Hey guys! I recently became the proud owner of a beautiful PRS Custom 24, a 1957/2008. I've made my guitarist buddies drool nearly as much as I've played it - which is to say non stop. It, however, is in need of its first cleaning - so some newbie questions are incoming. First - what is the finish on the 57/08? Obviously for cleaning, I would hate to use a standard finish on a nitro finish *shudders*. Secondly, is the PRS cleaner/polish the way to go for these instruments? They seem reasonably priced and have good reviews, but figured I'd ask. Thank you so much guys! Glad to be a new member of the PRS family!
Cleaning my 57/08 - questions!
- Thread starter Beeze
- Start date
It's not Nitro, but a specula "crystal hard" finish. Pretty sure it acrylic. Pretty much any good cleaner will be fine…
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http://prsguitars.com/forum/archive/index.php/t-7320.html
Seems this link confirms it is acrylic! I appreciate the help!
Seems this link confirms it is acrylic! I appreciate the help!
Very sweet guitar! I'll condense my cleaning/polishing tips.
Any polish containing abrasives (that is, nearly all polishes) requires a bit of technique to avoid swirl marks. Polishes mainly exist to remove scratches. So you may just need to clean, not polish. In fact, you may need nothing more than a damp cloth.
The first thing I use is a damp, not wet, thick clean microfiber cloth like these to wipe down the guitar:
http://www.griotsgarage.com/product...loths+set+of+3.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=Search
The fibers are less damaging than cotton, and are longer, so they trap gunk. This is followed by a dry clean one. It will not scratch. Note that you want to use a clean cloth to avoid wiping dirt onto the guitar, even dust can cause swirls. Don't use a flat microfiber cloth like you'd clean glasses or a computer screen with. All that will do is grind in dirt. You want something with long fibers to absorb the dirt and remove it from the surface.
If the guitar needs a bit of a shine, or the gunk is bad, I use the PRS cleaner. They use it at the factory, and it doesn't contain abrasives. I spray a little on a clean microfiber cloth, and wipe it off with a dry one. Nice and shiny.
If the guitar has a scratch or bad swirl mark that can be polished out, I will use a good polish. The trick is to break down the abrasive till it disappears, with lots of fast, light strokes, instead of hard pressure. Basically, you want to imitate a polishing wheel. Then rub off with a microfiber cloth. Voila.
Final note: there are polishes that work by chemical interaction instead of primarily by abrasives. I'm not sure I'd be eager to have a chemical essentially melt the surface of the paint, but they may be great. I simply don't have experience with them.
Any polish containing abrasives (that is, nearly all polishes) requires a bit of technique to avoid swirl marks. Polishes mainly exist to remove scratches. So you may just need to clean, not polish. In fact, you may need nothing more than a damp cloth.
The first thing I use is a damp, not wet, thick clean microfiber cloth like these to wipe down the guitar:
http://www.griotsgarage.com/product...loths+set+of+3.do?sortby=ourPicks&from=Search
The fibers are less damaging than cotton, and are longer, so they trap gunk. This is followed by a dry clean one. It will not scratch. Note that you want to use a clean cloth to avoid wiping dirt onto the guitar, even dust can cause swirls. Don't use a flat microfiber cloth like you'd clean glasses or a computer screen with. All that will do is grind in dirt. You want something with long fibers to absorb the dirt and remove it from the surface.
If the guitar needs a bit of a shine, or the gunk is bad, I use the PRS cleaner. They use it at the factory, and it doesn't contain abrasives. I spray a little on a clean microfiber cloth, and wipe it off with a dry one. Nice and shiny.
If the guitar has a scratch or bad swirl mark that can be polished out, I will use a good polish. The trick is to break down the abrasive till it disappears, with lots of fast, light strokes, instead of hard pressure. Basically, you want to imitate a polishing wheel. Then rub off with a microfiber cloth. Voila.
Final note: there are polishes that work by chemical interaction instead of primarily by abrasives. I'm not sure I'd be eager to have a chemical essentially melt the surface of the paint, but they may be great. I simply don't have experience with them.
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