Best Cleaner/Polish for Orpheum Finish?

[29er]

So I've owned my 2013 Orpheum 12 fret dread for a few months now and have wiped it down with a moistened cloth followed up with a dry cloth. There is some sweat/gunk building up where my right arm rests on the top. Any recommendations on what product is safe for cleaning the finish on these guitars?

 

[midnightright]

Hi,

While I am not familiar with your particular model, I have recently begun to use Trick guitar polish, after reading about it on Spruce Tree Music's website. Their owner is a Luthier & also a guild dealer since like 1980. In my communications with him over the years, I've probably learned more about Guild guitars, and just guitars (acoustic) in general. I would imagine one of his criteria for selecting this one, was that it was safe, as I now maybe 5-10 years ago, it was stated under their guitar directions for maintenance & such (can't remember the exact title), that recent changes to Martin formula could compromise some finishes. But as to whether or not it would address the issue, or area you're speaking of -- if you're looking to reduce it's appearance, I could not say (folks usually recommend things like Naptha for that, I think. . .) I will say, however, that if you've got any weather checks / cracks in the finish around that spot, be very careful about rubbing over the top of it, as it can leak underneath, and leave a cloudy residue, that I haven't the foggiest clue how one would remove. I've purchased several used guilds with the designated "high gloss," finish that have demonstrated this phenomenon!

Good luck!

 

[davismanLV]

Nitrocellulose lacquer (used on the Orpheum line) is a good guitar finish but it can be compromised by sweat, body oils and heat from an arm draped over it. Using long sleeves in cotton is good to prevent further degradation but mostly you have to let it settle (wear the sleeve) and then clean with a non-silicone based cleaner like probably Virtuoso (cleaner and polish, two separate products) and hope that eventually the haziness in the lacquer will go away. Poly is much more durable, but that's not what you're dealing with. Lacquer will get cloudy when subjected to sweat, body oils and warmth. So clean it well, with a moistened cloth just like you're doing, and then use a sleeve when playing to eliminate skin contact. Eventually, it should polish up and lose the hazy look. The haziness is moisture, so clean it good, and then wait to polish until the haziness goes away, then once it's all shiny again, you can polish if you feel you must. Lacquer does not require polish to look good.

 

[SFIV1967]

+1 on Virtuoso Polish (Cleaner is only for real old lacquer)

About our Products - The Virtuoso Group, Inc.

Virtuoso Premium Polish and Virtuoso Premium Cleaner are two superior musical instrument care products that were especially developed for vintage

virtuosopolish.com

Ralf

 

[dreadnut]

Another vote for Virtuoso!

 

[richardp69]

I kinda like gunk.

 

[GGJaguar]

For lacquer with normal schmutz, I concur on the Virtuoso products, but for super gunked up guitars, I use Planet Waves Restore Deep Cleaning Polish.

 

[Guildedagain]

Playing shirtless or in short sleeves in the summer will do a permanent number on your guitar, unless you keep up on the wiping down religiously. Sometimes just blowing your breath on it in a moist enough environment 30+ % and vigorous wiping with a non treated actual guitar cleaning cloth is all you need. Polishes are just smelly crap as far as I'm concerned, will never buy another bottle of Martin guitar polish, Gibson polish (I used to really like that one), Goerlitz Guitar Honey, etc. All toxic.

If I really need to clean some old crap off, like when finally selling a guitar and bcause Covid, and I don't particularly dig 20 years of someone else DNA all over the instrument I'm about to get shirtless and personal with, I reach for good old Meguiars Cleaner Wax that has no Silicones in it. If I need more, I go for the Fine Cut Cleaner, If I really want to go through some bad scratches like on my Dano 3021 Page model when I bought it it looked like someone tried to wipe the top down with a Brillo pad, I got for the Heavy Cut Cleaner, and all the way back out to the Cleaner Wax. Also, I will not hesitate to wet sand finish if I think it will benefit from it.

I bring the polish out of the Nitro by rubbing it at super human speeds, you can can really get some heat going, you can even get it to flow a little if you have to over a booboo.

