rogerer Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 Greetings. If you could be so kind , I have two questions. First, 2 years ago I bought a Gibson Songwriter Deluxe Ec Ovangkol at guitar center. I played it for a few months , changing the strings a few times but was an idiot and didn't really look into proper care. I kept it out of its case for 6 months and never wiped down the fretboard or strings after playing with my filthy mitts. I had to leave the state on a whim for about a year so I put the guitar in its case and in my room temp closet. I came back and found the strings corroded which I had expected but not to this degree. But the most troubling to see was a greenish crud on my frets and what appears to be a little salt or something on the fingerboard. Is this fixable without having to change the frets ? I haven't put anything on it yet so could you please recommend EVERYTHING I could possibly need in my cleaning arsenal ? 2 - where could i find the specs online 4 a Gibson Songwriter Deluxe EC Ovangkol? I lost my manual.Thank you for your time .
Modac Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 Go get the finest steel wool they make, and use it to clean your frets. You've probably got a little oxidization on them. Nothing to worry about. They'll clean right up.
ksdaddy Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 Back in '96 a guy went to prison for shooting his son. He was an odd duck and kept stuff stored in junk cars on his property. He had a pile of guitars although he didn't play. His wife had to liquidate a bunch of possessions for frivolous things like food. I acted as a purchasing agent for the local pawn shop and bought 7 or 8 guitars for $700. One was a 1946 00-18 which I did ultimately buy and then traded for my '71 LP. Most of the rest were Harmony type guitars except for one Tele. It was a '69 Thinline that was previously owned by Narvel Felts. Narvel sold or gave it to the looney tunes shooter guy and the shooter guy kept it stored in a 1976 avocado green Volare. It was probably there for ten years. I bought it from the pawn shop for $500. He made a handsome profit but I sold it a few months later for $1350 so we all made out well. Believe it or not, there is a connection. The Tele's frets were green. I don't mean a little tinge or hue, I mean they were green like the battery terminals on your car. Green, fuzzy, and ugly. I spent a good evening polishing them with steel wool and emerged victorious but it was compounded by the maple fretboard, which I had to mask off. Sold it to a Canadian friend who was amassing every Telecaster ever built in California I think. He had cases stacked like cordwood in a spare bedroom. However cocaine became more important and the entire collection went away. I hear he's cleaned up and is amassing again. I don't particularly miss that Tele. It was okay but the money said to flip it. I did write to Narvel and he confirmed that he had owned it. It's pictured on one of his albums, Narvel Felts Live I think. I swear I'm going to write a book sometime. These guitars have histories that I could never make up. Edit: found the album cover:
Rosewoody Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 I swear I'm going to write a book sometime. These guitars have histories that I could never make up. Narvel Felts is a name I couldn't make up. I'll buy that book when it comes out.
Taylor Player Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 Greetings. If you could be so kind ' date=' I have two questions. First, 2 years ago I bought a Gibson Songwriter Deluxe Ec Ovangkol at guitar center. I played it for a few months , changing the strings a few times but was an idiot and didn't really look into proper care. I kept it out of its case for 6 months and never wiped down the fretboard or strings after playing with my filthy mitts. I had to leave the state on a whim for about a year so I put the guitar in its case and in my room temp closet. I came back and found the strings corroded which I had expected but not to this degree. But the most troubling to see was a greenish crud on my frets and what appears to be a little salt or something on the fingerboard. Is this fixable without having to change the frets ? I haven't put anything on it yet so could you please recommend EVERYTHING I could possibly need in my cleaning arsenal ? 2 - where could i find the specs online 4 a Gibson Songwriter Deluxe EC Ovangkol? I lost my manual.Thank you for your time .[/quote'] Hi rogerer and welcome to the Gibson Forum. As the others have said, a bit of steel wool (0000 grade) and some elbow grease will get your frets back in shape. You can then treat the fretboard with some conditioner to bring the wood back to life as well. My personal preference is Boiled Linseed Oil. You just wipe a very small amount on the wood, let it set for a few minutes and then wipe off the excess. Your board will look like new again! One other thing, if your guitar has a magnetic type pickup installed... please make sure to cover the soundhole with a rag while using the steel wool. Little metal shavings like attaching themselves to magnetic pickups and the end result is never good. I usually keep a vacuum cleaner with a hose and the small brush attachment nearby when cleaning a fretboard. As I use the steel wool, I pause every few frets and suck up the shavings on the fretboard and the blanket I work on.
rogerer Posted April 27, 2009 Author Posted April 27, 2009 Thanks for all of the replies so far. Another question. Wouldn't the steel wool damage my fretboard while cleaning the frets ?
