guitarstrummer Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 It has been reported on this and other guitar forums in the past that a good product to use for buffing out scratches on guitars was Meguiar's. This topic has recently surfaced on other guitar forums and it has been reported that some of the Meguiar's products, including Scratch-X, now contain silicone, which should never be used on a guitar with nitro finish. To make a very long story short, the company has been contacted and they have apparently admitted that the formula has been recently changed without notice and some of their products do now contain silicone. It's unknown exactly when the formula was changed. So, the best advice at this time is to not use any Meguiar's products on your nitro finished guitars. http://p072.ezboard.com/ftheunofficialmartinguitarforumfrm2.showMessage?topicID=15625.topic Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acousticat Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Thanks, Mike, your always watching out for us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skipm Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 Thanks for that heads-up Mike. The Fender line of instrument care products are made by Meguiar's too, hopefully there is nothing harmful in them! I really like that Smith Pro Formula Polish that I got at the Homecoming last year, it works great. There is also a very good polish made by a Banjo manufacturer called Stelling Glyde-Cote. You can get it at www.stellingbanjo.com they are both safe for nitro too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarstrummer Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share Posted March 1, 2008 I've also used Petros Finish Restorer and that's not suppose to contain silicone either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gutch220 Posted March 1, 2008 Share Posted March 1, 2008 I assume this is the best stuff for Gibson's since it's FROM Gibson... http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Gibson-Luthiers-Choice-3Pack-Cleaner?sku=420163 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarstrummer Posted March 1, 2008 Author Share Posted March 1, 2008 I've used those products and they are all very good. However, the Meguiar's products that I was mainly talking about were their abrasive type compounds, which have been helpful in buffing out small surface scratches. To my knowledge, Gibson doesn't make a product like that. As for polish, I actually like their pump polish a lot (orange and white spray-pump bottle). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest NattyBumppo Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 If you want to use a car care product on your guitar's finish (which is probably fine for the more gentle glazes or swirl removers), look for the Meguiars Body Shop Professional line in the tan containers or the 3M Professional Series-Body shop products (used to be in black plastic containers). Any car polish, glaze, compound, etc that says "Body Shop Safe" should be silicone free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GDC Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 Dangit, I was gonna try that Meguiar's stuff and see if it would lift a few scratches off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eltonwce Posted March 2, 2008 Share Posted March 2, 2008 Having done a lot of work in body shops any silicone product in a body shop is a big no -no . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarstrummer Posted March 3, 2008 Author Share Posted March 3, 2008 All of this silicone talk also makes one wonder about the times when you take your guitar in for service and it comes back all polished up. Hopefully the tech that worked on your guitar isn't using a silicone product. Truth be known, we probably all have silicone on your guitars and we don't even realize it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Player Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 Trace amounts of silicone will not "harm" your guitar. What it will do is make it difficult to refinish should the need arise. In talking with most repair people, they will clean the guitar with Naptha prior to any refinishing anyway if they are worth their salt. I have used Scratch X on all my guitars at one time or another. I can't say for sure that I will never get one refinished especially since I actually did have my Taylor worked on and refinished a few years ago, but in reality I am not going to be worried. Scratch X buffed up a satin Larrivee I used to have beautifully, it has taken fingernail/string scratches off the headstock on my Taylor and Gibson and worked to perfection where I could not tell there were ever any scratches there. If you were really worried about it, I suppose you could use the scratch X, buff out, add your Wax (my preference is Zymol car wax with Carnuba... a Rickenbacker bass trick from what I understand) and then clean the affected area with Naptha when done. Or maybe use the Naptha prior to the wax to just remove any silicone traces. All of this is from someone who is not a tech and doesn't pretend to be one on TV. Just telling you what has worked wonderfully for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 Hopefully the back of Pamela Anderson's guitar will never need refinishing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarstrummer Posted March 4, 2008 Author Share Posted March 4, 2008 Trace amounts of silicone will not "harm" your guitar. What it will do is make it difficult to refinish should the need arise. In talking with most repair people' date=' they will clean the guitar with Naptha prior to any refinishing anyway if they are worth their salt. [/quote'] Any finish has a certain rate of porosity. Depending on the finish used on your guitar, especially those finished in nirto, it is possible for silicone to reach the bare wood in time. I know Taylor guitars don't use the same finish as Gibsons or Martins. It may take longer for silicone to reach the bare wood on a Taylor than a Gibson or Martin. I don't know, but I wouldn't want to risk it. Sure, as long as you never intend to make a repair on your guitar, you have nothing to worry about. But the odds are, sooner or later, a repair will need to be made and if you've used silicone products, there's a possibility that the repair will not be possible. Also, I don't believe Naptha will clean silicone off of bare wood, if it has penetrated. And this brings up another issue all together. If the guitar repair is covered by warranty, will the warranty apply if you've used a siicone product at some point or another? I know manufacturers don't recommend any products containing silicone. Seems to me that the manufacturer would have the upper hand, where the warranty is in question. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eddie Rondack Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 I just finished using Petros to get some scratches/sweat marks, etc. out of my AJ... worked like a charm on the top of the lower bout where my right arm touches when I play (in short sleeves). Also took all of some minor "buckle rash" off the back. Looks like a new guitar. Very easy to use, too. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarstrummer Posted March 4, 2008 Author Share Posted March 4, 2008 I've been using Petros for years and really like it. As far as I know, it's silicone free. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taylor Player Posted March 4, 2008 Share Posted March 4, 2008 Hopefully the back of Pamela Anderson's guitar will never need refinishing. Now that is just plain funny! I volunteer to go check it out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitarstrummer Posted March 5, 2008 Author Share Posted March 5, 2008 Wonder how she'd handle being rubbed down with Naptha? The guitar, that is. [-X/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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