Comments on: Three Tips for Maintaining Your Guitar

By: Jack

Jack — Sat, 04 Feb 2012 22:45:53 +0000

I have a 1986 Ferrari red Melody maker, and while it is not one of the most expensive models, i do know how to care for it as it is an antique now.

NEVER (and i’ve been told this by a Luthier)…never EVER use petroleum products on a guitar. There is some very BAD advice here, and i showed a Luthier this and he was Livid.

There are people on the net with very expensive, and highly sought after guitars, and they could be ruined if these tips were used.

Pictire this…
A family member recieves a highly valuable and sought after original Les Paul custom in min condition that was left to them by a family membert that passed away. They wanted to care for it, and came here, got WD-40 on their MOTHER OF PEARL inlays, waxed their guitar to a high sheen which ruins the original look of the finish, and months later their neck is ruined, their inlays are discolored, their barazillian rosewood fretboard has permeable oil in it and has swelled, and ther guitar is ruined to where it has to be refurbed…now the value of it is cut in half at the least, and a guitar that was worth 10’s of thousands, might not even make the book value of a 2012 model.

People if you read this DO NOT do these things to a guitar EVER. Learn how to properly care for your guitar by a pro that KNOWS what they are doing or leave it alone and take it to a pro.

BTW, I also have a ES 335 my grandfather left me, and thank god I know better than to do these things to it. I am emotionally attached to that guitar and if anything ever happened to it like I have read here there would be hell to pay.

By: chris

chris — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 13:47:50 +0000

For the flat finish question-
On a couple of my guitars (Baby Taylor) (Yamaha F-35) I’ve used lienseed oil. (Not on the board) just a small amount at a time, a little goes a long way! Rub it on the body with a lint free cloth wait a min. And wipe it off. A few small applications and one every month or so. I do it when I change strings. I’m with the no lube on strings guy. It’s great for a couple days and then strings/dead! I am a string snob… Anyway, lienseed oil… HUGE IMPROVEMENT! They both are beautiful now, instead of looking like cardbord. Another thing I was really happy with is true-oil gunstock products. Though I don’t recommend your guitar to be the first thing you experiment/practice on. Good luck!

By: bag charm

bag charm — Wed, 06 Apr 2011 02:17:28 +0000

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By: Daivy Smith

Daivy Smith — Thu, 24 Mar 2011 04:12:59 +0000

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By: mostpopulararticle

mostpopulararticle — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 21:18:02 +0000

Your Triond articles are being followed by The Triond Experiment blog and when your articles happen to be related to the blog posts, your article links are automatically pulled up and attached with the blog posts as a related article. This article is currently showed under "More Music Articles from Musicouch " inOn Guitar With or Without You . Thanks and best of luck!

By: Me

Me — Mon, 25 Oct 2010 17:55:48 +0000

Professionals rarely know how to set up or maintain their instrument. That’s why there are guitar techs.
” uses or does this so it must be good!” Not always the case. Perhaps the reason the pros use WD-40 is because they have custom built instruments that cost about $5,000. At that price you can probably piss on it, send it into space, have monkeys club each other with it and it will still play fine. Now if you’re putting WD-40 on an instrument that cost less than $1,000 then you’re going to have trouble. Cheap tips maybe a quick fix but in the long run you’ll be spending the same or even more.

By: Dave

Dave — Tue, 07 Sep 2010 19:37:18 +0000

I use WD-40 on my guitar all the time its totally fine, as was mentioned fret boards are sealed so now issue there…wd-40 is used on electronics and machinary so the guy who said wd-40 plus electrics is bad is a idiot. using WD40 i can keep a set of strings sounding brand new for well over a month, considering i play live so often fitting new strings every time they went dull would cost alot normally.
Iv never noticed the WD40 effecting my finish on my guitar in away way shape or form so i wouldnt worry to be honest.
When i heard that WD40 will ruin my finish i purposely sprayed abit on the back of my schecter black jack n rubbed it in abit, and absolutly nothing happened wat so ever maybe it was a bit cleaner.

By: pyroclastic flow

pyroclastic flow — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 04:14:49 +0000

Does anybody know what Willie Nelson uses to keep his guitar looking so good?
If anyone wants to buy sheila shine, I sell it buy the case. I work in sales @ a large chemical and janitorial distributor, and I have to agree with bomar. Most of the chemicals are the same but it is all packaged to be targeted at certain markets. Everyone should do what they think works best, which should increase their overall playing confidence, and that my friends matters more than all the polish and fret fast in the world. (ex. I’m sure we’ve all seen someone pickup a crappy instrument and make it sound like gold.) I saw eddie van halen play through jerry cantrell’s guitar and rig. All of a sudden wham- the guitar and rig sounded like eddie van halen’s. What I am saying is that too many musician’s equate an artist’s sound with the equipment first then the talent. I feel very strongly that it is quite the opposite. Be more concerned with pouring your soul out on a fretboard before some damn chemical.(Jimi’s guitar sounds like crap in the star spangled banner, yet his soul was beyond any tuning or string.)

By: Mike

Mike — Tue, 28 Apr 2009 04:10:09 +0000

I used a cleaner that a friend turned me on to for getting a brighter tone. After using the WD40 take a can of Sheila Shine and spray the same size spot on a clean part of the cloth then rub it on the strings where they hang above the pickups and rub down the pickups too. Sheila Shine is used in kitchens for degreasing exhaust hoods and other stainless appliances. It made my old T60 scream like a damned soul