How To Clean An Acoustic Guitar Fretboard

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Learning how to clean an acoustic guitar is an of import role of caring for your instrument.

This step past step guide will show you lot how to clean your guitar including protecting it every bit you clean. It?due south pretty unproblematic really, there are just a couple of things you should know before starting.

Cleaning the Fretboard

Probably the most important role of cleaning your guitar is cleaning the fretboard. All the dirt, grime and oil that comes off your fingers can make for a dirty surface which can eventually bear on your playing.

A dirty fretboard will as well hateful that your strings will deteriorate quicker, lose their tone quicker and therefore require irresolute more often.

Your frets may too start to testify signs of rust at some signal simply this is also easily remedied.

Notation: there are some products that you can use on maple fretboards (which are usually on electric guitars) that you definitely shouldn?t utilize on rosewood and ebony fretboards.

Maple fretboards normally have a protective finishing, whereas rosewood and ebony fretboards are unfinished. The products used on finished maple fretboards volition damage unfinished forest.

Footstep one: Remove the strings

You lot will need to remove the strings of the guitar to make clean the fretboard properly, and then the best time to do this is when you are changing your strings . You lot probably won?t need to clean your guitar every time you lot alter your strings (depending on how often y'all change them!).

Once every vi months should be fine for near people – and even once a year is fine if y'all don?t play that frequently. It?southward actually bad to make clean it likewise ofttimes as the oils in your fingers act as a natural conditioner. Merely there is also crud left behind which should exist cleaned up every now and and then.

I detect information technology'south easiest to gear up up on a table or bench and with something to back up the neck to terminate information technology from over balancing when you are trying to clean.

Stride two: Protect the finish on the Trunk and the Soundhole

Correct, and so after y'all accept removed the strings, you lot will want to make sure your guitar is protected.

Use masking record to cover the peak of the guitar that runs alongside the fretboard. Use the same tape to cover the soundhole so that y'all don?t get particles from the steel wool (encounter below) inside the guitar – this volition also protect any magnetic pickups (if you have them)?within the guitar from attracting the steel wool fragments.

Before applying the record it?s a good idea to give the area where you are taping a quick rub down to make sure it?s gratuitous of grit.

Stride iii: Make clean the fretboard/frets

For this I take institute the all-time and easiest mode?is to use?fine grade steel wool. Some people freak when you lot say to employ steel wool on their precious fretboard – but the steel wool y'all utilize is very fine grade.

It is very important that y'all use 0000 course steel wool. If the steel wool is besides harsh it will damage your fretboard. Merely this very fine grade does a great task for cleaning up the fretboard and the frets at the same time. And information technology?s very easy to do.

Simply run the steel wool up and downwardly the fretboard starting from the kickoff fret and working your mode down towards the audio hole. Always do this up and down the fretboard, with the grain of the wood (not width-means across the fretboard).

Once you take cleaned the fretboard it?s important that you lot remove all of the steel wool fibres. Utilize a soft brush (a soft bristled pigment castor works well – provided you haven?t used it for painting!) to brush away all of the fibres before conditioning.

Step 4: Workout the Fretboard

Take a fabric – and put a pocket-sized amount of linseed oil or lemon oil. I endeavour to get a product that is specifically designed for guitars (and that it's noted that it's safety and practiced for the particular type of fretboard that I'yard conditioning) so that I can be sure that it will exist rubber.

Put the oil on the fabric not direct on the fretboard.

Employ but a small amount and wipe it onto the fretboard with the textile. One time you have wiped it?on take a dry part of the cloth or a new cloth that?due south dry out, and buff off any backlog oil.

Cleaning the Trunk and Neck

This is something that y'all can do after every time you play the guitar to avoid it getting muddy. This is of course upwardly to you depending on how clean you similar to proceed your guitar.

Regular Cleaning

If you practise similar to regularly clean your guitar – like giving it a quick wipe down after every fourth dimension you play y'all only need to practice this with a dry out material – preferably a 100% cotton wool material.

An onetime t-shirt can piece of work fine, particularly if it?s 100% cotton wool. Try not to clean with the printed parts of the t-shirt – sometimes this tin scratch the finish.

Every now then I as well like to do a thorough make clean.

Thorough Clean

If you don?t clean the summit, back, sides and cervix regularly you may need to give it a scrap more of a clean.

Or even if you do clean it regularly sometimes it will need more of a clean and that spot between the sound hole and the bridge may need some extra attention (easier to access when you lot have the strings off).

If so then yous can use a mild soap and water solution. Always utilise this to your rag or textile and never directly on the guitar and make sure that the cloth is just slightly damp – non moisture.

Wipe down the top, dorsum, sides & neck and to brand certain there isn?t extra moisture wipe it down over again with a dry cloth or dry part of the cloth you are using.

Polishing

If you lot want to give your guitar that great smooth then you might want to polish it after cleaning.

Annotation: It?s very of import that you don?t utilise general furniture polishes and never use waxes or polishes with a silicone base.

I like to stick with guitar specific polishes so that I know that I am getting something that isn?t harming the finish on my guitar.

The process is pretty much the same as it is for cleaning the guitar. Put a small amount of the shine on the material (never direct on the guitar) and wipe over the top, back, sides & neck of the guitar.

Now utilise a dry cloth or dry part of the cloth and buff information technology all off.

Don?t forget the neck besides – a nice make clean, polished neck can exist really nice to play on.

While your strings are off

While your strings are off the guitar it?southward too a not bad idea to clean the headstock and also to tighten the nuts on the capstan (the parts of the automobile heads that hold the strings).

You can also tighten the screws in the tuning pegs if they are lose – whilst you can do this when the strings are on also information technology?s a proficient habit to get into and so that you lot remember to do it when you practice a clean.