Nitro guitar cleaning

[Jaw3000]

I have a nitro CE24 and want to use the proper cleaner on it that won’t damage the finish, but I’m not sure what that should be. Obviously PRS Obviously, PRS recommends their cleaning kit. their cleaning kit. The cleaner might be fine, but I’ve read bad things about the polish (even the new, supposedly nitro safe version). I have some Dunlop 65 polish and cleaner, but I’ve also read bad things about it. Having silicon, how silicon is bad, etc. It’s also an all-in-one cleaner and polish, which implied it has abrasives for the polish. I’m mainly looking for a good, safe cleaner right now to remove fingerprints, white bloom, and mild buildup - and not a polish. Does anyone have any suggestions, or should I just go with the PRS cleaner? With poly guitars, I generally just slightly dampen a microfiber cloth and use that for this purpose, but I assume this isn’t a good idea on the nitro finish? Also, does anyone have any suggestions for good microfiber cloths that won’t leave scratches?

 

[vhalen50]

i use music nomad for almost every guitar.
If you want it to remain showroom never been used or played before, id assume try PRS polish as if an issue ever were to rise, you can state you used the polish they sell.

The reality is nitro is kinda a PITA to keep clean and you should just let it do its thing. Its gonna cloud. its gonna crack. its gonna chip. The benefits outweigh the cons.

 

[Mentalo87]

I can recommend the fender custom shop product line, it’s definitely nitro safe.

 

[Grim_Pickins]

I’m laughably OCD about this, and have tried nearly every product out there. I could go into detail, but here’s my opinion.

For daily wipe downs after playing, music nomad guitar detailer. It is strictly a cleaner and leaves no residue, zero silicone, wipes on and off easily and takes care of the sweat and general light contaminants.

For anything that won’t come off with the detailer, hands down the best product on planet earth for a nitro guitar finish is virtuoso polish. It is a cream so a little harder to use as it can get into crevices and dry white and powdery, but nothing will make the nitro glow like this stuff. Mirror shine and even removes minor swirl marks.

For anything more than that, virtuoso cleaner. This is a more aggressive product and should be used sparingly and always followed by the polish for best effect. I only reach for this in the case of a scratch or defect.

And the most important tip of all, a CLEAN microfiber cloth for application and removal of any of these. Griots garage blue plush microfibres are the best I’ve found.

Non of these products contain anything harmful long term to nitro and if used correctly will make the guitar look better than new.

 

[Black Dog]

I use MusicNomad cleaning products. I also use their setup tools.

MusicNomad - Cleaning, Care & Maintenance for Guitars, Drums & Instruments - Music Nomad

Music Nomad's revolutionary care products are designed to clean, polish and maintain your guitar, drums and band & orchestra instruments to look, sound and play the best. We have the highest quality formulas and products engineered to be best in class. Used world wide by top repair techs, repair...

www.musicnomadcare.com

 

[Simon Says]

Honestly, this is all you need, unless you covered your guitar with yoghurt

SYSTEM 65™ PLUSH MICROFIBER CLOTH

From picks to pedals and every accessory in between, Dunlop Manufacturing has been creating world-class gear for musicians for over 50 years. We consistently create the best selling picks and analog electronics, and carry a large line of accessories that set industry standards in their...

www.jimdunlop.com

 

[SinSir]

Honestly, this is all you need, unless you covered your guitar with yoghurt

SYSTEM 65™ PLUSH MICROFIBER CLOTH

From picks to pedals and every accessory in between, Dunlop Manufacturing has been creating world-class gear for musicians for over 50 years. We consistently create the best selling picks and analog electronics, and carry a large line of accessories that set industry standards in their...

www.jimdunlop.com

That's not yogurt

 

[Jaw3000]

For daily wipe downs after playing, music nomad guitar detailer. It is strictly a cleaner and leaves no residue, zero silicone, wipes on and off easily and takes care of the sweat and general light contaminants.

For anything that won’t come off with the detailer, hands down the best product on planet earth for a nitro guitar finish is virtuoso polish. It is a cream so a little harder to use as it can get into crevices and dry white and powdery, but nothing will make the nitro glow like this stuff. Mirror shine and even removes minor swirl marks.

For anything more than that, virtuoso cleaner. This is a more aggressive product and should be used sparingly and always followed by the polish for best effect. I only reach for this in the case of a scratch or defect.

And the most important tip of all, a CLEAN microfiber cloth for application and removal of any of these. Griots garage blue plush microfibres are the best I’ve found.

Non of these products contain anything harmful long term to nitro and if used correctly will make the guitar look better than new.

Thanks for the great response. I’ll look into the Music Nomad Detailer. I wonder how this compares to the Fender Custom Shop cleaner and PRS Cleaner? Probably similar. Have you used those?

