Naptha won't hurt bare wood-it will evaporate. I use it to clean rosewood fingerboards after fret work. It's also used to highlight figured grain in lumber to simulate a finish for photos-it won't raise the grain like water will. It's about the safest thing to clean any part of a guitar.
Dave! I use guardsmen ( no silicone) furniture polish on my guitars for years. So far, nothing has exploded. I have no idea what's in fast fret but it works great. Still love ya!
Dave - as you may remember I just recently subbed your channel. It is very informative and I appreciate what you do for the YT community. I have learned quite a bit. Thanks Again and keep up the good vids.
Great vid Dave....I've been using window cleaner on my guitars with no ill effect on either rosewood or maple...seems to work good...It is the stuff that's ok on window tint.
Funny and informative. I use a cheapo electric toothbrush to do the scrubbing on the fretboard and the metal parts. Several hundred RPM makes short work of it.
Me loves you! You're awesome and stuff! You're kinda neat too! Thanks for you're educational videos... I LOVE "EM ALL! Nice 'tricks of the trade' and 'trial and error' issues to help others to not make as many mistakes. Thanks again for caring. I've been a guitarist, bassist, drummer, vocalist, keyboardist, and vocalist... that a lot of ISTs... for nearly 30 yrs, and I didn't even know a lot of your tips. GRACIAS SENOR!
The reason that many guitar techs refuse to use lighter fluid is exactly what several of the respondents stated below, namely, that most guitarists think that cleaning a fret board is like cleaning a pane of glass, when it's nothing like that. Dave's videos show how fast lighter fluid evaporates, and most guitarists end up applying way too much, so they end up with too much and that can be damaging but applying it after dripping it onto a clean cloth is correct and won't do any damage if wiped right off.
Dave, a lady at my work asked me to clean up/fix her deceased fathers Univox Hi Flyer Phase II guitar so she could give it to her son. I reattached some of the wiring to the controls and cleaned according to your instructions and it looked great. I know it's not a high value instrument but she asked me if I would repair the dings, scratches in the finish. I told her, like anticque furniture, it's value will be better in the "played" condition if her son ever wanted to sell it. Do you agree? Thanks, Jerry PS You are so right about You Tube!
I Love your '75 Jazz bass! Also your videos are very helpful, they helped me finish y project guitar, and it turned out to be quite a tone monster, too bad, bass is my primary instrument haha
...and to think I always thought Hendrix set his guitar on fire on purpose. He was cleaning his fretboard, and forgot to put our his joint. :) Definitely gonna try the lighter fluid for cleaning, I like the way it evaporates quickly.
Never a dull moment Dave!!! Love it! What you think about the variety cleaning packs sold that have fretboard conditioner, cleaners, polishes all in the same pack?
U da MAN! Can't wait for the goofs to emerge! Will they see their shadow? Would it mean another 6 weeks of Gooch? I worked with solid woods for cabinets, toys, furniture and was taught by the old and wizened to ALWAYS treat both sides of wood the same. If one side is finished the other side should be finished the same way. So why are acoustic guitars finished only on the outside? Won't that lead to checking and cracking as one surface expands and contracts differently from the other?
Now that you've cleaned it, please play some lines on that gorgeous Jazz bass. I'm pretty sure nobody won't mind you getting a little sentimental all the while. :-) Cheers Dave - great vids, both part 1 & 2!
Damn nice Bass's (Is that a word) Dave, If ya ever get bored show a little tour of your Bass/Guitar collection and give us a little sound comparison, Unless you've already done this and if so I need ta get ta watchin more Davey vids. Peace!
you mentioned using canned air if a guy doesn't have an air compressor. Some of those have contain some chemicals that can leave a white residue on surfaces. A tip there is to shake the can beforehand, but keep the can very still when aimed at the target item - the air will then stay clear.
Most of the concoctions on the market do nothing but gum things up. They may make it look nice for the short term, but when they age, they're a mess and sometimes hell to clean off. I suppose there are some that really work, but I haven't found them yet.
davey,can you if you ever get a chance to a video on setting up a fretless bass..there is not one video online i can find on it..its a big ask i know but i set up my own guitars thanks to your other videos but with the fretless it just does not quite work,think i am missing something..cheers ...
