Cleaning a nickle body guitar

[Tyger]

I'm sure it's been done to death and probably on here somewhere but what is the best way to keep a nickle body guitar shiny?

[tark]

Yup - dead and buried.

Seriously - cleaning a nickel plated guitar, particularly an old one should be done with great care.

If it isn't tarnished then wipe it over every day with a very soft, dirt free, cloth. Microfibre cloths are available from places like M&S.

Some people recommend protecting the cleaned nickel finish with a coat of car wax, although once this is applied it's very difficult to remove and you have to be careful not to get dirt building up in the wax itself.

If the nickel is tarnished then a careful application of a fine metal polish can be used. If the nickel is over polished you can wear right through it down to the bare metal underneath.

[Trundler1]

Many thanks - sorry to have asked

[tark]

No problem.

The worst thing is having humans or pets sneeze anywhere a shiny reso. Those little tarnish spots caused by salty snot are a bugger to get off!! And the worst ones always wind up underneath the strings.

[tark]

Hi Tyger,

I have just noticed that National Reso-Phonic have a new product called Nickel-Aide ($17.95) for cleaning and preserving the nickel finish.

With a bit of luck Dave King at www.frets.co.uk will be stocking it.

[Richard]

Turtle Wax was made specifically for period metal Nationals and was indeed listed as an an approved cleaner and preservative by Turtle WAx in thier specification sheet, it comes in just under the entry for Hillman Minx paintwork

Contary to public belief it does not produce build up of nasty wax but nourishes the nickle plate with special atomic enzimes which are absobed by, as any phyicist will tell you, by nighty activity..

The proof of this particular pudding is in who else on this site uses it and it's doubtless a trillion times cheaper per gallon that the National polish will ever be...

[Michael Messer]

Hi Tyger,

My apologies for missing your thread, but occasionally one slips through the net. Done to death or not.....you have come to us for advice.

During my 30+ years of owning shiny silver guitars I have used every polish under the sun and so far I have not ruined a guitar.

These days I polish the guitars with 'Mer' and then use 'Turtle' car wax to protect the finish. If the guitar is very tarnished I use a gentle silver polish and some elbow grease to clean it up....then some Mer to get it shiny & sparkly......then some Turtle wax to protect it. I have done this for most of the past 20 years.





I keep a chamois leather (a real one) in my guitar case and after every gig I clean the guitar & the strings with it. I believe every guitarist should carry one.

I was originally turned on to car wax by Bob Brozman when I first got to know him 20 years or so ago. He was right, it is an excellent way of protecting instruments from moisture and smoky atmospheres.

Turtle Wax is also wonderful on Hillman Minxes, Austin Allegros and Morris Marinas ;D

Shine On,
Michael.