I know a lot of you guys play vintage guitars, and that means nitrocellulose finishes. I've been struggling with figuring out what cleaner/polish to use. I'm not too interested in polish, mostly just keeping grime off of the finish.

I've always used Dunlop Formula No. 65 cleaner/polish but reviews online seem to be mixed as to whether or not it's safe for nitro finishes. Some say that it may contain silicone, which is bad for the finish. Some say that silicone is fine unless you ever refinish. Some say it smells like it has alcohol, and that's bad for the nitro. Dunlop says it's safe for any finish, and I've heard it said that it's actually an old Martin formula.

The trouble is that it's about the only cleaner/polish available locally and it seems silly to order a five dollar item online and pay shipping on top of tax.

So what do you guys use/prefer for nitro finishes? Has anyone been using the Dunlop stuff for long enough to know if it does or doesn't melt nitro?

I can't help other than to suggest looking here shai...i don't have a nitrocellulose finished guitar. Check this out though.

http://www.google.com/#hl=en&source … c8225f38ce

Cheers,

GuitarZen

Oddly when I followed that link nearly all the results had already been clicked on . What few remained didn't have much to say about cleaning/polishing nitro guitars.

I did do a lot of digging yesterday and it appears that Dunlop Formula 65 may be safe. It doesn't specifically say it on the packaging or website though and that worries me. The last thing I want to do is melt the finish.

That said, a (semi) local place here will order the Gibson polish and it only takes a day or so to get in so I'll probably do that. I think it's worth a few bucks to know with complete certainty that I'm doing it right. I'd hate to risk the finish just to save a few bucks and a few days. In the meantime I can keep it fairly clean with good old clean water and microfiber cloths.

That said, any recommendations are most welcomed. Erring on the side of caution is well and good, but true experience is better I think.

That's because i clicked on 'em shai...heh, heh. About using water. I seem to remember something against doing that at one of those sites.

Another thing you could do is go to the Fender website and asking in the forums or just try a search. I did a little of that and one thing that was mentioned was that modern nitro finishes aren't like the old ones but i don't remember where the break was. '90's maybe. Good luck.

Cheers,

GuitarZen

So I found it. The perfect product!

To be fair I've been looking for a cleaner more than a polish. I've never much cared if my guitars have high mirror shines, only that they're clean of gunk, grime, dust (under the strings on the fretboard for example), etc.

I just tried this. It cleaned everything from the wood to the bridge (metal parts). It didn't require any scrubbing or buffing; just wipe it on, wipe it off, and that was it.

What is this magic product you ask? Water!

That's it. Just a bit of water on a microfiber cloth. I used bottled water that I picked up while I was out but tap water should work (I'd use a filter for Vegas tap water since it smells funny otherwise).

At this point I don't think I even need any other cleaner.

Hey mate great post but be carful with that water. Id be worried using it on my guitars. Anyhoo I recently added a Gibbo es 339 to my stock pile and I hate the NC finish. I have other guitars with NC and they are OK but on the 339 the neck gets very sticky as it warms up when I play. Gibson rep said its just beccause the finish is still a bit green and needs to harden off. As for polish, I have used Mr Sheen for years on my guitars and find it great. Also a rag with a bit of baby oil for the neck and strings.
Sooo clean wax n polish as you dust, (they say that on the Mr Sheen ad) and good luck.
NB: I have never checked out the warnings for using Mr Sheen on guitars but its only been good for mine.

mostly i just wipe my guitar down after playing but when i do polish my guitar (once a month) i use gibson pump polish- it is safe for all laquer finishes (poly or nitro cellulose) and it cleans while it polishes the guitar with no buildup on the metal hardware- gibson still uses the nitro cellulose finish on their stringed instruments so they needed to put out a product that works without harming- and it does very well- it's very cheap and comes packaged with it's own polishing cloth- if you order it at musicians friend or sweetwater.com there is no minimum purchase and the shipping is free- hope this helps-- james

p.s. please read the directions first   

james wrote:

mostly i just wipe my guitar down after playing but when i do polish my guitar (once a month) i use gibson pump polish- it is safe for all laquer finishes (poly or nitro cellulose) and it cleans while it polishes the guitar with no buildup on the metal hardware- gibson still uses the nitro cellulose finish on their stringed instruments so they needed to put out a product that works without harming- and it does very well- it's very cheap and comes packaged with it's own polishing cloth- if you order it at musicians friend or sweetwater.com there is no minimum purchase and the shipping is free- hope this helps-- james

p.s. please read the directions first   

The gibson pump polish is what I use too! I like it because it polishes and cleans very well.  I really don't know what type of finish my Tele has on it, but it's a 92 and it would surprise me if  it is a water based type of finish.  The polish has a trace of lacquer  in it to help seal the guitar I understand.

I'm sure you know this Air Colour, but you can go to the Fender website and register for free then go to the boards and ask questions and i'm sure someone there knows what your Tele came with regarding the finish, not to mention a myriad of other info regarding Fender guitars past and present.

GuitarZen

The only thing my coach uses is home made picks made from Crisco lids.  He says it is just the right "stiffness".  And, as OTM said, you can experiment with different shapes.  I like the more rounded tip instead of a pointed tip.  Keep It Fun,  Dean

Check out Redland Music Products.  They have a line of cleaners, waxes and polishes that were specifically formulated for vintage finishes.  They contain no silicone, solvents or detergents. 

I like using the lemon oil to breakup any heavy grime (yeah, sometimes I don't wipe the guitar after playing).  Then I use the cleaner to wipe it away.  Works great on Nitro.

www.redlandmusic.com

According to a luthier I talked to today Dunlop 65 is fine for nitro finishes.