Does a freshly cleaned guitar sound better than a sticky, fingerprint-dappled one? Not likely, but a clean guitar is much more enjoyable to play — and looks infinitely better in photos and under stage lights. Do you know what’s on your guitar right now? Sweat residue, dead skin, and finger grease, that’s what — let’s fix that right now.
How to Clean Your Guitar’s Finish
A quick wipe down with a microfiber cloth after each playing session goes a long way toward keeping your guitar clean. But once or twice a year, it’s a good idea to do a proper cleaning — it prevents residue buildup and gives you a chance to inspect your instrument in closer detail once in a while. Whether your guitar has a nitrocellulose finish or a urethane finish, you should use a cleaning product specifically for guitars — don’t use a household cleaner or something with strong chemicals. Using the wrong cleaning product can create a hazy or discolored finish, or worse. Whatever type of guitar cleaning product you choose, make sure you apply it to a clean, soft cloth first, not directly onto your guitar. And before cleaning, dust off your guitar to ensure that you aren’t scratching your guitar by rubbing dust into it.
A Word on Cleaning vs. Polishing
As you explore guitar care products, you’ll notice that some are advertised as cleaners or detailers, and others are advertised as polishing agents. A cleaning product is intended to remove oils and residues — anything that has built up on your guitar’s finish. A polishing agent, on the other hand, is intended to smooth out microscopic imperfections in your guitar’s finish, creating a glossier, smoother look. Polishing agents are intended to be applied to an already-clean guitar finish and can help improve hazy or swirly-looking finishes.
Tips for Cleaning Nitrocellulose Finishes
Not all nitro finishes are the same — some are applied thinly and cure to feel rather hard. For these, you’ll typically only need a cleaner or detailing product like the Gibson Accessories Pump Polish & Polish Cloth Kit to make it look like new. Some nitro finishes are applied more thickly and can have a softer, gummier feel to them. This feel is not desirable on the guitar’s neck. If this is how your guitar feels, you’ll want to use a polishing product like MusicNomad Guitar Polish after cleaning — the microscopic compounds in the polish will help smooth away some of the stickiness of the finish. While a polishing product will make any guitar finish look great, polishing compounds are especially useful for guitars with thick nitro finishes. Many players love the way nitrocellulose-finished guitars age over decades, and the best way to maintain the look is regular cleaning and polishing.
A Warning About Nitro Finishes and Guitar Stands
While we’re talking nitrocellulose, you should be aware that certain rubber products and some other materials can potentially discolor your guitar’s nitro finish. Unfortunately, many guitarists learn this after retrieving their instrument from a guitar stand or wall hanger, only to find the neck or headstock blemished. There’s not much you can do to fix this, short of a refinish. The best thing to do if you have a nitro-finished guitar is to only use stands or hangers that specifically state they are safe for nitrocellulose finishes. When in doubt, simply place a cloth between your guitar and the stand or hanger.
Tips for Cleaning Urethane, Acrylic, Polyester Finishes
Aren’t modern materials great? Guitars finished in urethane, acrylic, polyester, and similar materials should look just like new in half a century — as long as you clean them once in a while, of course. Just like nitro-finished guitars, you can show your poly-coated guitars some love by applying a guitar cleaner like MusicNomad The Guitar One Cleaner to a cloth, then gently wiping your instrument down. If you really want it to look stellar, use a polishing product after cleaning for maximum shine. Just remember that using guitar-specific products is the best way to make sure you don’t blemish or damage your guitar’s finish.
The Importance of Your Guitar’s Finish— an anecdote from Don Carr
Sweetwater’s resident guitar guru Don Carr shared this story from the road, and it really highlights how important your guitar’s finish is:
I was playing with a guitarist that had a new guitar, and he had sanded off the finish on the neck for a smoother feel — but he hadn’t resealed it with tung oil or anything like that. We played outdoors, under a tent, during an all-day rainstorm. The cases were in the equipment truck but still saturated with humidity, as were all of the instruments. He wiped down his guitar the best he could and put it away. When we arrived at the gig the next day, his guitar neck was covered in mold! He had to literally sand it off.
How to Keep Your Guitar’s Finish Looking Its Best
OK, so there’s not much that goes into cleaning your guitar’s finish — use a guitar-specific cleaner appropriate for your type of finish, and apply to the cloth instead of directly to your guitar. It barely takes any time at all if you do it regularly. After all, it’s easier to keep something clean than it is to clean something that’s been neglected. And on that note…
Keep Your Guitar in a Case
The obvious reason is that a guitar case or gig bag is a physical barrier, preventing your instrument from scratches and spilled beverages. The less-obvious reason is that a guitar case is kind of an environmental barrier too, protecting your guitar from rapid changes in heat or humidity, and also blocking ultraviolet (UV) rays. Those things will affect your guitar’s finish over time, so to keep it looking like new, keep it in a case when you’re not playing it. Also, keep an eye out for any stray items in your guitar case before you close it up — any loose items that could potentially scratch your guitar should be stored elsewhere.
Put It on a Stand
When you’re playing your guitar and need to put it down for a moment, the safest place to put it is on a guitar stand. We’ve all leaned a guitar against the desk, wall, or amplifier before, and many of us have regretted that momentary lapse of reason. If you have a guitar with a nitrocellulose finish, read our warning above about how certain materials can cause adverse effects on nitro finishes.
Be Mindful of Your Belt Buckle
Metal belt buckles, or any metal jewelry for that matter, will scratch up your guitar’s finish. Even if it’s not a deep or noticeable gouge, small scrapes build up over time to create a beat-up appearance. If you want to keep the back of your guitar immaculate, but tend to wear belts onstage, consider a protector like the Scratch Pad Guitar Finish Protector.
Respect Your Instrument(s)
Playing a dirty guitar can be a sad and loathsome experience, but playing a freshly cleaned instrument is joyous and downright inspiring. We won’t promise that a regular cleaning routine for your guitar will lead to hit songs, but we are sure you will enjoy playing your guitar much more. The simple act of giving your guitar a once-over, and cleaning some dust of out its nooks and crannies, will make you feel a bit closer to your instrument — and that’s always a good thing.
We’re all musicians here at Sweetwater, and we like keeping our instruments clean too. If you have questions about the best ways to care for your guitar finish, or any other instrument, just give us a call at (800) 222-4700, and we’ll be happy to help.
