ratter
New member
Not something I paid much attention to in the past, but after getting my Suhr Pro and falling in love with the slick feel of it, I've done my best to maintain that. Some of this stuff I picked up from the Suhr website, and other aspects I've picked up from elsewhere over the years.
At string change time, I cut all 6 off completely. Then I mask the fretboard with skinny masking tape, grab a pinch of this stuff:
Squeeze out the excess liquid, and go to town on each fret until no more black oxidation comes off the frets. Then remove the tape, and give the fretboard itself a good wipe with a clean cloth. I use a box of 100 cotton t-shirt scraps that I got from the painting section of Lowes for $10. They get stained pretty quickly but when I'm done I just toss them in the laundry hamper. After they get too ratty, they go in the trash and a new one comes out of the box. Once a month or so, I treat the (rosewood) fretboard with Roche Thomas fretboard oil.
With the strings off, now is the time to get under the pickguard or to do any electronic work at all. On a new guitar, I'll take the pickguard/backplate screws out and put a dab of Guitar Grease on the threads. Makes them travel much smoother in the future. And while you've got the screwdriver out, make sure the strap pins are snug.
Also at this time, the pickguard, headstock, and bridge areas get a good wipedown since they'll be harder to reach when the strings go back on. For this duty, I use Stew Mac Preservation Polish. Use a fresh t-shirt scrap, and a q-tip to get into the tough areas. Check the saddles for burrs while you're at it. For a saddle burr, I'll use a small round needle file with a pinch of 0000 steel wool wrapped around it to smooth it up.
Strings on, tune up to approx. pitch. Using the t-shirt scrap to get a good grip, I stretch the shit out of each string, starting at the bridge and holding the strings in the nut with my left hand, I use my right hand to stretch each string every few inches from the bridge up to the nut. Rough tune again, check the trem angle and make any necessary adjustments (which is usually none if I'm not changing tuning or string gauge). Check the neck relief too and adjust if necessary, especially when the weather has changed. Lift each string out of its nut slot and put in a dab of the aforementioned Guitar Grease (or Nut Sauce or what-have-you.)
If the back of the neck is very dirty, it too gets a good wipedown with Preservation Polish. Otherwise I just use a dry cloth or maybe a touch of Pledge (yes Pledge!). The body, if it's very dirty, gets the Preservation Polish. If it's clean and just has some stray fingerprints, it gets a squirt of Meguiar's Detailer on the t-shirt and quick wipe.
Final tune-up, then a light squirt of Pledge on the t-shirt scrap and a quick wipe over the strings (similar to something like Fast Fret only cheaper and you can get it at the grocery store and works just as well.
) Done!
I'd love to hear everybody else's tips and tricks...
At string change time, I cut all 6 off completely. Then I mask the fretboard with skinny masking tape, grab a pinch of this stuff:
Squeeze out the excess liquid, and go to town on each fret until no more black oxidation comes off the frets. Then remove the tape, and give the fretboard itself a good wipe with a clean cloth. I use a box of 100 cotton t-shirt scraps that I got from the painting section of Lowes for $10. They get stained pretty quickly but when I'm done I just toss them in the laundry hamper. After they get too ratty, they go in the trash and a new one comes out of the box. Once a month or so, I treat the (rosewood) fretboard with Roche Thomas fretboard oil.
With the strings off, now is the time to get under the pickguard or to do any electronic work at all. On a new guitar, I'll take the pickguard/backplate screws out and put a dab of Guitar Grease on the threads. Makes them travel much smoother in the future. And while you've got the screwdriver out, make sure the strap pins are snug.
Also at this time, the pickguard, headstock, and bridge areas get a good wipedown since they'll be harder to reach when the strings go back on. For this duty, I use Stew Mac Preservation Polish. Use a fresh t-shirt scrap, and a q-tip to get into the tough areas. Check the saddles for burrs while you're at it. For a saddle burr, I'll use a small round needle file with a pinch of 0000 steel wool wrapped around it to smooth it up.
Strings on, tune up to approx. pitch. Using the t-shirt scrap to get a good grip, I stretch the shit out of each string, starting at the bridge and holding the strings in the nut with my left hand, I use my right hand to stretch each string every few inches from the bridge up to the nut. Rough tune again, check the trem angle and make any necessary adjustments (which is usually none if I'm not changing tuning or string gauge). Check the neck relief too and adjust if necessary, especially when the weather has changed. Lift each string out of its nut slot and put in a dab of the aforementioned Guitar Grease (or Nut Sauce or what-have-you.)
If the back of the neck is very dirty, it too gets a good wipedown with Preservation Polish. Otherwise I just use a dry cloth or maybe a touch of Pledge (yes Pledge!). The body, if it's very dirty, gets the Preservation Polish. If it's clean and just has some stray fingerprints, it gets a squirt of Meguiar's Detailer on the t-shirt and quick wipe.
Final tune-up, then a light squirt of Pledge on the t-shirt scrap and a quick wipe over the strings (similar to something like Fast Fret only cheaper and you can get it at the grocery store and works just as well.
) Done!I'd love to hear everybody else's tips and tricks...
