Best way to clean body and fret board?

Sorry to ask such a basic question, but I just got my first "nice" guitar and want to make sure I clean it the right way. There is a lot of conflicting info on the Web, does anyone know what Guild recommends?

I got some Fender (and, yes, I know that is a bad word these days around here...) Mist and Wipe with my new F-50 Std.

Works great. Mist the wipe, wipe the guitar, done. No residue.

Some folks believe that rosewood fret boards and bridges may need an occasional oiling. I personally have never felt the need to oil mine.

Neal

Your'e going to hear a lot of variations on this topic!

I'm with Neal on the Mist & Wipe. Great stuff but hard to find beyond the case pocket of a new Fender product. But it's made by Meguiar's, so similar products can be found. Just be sure to avoid anything containing silicone.

I clean rosewood and ebony boards by first giving them a light touch with some 0000 steel wool. Then, I apply a lemon oil/mineral oil blend and let it sit on there and soak in for a while. Wipe off any excess and restring.

I learned about Virtuoso cleaner and polish on this forum - top-notch products! They really do a great job. I still mist and wipe for quick after-gig wipedowns with Dunlop # 64 spray. Fingerboards; wash lightly with mild soap & water to remove dirt and gunk, let dry, treat with lemon oil, let it soak for a while, and towel it off.

not for shining up a guitar, but if it's for proper cleaning, as in getting greasy paw prints and sweat off a guitar : plain old zippo lighter fluid. (naphta). Put it on a micro-fiber cloth and go crazy.

See how many different opinions? And they're still rolling in. The way you clean a guitar is going to be based on how dirty it is. I know people who've acquired FILTHY guitars. For those REALLY dirty guitars with lots of grime and oils and years of gunk, I'm in with Walter. Go for the Naphthalene, or Naphtha. You can buy it at Home Depot or Lowe's or most hardware stores, or use lighter fluid which is basically the same thing. It's a chemical solvent that will dissolve oils and grime and gunk and will not hurt the finish. If your guitar is not very dirty, I hear the Mist and Wipe is really good. But I just use a damp, soft cloth. Plain water and wipe away, followed by a dry cloth. 0000 steel wool over the fretboard as Dave mentioned is a good thing. It polishes up your frets a bit too. Conditioner on a fretboard is fine, but no more than once every 1 or 2 years. They don't need much.

The main thing is to avoid anything with silicone in it. Silicone is used in furniture polishes and cleaners. Once it goes into the wood it's there for eternity. It will make future repairs and refinishing (if any) impossible. Has a bad impact on glues and finishes. Avoid those products.

Even though Dunlop #64 is mentioned above, it's been determined that, although it's made for guitars, it does have silicone in it, so I'd avoid that one. I know that some people swear by it, but I won't use it.

Virtuoso makes very good products. There's a cleaner and a polish.

Your guitar finish mostly needs is to be kept clean. Do the wipe down with a damp cloth and dry and polish with a clean dry cloth and you should be good to go. Where products and chemicals are concerned, less is best.

Oh and seeing a first post, WELCOME to LTG, Lucky!!!

LuckyTCB said:

...I just got my first "nice" guitar and want to make sure I clean it the right way. There is a lot of conflicting info on the Web,...

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Welcome to LTG! Tell us a bit more what guitar exactly you have. Also it depends if your guitar is finished with Nitrocellulose Lacquer or Polyurethan for instance. And if it is new or vintage and if the lacquer has cracks in the finish. Also is the fretboard Ebony, Rosewood or lacquered Maple (like on a Strat or Tele)?
Main thing to remember: Nothing that contains silicone. And any polish that goes into cracks to the bare wood will become dark and visible over time.
Ralf

Lots of interesting suggestions. I'm with Dave here, fretboard cleaning using 0000 steel wool and then a drop (literally....I still have 75% of a small bottle I bought ten years ago) of lemon oil. The steel wool will also remove any rough areas on the frets and leave them nice and shiny.
As for the body and because I've been satisfied with their automotive products, I use Meguiar's auto waxes sans the silicon, though you could use any of a number of products.

David

davismanLV said:

Conditioner on a fretboard is fine, but no more than once every 1 or 2 years. They don't need much.

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Tom and I have differing opinions on how to store instruments (I keep mine cased and he keeps his on display), but it's worth noting that even though he lives in an extreme dry climate and I live in an ideal humidity climate, we agree about that detail of how often fretboards need treatment.. :smile:

davismanLV said:

Oh and seeing a first post, WELCOME to LTG, Lucky!!!

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We agree about that too. AND I'm kinda surprised nobody's asked just what kind of guitar is it is yet.
:tranquillity:

spit and a pair of old underwear converted into a rag! IMO nothings better

I'm typically late to the party but WELCOME TO LTG, nonetheless.
You're already receiving stellar advice/answers so I'll just say, sit back and enjoy the forum!

Did anyone mention pics? :semi-twins:

Joe

drc said:

spit and a pair of old underwear converted into a rag! IMO nothings better

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Be careful doing that in public. The questions concerning whose underwear it was plus the blissful look on the face when holding it close to to the nose to spit are best avoided.

I use scraps from a well worn flannel shirt but the idea is the same - soft cotton, naturally "broken in".

Thanks so much for all of the input everybody! Looks like there was some consensus so I really appreciate it.