My Washburn Montgomery fretboard has an uneven lighter area on the right side. Uneven as in color. Don't see that too often. The whole length of it. Much lighter and blonder. Do I stain?
Alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chlorides, alkyl dimethyl ethylbenzyl ammonium chlorides, probably some water, alcohol free. It would kill the germs! I have a maple neck & fret board, but the neck is so worn in many spots I don't know if it's still "sealed." Speaking of the neck being worn, it's also dirty on sections of the back where the wear is, how can I clean that up? Thanks!
I understand now. I have always been under the impression that Jimi Hendrix used to squirt lighter fluid on his guitar in order to set it on fire. It is now blatantly obvious to me that he was just trying CLEAN his guitar. The fact that it caught on fire was apparently an accident, one more testimony as to why you should not smoke on stage!
I've heard that furniture polish (such as pledge) eats into the lacquer finish and gets into the wood if somebody sands it down to refinish. Other than that, what's wrong with using pledge? I'm asking because there are some guitar techs around here that use pledge.
My only problem with lighter fluid is that I can only imagine playing a solo and an ember falls onto my fretboard and then my guitar catches fire and and I lose my arm in a huge fretboard fireball... That would be more than lame.
would you recommend industrial mirror cleaner be good for cleaning the residue from stickers and electrical tape residue off and and also cleaning dust dust off my bass and guitar?
What do you use for string cleaning? I have a Dunlop cleaning kit that includes a string cleaner but I'm sure it's a branded version of something generic.
What about flat finishes or matte finishes? I have a Gtr & the back of the neck is highly polished from playing & just between the pick ups where my picking hand rest is now shiny how can I get that Matte Flat Satin finish back & what should I use I don't want it polished..Thx Dave Cheers from Athens!
hey dave, do you use express shine wax or anything like that? I got that from the elixir string vids. They do it for their laqcuered acoustic-electrics. Thanks.
WD 40 will get all over your fingers every time you play, and won't sink in like linseed or mineral oil. While it wouldn't actually harm the wood, it would be tough to hang onto the guitar after you did. WD 40 is primarily fish oil. It can and will go bad after a time, imagine that, rotten fish oil on your guitar. WD has a million uses, but that's not one of them. mineral oil or boiled or raw linseed is the way to go, so far as I know. Stay away from the other prepared concoctions, too.
In part 1 he said it was Simple Green. I use a dab of dishwashing liquid and water, you can also put it in a spay bottle and spritz the cleaning rag with it (don't spray it onto the guitar.)
Linseed oil boiled or not may selfignite and cause fire...remember to soak all used textiles in water before tossing them in the trash or flush soaked paper in the toilet..."read the bottles warningsign"
I just have to laugh when people complain and moan about ads on UA-cam. "There's ads on UA-cam?" is my response basically. Just download Firefox and install adblock plus. :P
You can stop the rust with a little oil once it's clean, but its just a matter of time before your adjustment screws are shot. Clean it up and oil it lightly, then squirrel away 5 bucks a week or so for a replacement bridge. ;)
How will it ruin your guitar exactly? If anything, using water will ruin your guitar you dummy - water and wood does not mix too well, especially when the glues used can be dissolved by water and there are all kinds of holes for water to go into and make the wood swell up.
dave keep doing what you are doing i have learned and laughed more watching your videos than i have in years thanks for that
7 years later: You nailed what you were talking about in the intro. Welcome to CorpTube.......
Lol that intro rant about UA-cam was spot on
Naptha won't hurt bare wood-it will evaporate. I use it to clean rosewood fingerboards after fret work. It's also used to highlight figured grain in lumber to simulate a finish for photos-it won't raise the grain like water will. It's about the safest thing to clean any part of a guitar.
Dave! I use guardsmen ( no silicone) furniture polish on my guitars for years. So far, nothing has exploded. I have no idea what's in fast fret but it works great. Still love ya!
Thanks Dave! You are the greatest!
You kill me! Thanks for posting your videos. They are really helpful.
Dave - as you may remember I just recently subbed your channel. It is very informative and I appreciate what you do for the YT community. I have learned quite a bit.
Thanks Again and keep up the good vids.
Great vid Dave....I've been using window cleaner on my guitars with no ill effect on either rosewood or maple...seems to work good...It is the stuff that's ok on window tint.
