Any suggestions on how to clean our coverplates? Mine is the copper colored. I'm tempted to leave the smudges on it so it will have a funky patina but I'd like to have some options for cleaning it up. Just rubbing it with a cloth hasn't worked. Funky Patina - wasn't there a rap song called "Funky Cold Patina"?
I leave mine with the patina to keep the "antiqued" look and just give it a wipe over every so often to clean dust and any sweat off. Someone else I know who has one cleaned and polished his coveroplate up with Brasso but I didn't actually care for the shiny result myself.
Go with the Funky Patina and enjoy how the FP adapts to the player, making different effects depending on your personal touching points.
Maybe in a few years we can take some photos and turn them into a sort of Rorschach test.
I just was on the National site and they answered this question: For polished, bright nickel guitars: Start with the least abrasive cleaning techniques before moving on to the more abrasive ones. Clean the nickel with a soft cloth (we use cloth diapers) & some glass cleaner, rubbing alcohol, or white vinegar. This should be done each time you use it, and should remove fingermarks. For stubborn stains, we recommend Flitz metal polish. You can buy Flitz at most hardware stores or from our online store: http://store.nationalguitars.com/flitz.aspx. Once the instrument is pristine, you can apply a coat of wax that has carnauba in it, such as Johnson's Clear Paste Wax or Meguire's No. 26 Car Wax. For satin, Vintage Steel body guitars: Use Nickel-Aide to protect and seal the open pores of the satin nickel plating-- http://store.nationalguitars.com/nickle-aide.aspx
I clean spots with a soft cloth and vinegar. Less abrasive, but you do want to wipe it off well so the acidity doesn't stay on the metal.
