An Even Better Guitar Polish

[Dolebludger]

Here is an update on use of 303 touch-less sealant on guitars (and cars). I used this some time ago on my PRS and noticed some smudges on it after playing it a bit. The smudges wiped off with toilet paper! And I had used this product on my cars too. Today, I drove one of them to town, and we had a monsoon rain on the way back that raised much muck on the road. I got the car home, hosed it off, and it looks as if it had just been detailed. This stuff seems to actually repel smudges and muck. It quickly gives a ceramic coating to hard finishes that repells dirt and gunk, and makes it easy to remove such things.

Back to the car for a moment. Here, we have what I call “Colorado Rocky Mountain Muck” that is difficult to remove with any sort of wash and polish system. But with this product applied, the muck just washes off of cars. And dirt and smudges on guitars wipe off quickly with nothing but toilet paper.

This is not for those who relic guitars, but is for those of us who like to keep guitars looking like new, regardless of their age.

 

[Malikon]

I will never understand the need to put all that crap on a guitar.

Just use a cheap pump polish, and that’s it.

I just wipe the body with my shirt. And when done playing i flip the guitar over and run it across my thigh from first fret to to last to quickly wipe my strings off on my pants. (Have to clean the strings after playing or they get gross, fast)

Guess I'm a caveman. I dont really baby them at all.

 

[Bigfoot410]

So power washing my guitars is bad? No wonder I have to change P/Us and strings every time. Thought that was just regular guitar maintanence.

 

[Fracture]

water conservancy

play PURE

 

[BrianB]

So power washing my guitars is bad? No wonder I have to change P/Us and strings every time. Thought that was just regular guitar maintanence.

Power washing? Good God man, are you insane??

One of these on shower should be more than sufficient....

 

[Dolebludger]

Look,

If nobody wants to know how to keep guitars looking like new for decades, and how to hide minor finish scratches, and do it in mere minutes, I’ll just shut up. I am not suggesting power washing guitars. (A dumb thing to do on anything made of wood.) the product I have suggested is just spray on, wipe off on a clean guitar. After doing this, smudges, fingerprints, and other gunk will not adhere to the guitar finish, and can be wiped off with nothing but dry toilet paper.

It is possible that I am the only one obsessed with keeping old guitars — one almost 60 tears old — looking like new. If so, I apologize.

 

[efstop]

Look,

If nobody wants to know how to keep guitars looking like new for decades, and how to hide minor finish scratches, and do it in mere minutes, I’ll just shut up. I am not suggesting power washing guitars. (A dumb thing to do on anything made of wood.) the product I have suggested is just spray on, wipe off on a clean guitar. After doing this, smudges, fingerprints, and other gunk will not adhere to the guitar finish, and can be wiped off with nothing but dry toilet paper.

It is possible that I am the only one obsessed with keeping old guitars — one almost 60 tears old — looking like new. If so, I apologize.

Dole, treat your guitars as you wish, but there are those of us who buy the products developed for guitars (but fretboard oils are mostly snake oil, IMO; I use unscented baby oil once a year or so).

Others don't use any products on their guitars at all and don't mind a dull, finger printed surface, or they simply wipe them down with a damp cloth.

It's all good.

 

[BrianB]

Others don't use any products on their guitars at all and don't mind a dull, finger printed surface, or they simply wipe them down with a damp cloth.

It's all good.

Annnnnnnnd then there's those who don't even do that.....

 

[BACzero]

I used Meguire's Ultimate Compound and a DA orbital buffer on a guitar that the paint had oxidized on. Actually blew my mind. It was like a mirror when I was done. Ever since I discovered Griot's 3-in-1 liquid, I haven't used anything else, though. I'm kinda interested in the SiO2 stuff... maybe I'll buy a bottle just to play around with, but it's going to have to be pretty amazing to get me to stray from my Griot's collection. Thanks for the tip! I'm a sucker for new ways to make things shine.

 

[Dolebludger]

I like Ultimate Compound, random orbital buffers, and Griot's products too. Ultimate Compound has an "automatic" feature, in that the longer it is used on an area, the finer the "grit" becomes. This eliminates the need to start with a rougher compound and switch to finer compounds as you work.

The Si02 products aren't made to be a substitute for compounding as they will not cure an oxidized finish or one with scratches more severe than very, very small ones. They also won't work on unfinished areas of a guitar, such as the fretboard and oil finished guitar bodies and necks. But on lacquered, painted, and poly coated surfaces they seem to produce results that natural and synthetic waxes won't. On cars, for example, they produce a "ceramic-like" finish that dust just blows off of and other mild dirtiness can be quickly removed with a spray bottle and a microfiber cloth. In other words, these products give a finish that dirt and smudges don't like to stick to.

Try some of this stuff. If you don't like its looks on the guitar, try it on your car! When you wash your car, just spray some of this stuff on while the rinse water is still on it and before you dry the car. So waxing the car is no longer a separate task.

 

[WBaginski]

What are your thoughts on using 303 on an old guitar with significant finish checking?

 

[Bill Hicklin]

Nope. Don't do it! It's silicone based. Bad....very bad. That stuff will migrate everywhere on the instrument including the fretboard (and even in YOU through your skin) and nothing will remove it. It makes repairs a nightmare if not impossible. Forget about refinishing or finish repair...glue doesn't hold, so refrets, new nuts etc....no good.

+1. Wax-based car polishes are fine, but anything with silicone is a big no-no.

 

[Bill Hicklin]

Power washing? Good God man, are you insane??

One of these on shower should be more than sufficient....

Much easier to dunk it in the bathtub. Just remember to unplug it from the amp first.

 

[Dolebludger]

The 303 product is NOT silicone based. It does contain SiO2, which is "liquid glass" with none of the problems of pure silicone. As far as using it on an old guitar with much checking, I don't know. It will make the "good areas" look great, but I don't know how it will make the checking look.

 

[BrianB]

Much easier to dunk it in the bathtub. Just remember to unplug it from the amp first.

If you leave it plugged in, you'll get a better clean sound when your done though....

 

[mgenet]

Much easier to dunk it in the bathtub. Just remember to unplug it from the amp first.

 

[Fret Hopper]

My thought would be to take a piece of wood, finish it, cure it and then try these new fangled products on that as a test. I would be really hesitant to use a car product on a guitar. If there is ever a need to refinish, touch up, repair, etc. you would have some idea how things will react. And it wouldn't be that hard to do.Matter of fact, I have some test pieces out in my garage that I have sprayed with lacquer where I just might use for a test.

I just wouldn't want to find out on an irreplaceable instrument.

 

[Pappy58]

Olds,

Not an overpriced “bama” car, as it will out perform any sports sedan, regardless of where made, most at higher price. And I was a bit worried about the made in “bama” thing, but it is the only car I’ve had that hasn’t had to be taken in for warranty work in the first two years, so those guys in “bama” must really know how to make cars.

Now seriously, let me know how the 303 Touch less Sealant works on your cars and guitars — especially on your guitars. Post your results here, or PM me.

Thanks.

I'll smoke ya in a Chevy SS! A bama AMG huh?

 

[Dolebludger]

Pappy,

No you ain't!

Bill,

Of course, you never want to dunk a wooden guitar (or any other wooden thing) in the bath tub. But a little bit of water is needed to activate this product. A damp microfiber will do.

 

[TCON]

I use meguirs spray on detailer wax. Just a little on a microfiber and gently wipe the smudges and sweat off. I need some swirl remover to remove those little spider web looking swirls. Any suggestions?