Funny and informative. I use a cheapo electric toothbrush to do the scrubbing on the fretboard and the metal parts. Several hundred RPM makes short work of it.
Me loves you! You're awesome and stuff! You're kinda neat too! Thanks for you're educational videos... I LOVE "EM ALL! Nice 'tricks of the trade' and 'trial and error' issues to help others to not make as many mistakes. Thanks again for caring. I've been a guitarist, bassist, drummer, vocalist, keyboardist, and vocalist... that a lot of ISTs... for nearly 30 yrs, and I didn't even know a lot of your tips. GRACIAS SENOR!
The reason that many guitar techs refuse to use lighter fluid is exactly what several of the respondents stated below, namely, that most guitarists think that cleaning a fret board is like cleaning a pane of glass, when it's nothing like that. Dave's videos show how fast lighter fluid evaporates, and most guitarists end up applying way too much, so they end up with too much and that can be damaging but applying it after dripping it onto a clean cloth is correct and won't do any damage if wiped right off.
Dave, a lady at my work asked me to clean up/fix her deceased fathers Univox Hi Flyer Phase II guitar so she could give it to her son. I reattached some of the wiring to the controls and cleaned according to your instructions and it looked great. I know it's not a high value instrument but she asked me if I would repair the dings, scratches in the finish. I told her, like anticque furniture, it's value will be better in the "played" condition if her son ever wanted to sell it. Do you agree? Thanks, Jerry PS You are so right about You Tube!
I Love your '75 Jazz bass! Also your videos are very helpful, they helped me finish y project guitar, and it turned out to be quite a tone monster, too bad, bass is my primary instrument haha
another great video series,thanks dave!
Love watching your videos - your a great guy!
...and to think I always thought Hendrix set his guitar on fire on purpose. He was cleaning his fretboard, and forgot to put our his joint. :) Definitely gonna try the lighter fluid for cleaning, I like the way it evaporates quickly.
Never a dull moment Dave!!! Love it! What you think about the variety cleaning packs sold that have fretboard conditioner, cleaners, polishes all in the same pack?
Nice J bass.... I want that bound/blocked neck for mine
U da MAN!
Can't wait for the goofs to emerge! Will they see their shadow? Would it mean another 6 weeks of Gooch?
I worked with solid woods for cabinets, toys, furniture and was taught by the old and wizened to ALWAYS treat both sides of wood the same. If one side is finished the other side should be finished the same way.
So why are acoustic guitars finished only on the outside? Won't that lead to checking and cracking as one surface expands and contracts differently from the other?
Wish I could find Ronsonol here in Utah!
Now that you've cleaned it, please play some lines on that gorgeous Jazz bass. I'm pretty sure nobody won't mind you getting a little sentimental all the while. :-)
Cheers Dave - great vids, both part 1 & 2!
Damn nice Bass's (Is that a word) Dave, If ya ever get bored show a little tour of your Bass/Guitar collection and give us a little sound comparison, Unless you've already done this and if so I need ta get ta watchin more Davey vids. Peace!
you mentioned using canned air if a guy doesn't have an air compressor. Some of those have contain some chemicals that can leave a white residue on surfaces. A tip there is to shake the can beforehand, but keep the can very still when aimed at the target item - the air will then stay clear.
Search youtube for home made canned air. There's one that uses a 2l plastic coke bottle and a bicycle pump.
Love the ending!
Most of the concoctions on the market do nothing but gum things up. They may make it look nice for the short term, but when they age, they're a mess and sometimes hell to clean off. I suppose there are some that really work, but I haven't found them yet.
Nice vid, and cool guitars.
Well you learn something new everyday! thanks for replying so fast.
Great videos Dave! :D
@Songwriter4God Awesome, just did it. Thanks! :)
it is really getting difficult anymore, but keep up the good work bro !!!! Peace
thanx dave... now i hope no one is going to ask again.
davey,can you if you ever get a chance to a video on setting up a fretless bass..there is not one video online i can find on it..its a big ask i know but i set up my own guitars thanks to your other videos but with the fretless it just does not quite work,think i am missing something..cheers ...
any special recomendations on cleaning my 53 gibson j45? the finish is quite checked.
thanks for all the great videos btw
My Washburn Montgomery fretboard has an uneven lighter area on the right side. Uneven as in color. Don't see that too often. The whole length of it. Much lighter and blonder. Do I stain?
