Plus Top Dan Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 After i've finished playing whether it's been 10 minutes or over an hour I always give my guitars a quick wipe down with a soft microfibre cloth in an effort to wipe off any sweaty fingerprints. Every couple of weeks I might grab some of my Dr Kyser lemon oil and polish and give the guitar a more thorough clean. After i've given it a wipe down it tends to go back in it case to keep it safe from small sticky fingers!! Am I alone in doing this post playing care? Do most of you finish playing and then leave the guitar propped against the sofa? Do I have OCD? :-"
pippy Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 ...Do most of you finish playing and then leave the guitar propped against the sofa?... No. Usually sitting on an armchair or lying on the sofa. Never propped-up against it in case they slip. Last-thing-at-night they go back between the bookcases and walls. I tend to clean the strings of my #1 Paul every two months or so. The rest get cleaned pretty much every year whether they need it or not. P.
saturn Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 I'm not that OCD. I usually will just wipe down the strings and return to case after I finish playing. But I am sometimes kinda careless with my LP. I will leave it propped up against an old piano in our dining room, which isn't real safe I know. Matter of fact I left it there over night after playing last night. I also left it leaning against our kitchen table last night as I was getting up to answer my cell phone. As I was talking to my buddy I saw it starting to slide. Luckily I was close enough to catch it before it hit the floor, all the while not missing a beat in the conversation. B) Did I learn my lesson? NO
Twiz Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 For some reason, I don't really have sweaty/oily hands, so I don't really do much. At home, my post-playing routine is just putting my guitar back in the case. At a gig, I try to wipe the body and strings down before putting it away.
pippy Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 ...Did I learn my lesson? NO... Oh, don't worry, saturn! There's always a way to fix them..... See?.................... P.
saturn Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 Oh, don't worry, saturn! There's always a way to fix them..... See?.................... P. Yes. That's what I'm talking about.
Twang Gang Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 I always wipe down the back of the neck and put away in the case after playing regardless of the amount of time or venue. Cleaning and polishing usually occurs with a string change when it's easier to get at the fretboard and between bridge and stopbar etc.
btoth76 Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 Oh, don't worry, saturn! There's always a way to fix them..... See?.................... P. Pippy! You scared the hell out of me! That's the most horroristic thing I've ever seen! Cheers... Bence ;)
pippy Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 Pippy! You scared the hell out of me! That's the most horroristic thing I've ever seen! Cheers... Bence ;) I think all of us should print off a copy; frame it and hang it somewhere so that we have a daily reminder of what MIGHT happen - and in the blink of an eye - unless we are careful with our charges.... P.
quapman Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 I don't baby them at all. Back in the case till next time. Cept for my $80 squire.. sits on the stand for the most part.
vangoghsear Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 At home, my LP sits in its case across the arms of a rocking easy-chair near my practice area. My hands are not oily, or sweaty, unless I am gigging or outdoors, so I generally don't wipe it down. When I finish using it, I put it in the case and latch at least one latch. That is the only thing I try and do religiously is to catch that one latch, no matter how short a time I expect the guitar to be in its case. I never want to grab the handle, lift it and see the guitar come rolling out of the unlatched case.
milod Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 Just back in the case, unless I drooled or spilled on the guitar. <grin> m
Guest Farnsbarns Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 A clean when restringing is the most mine sees, yearly oil of fret board and fret polish about every 3rd string change. Mostly they live in stands.
Rabs Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 A clean when restringing is the most mine sees, yearly oil of fret board and fret polish about every 3rd string change. Mostly they live in stands. Yup im like you... I leave them in stands and just put them back unless they feel dirty then I got some Gibson polish. When change strings I always give them a good rubbing..
LPguitarman Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 I usually wipe down the whole guitar and the back of the neck with Gibson Guitar Polish after every time I play it. For string changes, it gets the big overhaul: Fret Doctor on the fretboard, Graphital on the nut, cleaner and Gibson Polish for the whole body. Always back in the case after every play, unless I'm just taking a restroom break. I'm not OCD, just want to keep my baby looking and feeling great.
rct Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 I clean them when I change strings. The current daily driver is my SG, and it is sitting in a stand at the end of the sofa. I pick it up and play, hopefully for a long time, and lay it down on the sofa. And then a cat curls up on it, right between the pickups seems to be her center point. My post playing routine is usually her nap routine. The end. rct
RaysEpiphone Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 What I like to do after playing I think is illegal in some state's but I do wipe off the strings with the little cloth that comes with Fast Fret and I do a good job of keeping it in its case when I'm not using it. If the strings are fully broke in (about 1-2 weeks old) I will use the Fast Fret on them to, I don't use Coated String's (plain old 80/20's) so it's a must after break-in and at out-door show's to. The cloth is made of cotton I believe and a new one will have the mineral oil embedded into it after several application's. If I have a show I will clean it up good with some polish the last rehearsal before the gig... most of the time.
kidblast Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 I usually just scratch myself and go take a leak. Ha,, Big Bill cracks me up almost daily! I don't have oily hands either, I think they are too dry... where's the St Ives? Anyways,,, I will case them and put em away about 90% of the time. the other 10%,, well those are the times that I must have had one G&T too many, cuz I just look at em sitting on the wall hangers,, shrug my shoulders, and think "naw,, way too much work there.." I just turn the lights out and let em be.
dponzi Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 Put it in the case, close it up and put the case in the closet. I only clean my guitars when I change strings, which isn't that often.
Izzy Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 As much as I'd love to be like grampa who cleaned after every play, I'm just a mess...my necks are nasty and the fretboards are all thick with goo. I NEVER wash my hands with cold water or let them outside in cold weather after I've been using them on an instrument for long periods. Gampa said it could bring on arthritis. I let the hands cool off slowly. That's my routine.
surfpup Posted May 16, 2013 Posted May 16, 2013 I only wipe them down when they get their semi-annual polishing. I don't have a schedule or anything. I have good sweat and am not gigging them anymore so the strings last up to 6 months. When I notice the unwrapped strings feels scritchy, I take the strings off, clean and polish the body, oil the fretboard, and install new strings. I usually check setup at this point too - string height, truss rod, bridge radius (for the Fenders) and set intonation. Good to go for another 6 months. That said, I pulled my Tele out of the case at a gig last night and noticed it was super smudgy and ugly looking under lights. Maybe I should get in the habit of a wipedown!
sneddy72 Posted May 17, 2013 Posted May 17, 2013 guitars straight back in their cases after gigs. My post-gig routine usually involves getting home, having a beer and wrapping my wrist in ice for 30 mins as I suffer joint pain after playing for long periods. In fact I need to something about this wrist problem but thats for another time!
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