BigKahune Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 Thanks for all of the replies so far. Another question. Wouldn't the steel wool damage my fretboard while cleaning the frets ? as ksdaddy said - mask it off with masking tape (maybe the painter's type to be finish safe)... ...The Tele's frets were green. ... I spent a good evening polishing them with steel wool and emerged victorious but it was compounded by the maple fretboard' date=' which I had to mask off.[/quote']
Flight959 Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 I have used the following product on my frets.... http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Planet-Waves-Fret-Polishing-System_W0QQitemZ260394462551QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGuitar_Accessories?hash=item260394462551&_trksid=p3286.m63.l1177 Its cheap awsome and works really well. The pack breaks up and you use it to shield the fretboard whilst you rub it with the paper... Gets the frets sliver new looking. No oils or wire wool... A fantastic product 10/10 which I saw in the LP owners manual.. Regards Flight959
drathbun Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 Frank Ford has an excellent page on reconditioning a gunky fretboard: http://www.frets.com/FRETSPages/Musician/GenMaint/Cleaning/cleaning02.html
rogerer Posted April 27, 2009 Author Posted April 27, 2009 WOW ! I must say that I am impressed with the communication with this forum compared to other I am on like digidesign. All of you rock. Sorry if my worries are a little elementary but I've played punk rock guitar for years and kept horrible habbits. (usually because I had s@$t guitars ) Now that I have some Gibsons , I'm ready to grow up finally. So my complete acoustic checklist should be something like this ? 1. Steel wool ( 000 grage ) 2. Masking tape 3. Polish/ oil 4. mini vac 5. Oil for the fret board 6. Cotton cloth 7. Polish for body. Is that about it ? Also , when I peruse the Gibson page I can't seem to find my model in their catalog. They have the Songwriters series but not mine which is a Songwrtier Deluxe EC Ovangkol. Is this because mine is a bit cheaper and they only list the high , high end. Mine was still $2200. Pretty high end for me , but I lost my original manual and want to make sure what all of my specs are (e.g. wood type and such to make sure I know every in and out ) especially when it comes to different cleaners for different woods . Again , I apologize if I am going in circles with the same kind of questions I'm just a little gun shy from rushing and ruining things in the past and I am triple checking. Cheers ! This forum kicks it !
Flight959 Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 The latest addition to the popular Songwriter famiiy with exotic ovangkol back and sides. Body Style: Square Shoulder Soft Cutaway Top Species: Premium Sitka Spruce Back and Sides: Ovankol Body Binding: White 6-Ply Top; 1-Ply Back Neck Wood: Mahogany Scale: 25-1/2" Neck Profile: Round Fingerboard: Ebony Fingerboard Inlays: Dot Nut Width: 1.725 Bridge: Ebony with Mother of Pearl Dots Pins: Black Tuners: Gold Grovers Pickguard: Custom Tortoise shell Finish: Gloss Electronics: Active With Rim Control EQ And Built In Tuner Is this the correct one? Cut and paste from the net Flight959
Taylor Player Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 So my complete acoustic checklist should be something like this ?1. Steel wool ( 000 grage ) 2. Masking tape 3. Polish/ oil 4. mini vac 5. Oil for the fret board 6. Cotton cloth 7. Polish for body. Is that about it ? I think 000 gauge steel wool would be OK but I prefer 0000 as it is just a bit less course. Make sure also that none of the polish or oil you use has silicone in it as that is a big no-no when and if you ever need or want refinishing done to your guitar. I prefer using the Boiled Linseed oil (very natural product) on the fretboard and then to clean the sweat stains or gunk off the actual guitar there is nothing better than Naptha which is nothing more than Rossignol Lighter Fluid. Luthiers buy the stuff by the gallon, but I found the little yellow bottle I purchased well over a year ago still is almost full. Naptha is safe for every guitar finish I have heard of. I finish the process with a nice automotive wax sometimes if I really want to shine it up. I use Zymol which is a car wax with Carnuba wax/oils in it. Carnuba is a great wax for guitars. No silicone in any of the afore mentioned products.