Alkyl dimethyl benzyl ammonium chlorides, alkyl dimethyl ethylbenzyl ammonium chlorides, probably some water, alcohol free. It would kill the germs! I have a maple neck & fret board, but the neck is so worn in many spots I don't know if it's still "sealed." Speaking of the neck being worn, it's also dirty on sections of the back where the wear is, how can I clean that up? Thanks!
Interesting looking pickup. It is similar to a split p-bass in terms of sound or function (like, no hum or something)?
You should be careful with the alcohol. I heard that if you leave it on metal too long it can cause rust.
I understand now. I have always been under the impression that Jimi Hendrix used to squirt lighter fluid on his guitar in order to set it on fire. It is now blatantly obvious to me that he was just trying CLEAN his guitar. The fact that it caught on fire was apparently an accident, one more testimony as to why you should not smoke on stage!
Hey man! How about Gorgomyte instead of the siawool? Cheers! Great videos!
what's that?
Another great video!
What chemical did you spray on the bridge?
I've heard that furniture polish (such as pledge) eats into the lacquer finish and gets into the wood if somebody sands it down to refinish. Other than that, what's wrong with using pledge? I'm asking because there are some guitar techs around here that use pledge.
Did you test it? If so, thanks for doing that. What about cleaning the dirt on my worn neck?
My only problem with lighter fluid is that I can only imagine playing a solo and an ember falls onto my fretboard and then my guitar catches fire and and I lose my arm in a huge fretboard fireball... That would be more than lame.
Well, 9 years ago you called it....UA-cam is TV now
Dave always says it like it is.
@@MrGarage Hes my new hero lol
@@DirtyDiezel if you do have an interest in guitar set ups and maintenance, you're not gonna find a better source of wisdom than Dave. Cheers!
UA-cam will loose a lot of it's attractivity and - as we say in German - the caravanserai will move on...
Cheers Dave - thanx for the videos
would you recommend industrial mirror cleaner be good for cleaning the residue from stickers and electrical tape residue off and and also cleaning dust dust off my bass and guitar?
ah first comment, but then again, dave you don't care :)
Awesome vids!!! keep it up
Grtz From Belgium
Sorry about that last comment, I entered without finishing it. Anyway, would you recommended Murphy's Oil Soap for cleaning a rosewood fretboard.
What do you use for string cleaning? I have a Dunlop cleaning kit that includes a string cleaner but I'm sure it's a branded version of something generic.
Freaking YT and the limits on the responses. My previous post made a little more sense. before I had to edit.
Hopefully you got the idea.
Cheers!
What about flat finishes or matte finishes? I have a Gtr & the back of the neck is highly polished from playing & just between the pick ups where my picking hand rest is now shiny how can I get that Matte Flat Satin finish back & what should I use I don't want it polished..Thx Dave Cheers from Athens!
What if the lacquer is old and has a lot of checking?
I want to add the ash trays to my Jazz bass. But it's never had them. Is there a template to drill the holes? Or just eye ball it?
@davey4557 OK, so you can use Lighter fluid/naptha on rosewood AS long as you put it on a rag and not directly onto the fret board?!
BTW-Zippo brand lighter fluid is no longer pure naptha-Ronsonal still is last I knew.
probably a noob comment but how come the thumb rest in under the strings, shouldn't it be on top?
is a good idea to put WD40 on rosewood fingerboard to clean it?
Love the brother thing,since i'm a grown man i'll just take the wifes shirt and toothbrush lol
Keep those good jokes coming LMAO
Cheers Dave
So, what can I do to get rid of rust on pole pieces on a pickup? my bridge pup's got some rest on it. :(
Is it safe to use Clorox wipes to quickly clean a used guitar?
hey dave, do you use express shine wax or anything like that? I got that from the elixir string vids. They do it for their laqcuered acoustic-electrics. Thanks.
72 bass, is that what kenny rogers and the 1st used?
@davey4557 Ok, thanks. Do I need to tape anything off so no crap gets in the cavities or anything or just sand it off?
