INSTRUMENT CARE                        Dave Hart

It has been suggested that as a furniture restorer, it may be time for me to write something on wooden instrument care. In this regard, I’ve been in contact with some kind folk to gain their opinions.

From Graham Wardrop: “Most of the instruments I have built I have French Polished. I believe a lacquered finish is more practical and hard wearing, but French Polish does have it's own look and attributes. It’s a very thin coating so there’s little or no effect on tone, which is great for a studio guitar or a home guitar that doesn't have to take the rigours of the road, but it is a finish that requires care and attention. Also it marks a lot easier than modern lacquer finishes. My choice is blonde shellac. French Polish is not a great finish for necks, as it gets sticky when in hot humid situations - I never take a French Polished instrument to the tropics, for instance. Good old polyurethane is a good finish for necks - I thin with turpentine to about 50 per cent strength and brush on several coats, lightly rubbing with xxxx grade steel wool between coats. I like the feel of this finish and it seems to stand up to constant playing very well.

My last couple of instruments have been finished, neck and all, with Liberon Finishing Oil and I'm very happy with the results. Once again I steel wool back quite radically between coats so that I build up several thin coats and the result is quite stunning and much easier going than French Polishing. Tone doesn't seem to be affected and the feel on the back of the neck is good.

Both French Polish and Finishing Oil are user friendly in terms of repairs - you can blend the finish over and around the repair relatively easily and near to invisibly. 

I like to oil my fingerboards with lemon oil, but no more than six monthly. Lemon oil helps to clean as well as lubricate the fingerboard and has a nice aroma. Natural oils in the skin keep a much played fingerboard well lubricated, but eventually things need to be cleaned. Once again, I clean the fingerboard with xxxx steel wool and then I rub in a coat of lemon oil. I have read that oiling the fingerboard too often can loosen frets - oil penetrates the fret slot and this can cause problems. Remember, playing the guitar a lot will keep the instrument sounding and feeling better than constant oiling and cleaning.

I use Martin guitar polish to clean the guitar when I change strings. Depending on my work load this may be every few days. Martin guitar polish is a very light polish that leaves no residue on the instrument. I religiously avoid any products that contain silicone (spray-on furniture polishes mainly) as silicone promotes a horrible stickiness that is intolerable. I don’t want to build consecutive coats of wax etc., I just want to clean the surface.

My favourite tip is always to wash your hands before you play the guitar. This not only minimizes stickiness and string squeaks, but also helps to keep your strings sounding nice and bright.”

From Steve Barkman: “My advice to people is simple. If your [musical] instrument gets dirty, wipe it clean with a slightly damp cloth and buff with a dry one .[An old, well washed out t-shirt is good.] Those with shellac-finished instruments should be aware enough to know what they've got and treat them accordingly. Lemon oil can be used on the fretboard of guitars, mandolins etc. It's what I use and have no reason to change. I DO NOT USE AND WOULD NOT ADVISE THE USE OF STEEL WOOL ANYWHERE NEAR A GUITAR! Those little slivers of steel left can rust and/ or get into pick-up magnets. If abrasives need to be used leave it to someone who knows what they're doing. If you want to shine the frets, good old wadding polish is the stuff and will do no harm.”

From Peter Madill: “ I don't really have any thing to add to what Steve has written. He
pretty much said it all. There are a couple of proprietary brands of guitar cleaner/polishes 
available that used carefully are okay, BUT careless use can do much harm!”

From Davy Stuart: “I definitely subscribe to the ‘less is good’ school of instrument care...obviously, through time, an instrument will get dull and dusty, but I would strongly recommend staying clear of any furniture type polish; a simple wipe with a slightly damp cloth should be enough. If there are any really grubby parts, just a drop or two of washing up liquid on a damp cloth should be enough to clean away most stains...finished off with a dry cloth. If you really want to polish it, then use a proprietary polish designed for the purpose, such as Martin Guitar Polish, available in most music shops.

As far as fingerboards go, natural oils coming off most people's hands should be enough, though again, there is often a build up of grime, in which case the damp cloth procedure once a year should be enough. Lemon oil is available and a light application will help both with cleaning and ‘feeding’ the wood. I'd steer well clear of anything truly abrasive like steel wool or the like.

As for day to day care, washing hands before playing is recommended, as is a good wipe down of the strings after playing with a dry cloth. There are also proprietary products available which help to keep strings clean like Fast Fret or Dr Stringfellow. Clean strings sound better!  If you really sweat a lot when playing, then consider using a coated string like Elixirs - they may cost twice the amount but they will truly last over twice as long as uncoated strings. If in doubt, ask a pro!”

Back to Dave Hart: Well, as I expected, I had a number of differing opinions, along with some sensible common ground. In summary, I would mention these points:

• Clearly, be very careful with, or avoid steel wool in any cleaning process.
• Avoid proprietary “Polish Revivers”, as most contain some pretty aggressive solvents which can damage the finish.
• Avoid silicone based spray polishes...even on furniture, these can cause a breakdown of the finish.
• Stick with the damp cloth, then a dry off, or limited judicial use of lemon oil on fingerboards. I believe that most fingerboards are not initially polished, as they are of Ebony, or Rosewood, so are naturally oily. Lemon oil is compatible with these timbers.
• Use a trusted guitar polish as mentioned above and keep the fingerboard as clean as possible by washing hand before playing and by wiping down the strings after playing. Bright stage lighting highlights those smudgy finger marks and it’s professional to present an instrument which looks cared for.