Jayla Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 Also ' date=' when I peruse the Gibson page I can't seem to find my model in their catalog. They have the Songwriters series but not mine which is a Songwrtier Deluxe EC Ovangkol. Is this because mine is a bit cheaper and they only list the high , high end.![/quote'] Unfortunately, the Gibson website is woefully incomplete w/respect to full specs for their guitars. From the various discussions I've read on this forum as well as from personal experience, I believe it will be very difficult if not impossible for you to find out the exact specs of your instrument, even if you were to call Gibson (some have, and received conflicting information) or even if you find the documentation which came with your guitar (I still have mine, but it's wrong). Also, if your guitar doesn't appear on the current site, the reason could be that it has been discontinued. My guitar (a J-100) recently was, and thus no longer appears on the site (though some dealers still carry it).
ksdaddy Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 No silicone in any of the afore mentioned products. I don't like silicone in anything. Only natural ingredients. Well, technically I suppose silicone IS natural but.... oh, never mind. I'm distracted now. I won't be able to concentrate all afternoon, thinking about items that are all natural vs. items containing silicone.
Taylor Player Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 I don't like silicone in anything. Only natural ingredients. Well' date=' technically I suppose silicone IS natural but.... oh, never mind. I'm distracted now. I won't be able to concentrate all afternoon, thinking about items that are all natural vs. items containing silicone.[/quote'] Ok Scott you tell me.... Does this guitar have silicone products used? Or this one? Or this...? Almost forgot, this is a Gibson forum....... what about this Les Paul? or this.... After further thought (and a good timely reminder from Tommy K) I pulled the photos, but for those so inclined you can see the "Silicone" free or not photos here..... http://www.hotguitarist.com/hg_girls.html
ksdaddy Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 Dang, they're on photobucket so I'll have to wait until I get home to view them. Can't wait.
rogerer Posted April 27, 2009 Author Posted April 27, 2009 Could someone please explain to me why you BOIL the linseed oil ? And how long should I let it cool before applying ? Thanks again for all of your replies !
Taylor Player Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 Could someone please explain to me why you BOIL the linseed oil ? And how long should I let it cool before applying ?Thanks again for all of your replies ! PLEASE DON'T BOIL THE LINSEED OIL!!!!!!! It comes in a bottle as "Boiled Linseed Oil" and can be found at hardware and painting stores. It is highly flammable so do not smoke around it, get rid of the rag you use (I typically use paper towl) and I repeat.... DO NOT BOIL IT ON A STOVE!!!!! You could end up blowing up your house and your guitars!
Jayla Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 And for cleaning your fretboard, and guitar more generally speaking, check out this page on the frets.com site.
TommyK Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 Ok Scott you tell me.... Does this guitar have silicone products used? redacted redacted redacted redacted... Easy now TP. We got's women folk and kids that stop by oncet in a while. We don't need this place lookin' like a Drummer forum.
Taylor Player Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 Easy now TP. We got's women folk and kids that stop by oncet in a while. We don't need this place lookin' like a Drummer forum. Point taken Tommy!
rogerer Posted April 27, 2009 Author Posted April 27, 2009 I feel like an idiot but 1 last question before I head out and grab my cleaning products. After using the lighter fluid / linseed oil it seems that my guitar would now be flammable ( or somewhat ) . Should I use a dab of something else after the oil or lighter fluid to remove the flammable material or just let it set in . I must have missed this point on the link provided.
Taylor Player Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 No problem rogerer..... Naptha is such a great product because it dries without residue and very, very quickly. The Boiled Linseed oil also should be dry after you have let it soak in and wiped off the excess. When using the naptha, just put a bit on a clean cotton cloth and wipe over the area to clean off the gunk. It works wonders on arm pit sweat, beer spills etc.... I am a smoker and yet have never started one of my guitars on fire...
ksdaddy Posted April 27, 2009 Posted April 27, 2009 I think boiled linseed oil will actually dry in time. Raw linseed oil won't ever dry (or at least not for a very long time). Naptha is good stuff for cleaning because it can be aggressive like other solvents but is unlikely to cause any softening or damage to the finish. From back in my Zippo days I can tell you Zippo fluid seems to be cleaner and less stinky then Ronson (if that's a concern).
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