WD 40 will get all over your fingers every time you play, and won't sink in like linseed or mineral oil. While it wouldn't actually harm the wood, it would be tough to hang onto the guitar after you did. WD 40 is primarily fish oil. It can and will go bad after a time, imagine that, rotten fish oil on your guitar. WD has a million uses, but that's not one of them. mineral oil or boiled or raw linseed is the way to go, so far as I know. Stay away from the other prepared concoctions, too.
Boiled or raw linseed oil? I sent as a PM but UA-cam sucks.
Hi Dave, I was wondering Does Simple Green work on Poly Maple necks as well as Rosewood? Thanks
Hey there Dave, what did you use to clean that bridge? Also, is it okay to use it in a black bridge?
The Message system: Yeah its a Gooched, you need to start a NEW message to actually reply to them!
Hi Dave,i own a 5 string bc rich widow with an ebony fretboard.any thoughts on how to clean that safely?
Is it okay to clean a wenge fretboard with the simple green cleaner and would you use linseed oil to condition it?
Hey Dave i was told some years ago to use mineral oil? Is that a bad thing?
What about ebony ? Any advice ?
So Dave, what cleaner did you spray on the bridge? Also I hope you're still working on The Expanse. It's my favorite TV show.
In part 1 he said it was Simple Green. I use a dab of dishwashing liquid and water, you can also put it in a spay bottle and spritz the cleaning rag with it (don't spray it onto the guitar.)
no lighter fluid on unsealed bodies but when you clean a rosewood fingerbord ain't that open grain ?$#@!! Dave ???
Linseed oil boiled or not may selfignite and cause fire...remember to soak all used textiles in water before tossing them in the trash or flush soaked paper in the toilet..."read the bottles warningsign"
@dcalde78 Thanks!
Cheers!
I just have to laugh when people complain and moan about ads on UA-cam. "There's ads on UA-cam?" is my response basically. Just download Firefox and install adblock plus. :P
i tried the tshirt thing with my bro's, he just used my favorite beenie to clean his drum set... so not a good idea...
some have said that baby oil is good.thinking about that,as uneducated in these matters as i am,i am reluctant to try.
Baby oil doesn't seal the wood grain like linseed oil does.
I clean my fret board with steel wool soaked in vodka.
Agree about You Tube, I tried to be social on the Best and wost of 2010 video. I looked back for comment, and I don't think it stayed. Randy :-(
Speaking of gooched, I'm using Chrome and I haven't been able to get any video, just audio. WTF, Google!?
I had a number 2 on my guitar lok
@davey4557 i just asked that on the last video. :D
POR QUE ESSE XAROPE FICA JOGANDO AS COISAS? CARA ESTABANADO
Hey Dave
@davey4557 Zippo brand.
@MyRavenMusic first reply
what did you use on the bridge?
'simple green' and an old toothbrush. any decreasing stuff will work. i use dollar store cheap ass 'mean green'. it does a great job.
Yo I got a problem. My bridge is starting to rust. would the simple green help remove the rust? the bridge is chromed btw
You can stop the rust with a little oil once it's clean, but its just a matter of time before your adjustment screws are shot. Clean it up and oil it lightly, then squirrel away 5 bucks a week or so for a replacement bridge. ;)
Will be trying that. cheers
RECYCLE.... don't throw away your old underwear(s) !!!!!
use them to clean up your guitar(s) HaHa!
embolism spells e.m.b.o.l.i.s.m
Embolism. Yep, sure can.
haha! i suppose you are not a fan of this model.lol
.
I've listened to many guitar luthiers who were more helpful! Come up with a better presentation and something better than lighter fluid!
just cleaned my sg w orange cleaner! I like to use earth-friendly products!
WARM WATER AND A LITTLE SOAP WILL CLEAN EVERY PART OF YOUR GUITAR
anything used in this video will ruin your guitar...
How will it ruin your guitar exactly?
If anything, using water will ruin your guitar you dummy - water and wood does not mix too well, especially when the glues used can be dissolved by water and there are all kinds of holes for water to go into and make the wood swell up.
Dave, Sully, Crimson Guitars, Dan Erlewine....so you saying these guys don't know what their doing?
+Jammin6796 moron....water and finished wood dont mix....
Schmutz is not good ;)