But make no mistake, once a top is clouded in the corner from you arm, from having been left that way for ten plus years, even after all the rubbing in the world, you will still see some clouding.

Nitro laquer lets the wood breathe and age and that's good for tone. If Guild thought we couldn't handle some cosmetic imperfections from use, they would have sprayed there with Poly like millions of other guitars, but it is higher maintenance, and also reacts to things, like guitar straps left on in the case, etc.

 

[Rayk]

So I've owned my 2013 Orpheum 12 fret dread for a few months now and have wiped it down with a moistened cloth followed up with a dry cloth. There is some sweat/gunk building up where my right arm rests on the top. Any recommendations on what product is safe for cleaning the finish on these guitars?

Try this and use light pressure and buff .
I'mbnot recommending this but I will mention as it worked for me .
Buff with 2,000 and higher sanding pads .

With both ideas if you try them do a test spot as small as possible see if does the trick .

Disregard if you have fixed already . Lol

 

[merlin6666]

I used to play my Orpheums wearing short sleeve shirts in the summers and disliked the sweat residue a lot. Now I just don't play them that much anymore in the summer and when I play them I make sure to wear long sleeves or one of the arm protectors I have. As for getting rid of the build up I actually use spit and a microfiber cloth. That's the organic way of doing it.

 

[gjmalcyon]

Another +1 for Virtuoso products. And F ONE oil for fingerboards and bridges:

Fretboard F-ONE Oil - Guitar Fretboard Cleaner & Conditioner - MuiscNomad - Music Nomad

F-ONE gives guitar fretboard and fingerboard wood its life back. F-ONE is lemon oil-free and petroleum-free. Protect your unfinished fretboard/fingerboard.

www.musicnomadcare.com

 

[kostask]

I agree with Guilded again, for the most part. we disagree only on the use of the Meguiar's Cleaner Wax.

The only Meguiar's products that are guaranteed to not have any silicones on them are the Mirror Glaze line, which really isn't a consumer grade product, but a body shop product that has made its way over to the consumer world. It is sold as being Body Shop safe, and that is specifically because it doesn't contain silicones. Silicones will cause all sorts of issues with car paint, even if they are not directly sprayed onto the car surface.

For light cleaning duties, use Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #9, which is a chemical cleaner (non abrasive). If it isn't enough to clean what you want to clean, use Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #2 Fine Cut Cleaner. The product of last resort (prior to going to a luthier), is Meguiar's Medium Cut Cleaner (I don't remember if it is #1, or #3). Best place to get them is any car parts place, in the wash, polish and wax section. Another side benefit is that compared to the "guitar polishes" (and I don't care which one you want to use to compare with), the Meguiar's stuff is very cheap. It may cost about the same, but the bottles in comparison are huge, so for the same price, you end up with enough to last 4-5 lifetimes (conservatively), and they don't go bad. Use with a micro-fiber cloth, and buff by hand. It takes longer, but doesn't generate any heat.

To treat fingerboards (rosewood or ebony) get some non-polymerized Walnut oil. Make sure that it is non-polymerized, as the polymerized walnut oil will leave a layer behind. You can get this at any woodworking supply store. I get mine at Lee Valley Tools because I know where they are, not because they are the cheapest or best.

 

[29er]

Thanks, folks. A lot of good info shared! I'm not overly bothered by the gunk but will try the Virtuoso polish.

 

[davismanLV]

What kostask said above ^^. I used Meguiars Mirror Glaze products in my furniture refinishing business all the time and they're really the best. But don't stray from Mirror Glaze!! People would bring me old stuff to be stripped and refinished that had been soaked and laden with Pledge and such or lemon oil polish with all the silicone and lacquer would just bubble around and try and find somewhere else to go...... soooo awful. So unless your guitar is super dirty, then just damp wipe and dry polish with cotton. And sometimes if there's damage it's almost better if you just leave it alone that go crazy trying to fix something that may resolve one day eventually, or not. Wear a sleeve..... good advice!!