year on the fret board. And what are the dangers associated with over oiling? Mainly looking for info on proper maintenance and how to prevent unneeded damages. TY all in advance

I treat fingerboards only with lemon oil. It does not build up as other fingerboard treatment concoctions sometimes do. I don't mind if a bit of olive oil gets on the fingerboard while French polishing, but don't purposefully treat the fingerboard with it.

As for the rest of the guitar, I use 3M Imperial Hand Glaze (an automotive product) that used to be rebranded by daddario years ago as a guitar polish.

For matte finishes, sometimes no polish can be best. If you need to do any cleaning, a lightly dampened cotton cloth will likely be your friend. (spritz the cloth once or twice with water, or use water with a half drop of dish soap in it).

[Arthur Blake]

Originally Posted by Ned Milburn

I use 3M Imperial Hand Glaze (an automotive product) that used to be rebranded by daddario years ago as a guitar polish.

I've been using this when needed - recommended by a guitar shop as the best he ever was given out of the many samples received, primarily because it does not build up:
http://www.musicnomadcare.com/guitarone.html

Very small quantities are used.

Brilliant. Clean. Smooth.

No connection to the company, but I do like the product - plus it lasts a long time.

I always wipe the guitar after playing, but with warm weather, if the cloth doesn't slide smoothly over the body, a bit of polish cleans it right up, protects, smells nice, looks great.

One more thing, it also works on the Tolex covered hard shell case. Shines up the hardware, adds sheen to the surface without residue or buildup, and the spray only dispenses a tiny amount so you're not using much to achieve a lot.

Have also used their fretboard oil with very good results, but I use it only when needed.