There are thick weave/plush microfibre cloths (like the Griots ones or ones you would use on a car), and there are thin weaved cloths that are more like glass cleaning cloths, and then there are the medium in-between ones, but are generally on the thinner side as well. I never know which thickness is best to not scratch. It's possible one type is better for cleaning and the other for polishing? I’ve had the thin glass microfibers leave hairline scratches before, and thickest ones can catch debris that can scratch and may not be as noticeable that it’s there. The PRS microfibre cloths they sell and include with the cleaning kit seem to be on the medium-thin side.

On MusicNomad's FAQ for the Detailer, it says:

"It is (safe) if the Nitro finish is hard and not soft with any buildup. If it has buildup do not use any spray type product as it may mix in with the buildup and cloud it up. For soft and cloudy nitro use our Guitar Pro Strength polish."

This is a bit concerning. I was under the impression nitro was always soft. How would you know?

 

[Alnus Rubra]

That's not yogurt

Can’t beat a bit of culture

 

[doublescale1]

Virtuoso Cleaner and Polish (two different Virtuoso products, not an all-in-one thing) are the best for Nitro finished instruments. It has no silicone in it. Violin and Cello players have been using it for a long, long time. It's just an exceptional pro-level product. Use with complete confidence.

 

[Grim_Pickins]

Thanks for the great response. I’ll look into the Music Nomad Detailer. I wonder how this compares to the Fender Custom Shop cleaner and PRS Cleaner? Probably similar. Have you used those?

There are thick weave/plush microfibre cloths (like the Griots ones or ones you would use on a car), and there are thin weaved cloths that are more like glass cleaning cloths, and then there are the medium in-between ones, but are generally on the thinner side as well. I never know which thickness is best to not scratch. It's possible one type is better for cleaning and the other for polishing? I’ve had the thin glass microfibers leave hairline scratches before, and thickest ones can catch debris that can scratch and may not be as noticeable that it’s there. The PRS microfibre cloths they sell and include with the cleaning kit seem to be on the medium-thin side.

On MusicNomad's FAQ for the Detailer, it says:

"It is (safe) if the Nitro finish is hard and not soft with any buildup. If it has buildup do not use any spray type product as it may mix in with the buildup and cloud it up. For soft and cloudy nitro use our Guitar Pro Strength polish."

This is a bit concerning. I was under the impression nitro was always soft. How would you know?

I’ve never experienced any clouding whatsoever with the detailer on my nitro PRS... I think the soft/gummy reference is if there has already been some kind of reaction, or on certain gibsons where they have used a ton of plasticizer in the finish formula. You’d be safe with a nitro PRS. Keep in mind this will only remove finger oils, dust, and sweat before it dries. For any actual clouding of the nitro (inevitable) you’ll need to go to the virtuoso polish.

The fender stuff is rebranded Meguiars final inspection (car detailer). It is very good too but harder to find. The PRS cleaner I wasn’t really a fan of… it acted and felt suspiciously like windex. I’ve heard windex can actually be used for this, but I’m not about to try.

I’ve had better luck with the thicker/plusher microfibre in regards to scratching. While it can grab and trap dirt and dust particles, there is more “cushion” for the particle and my belief is that there is not as much abrasion. It holds it in the cloth vs grinding between the cloth and finish if that makes sense. Whatever you use, use a soft touch and let the product do the work.

My procedure whenever I get a new nitro guitar is to take the hardware off and polish the whole guitar with the virtuoso polish. This removes any haze and cloudiness that even new-off-the-floor nitro guitars can have. From that point forward all I need to do is a quick wipe with the nomad detailer immediately after playing and it all stays slick as can be and like a clean mirror. If you have a situation where you can’t wipe it down thoroughly until the sweat and oils dry, just hit those spots with a touch of virtuoso polish and you’re back.

Hope this helps

 

[Fychan]

For a general wipe down I have used the Gibson Pump Polish + a plush microfiber cloth (not those yellow cotton polish cloths) for years. It's inexpensive and safe for nitro.

 

[Mentalo87]

Just don’t use the Dunlop stuff, it’s not nitro safe and caused me sticky necks on some guitars, which I was able to resolve, luckily.

 

[Ronald]

i use music nomad for almost every guitar.
If you want it to remain showroom never been used or played before, id assume try PRS polish as if an issue ever were to rise, you can state you used the polish they sell.

The reality is nitro is kinda a PITA to keep clean and you should just let it do its thing. Its gonna cloud. its gonna crack. its gonna chip. The benefits outweigh the cons.

There is no product in existence that will keep a Nitro painted guitar looking showroom new. The closest we can come is to leave the guitar in a hard case and never open it or play it. Most people, myself included, find this unacceptable. I have bought a couple previously owned 15 year old guitars that were stored/treated this way and even they did not look "showroom" new. Nitro shrinks and dulls over time with outgassing.