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Thread: Instrument Cleaning/maintenance?

  1. #1

    Default Instrument Cleaning/maintenance?

    Hey all,
    Although I am not entirely new to stringed instruments, I have not really taken it as seriously as I am now. My mandolin is the first instrument I have bought for myself (the others had been gifts) and I want to keep it looking and sounding good. I have heard from many players of guitar (and a few references to it on here) about making sure the strings stay clean to stop corrosion and also to keep the fretboard clean as well. Is this as simple as using something like a microfiber cloth and just wiping it down after use? also, the mandolin has a satin lacquer finish and i wanna keep that up to snuff without making scratching the finish...is microfiber a good choice for this also?

    any advice would be much appreciated! thanks!

    Ian
    Eastman MD315

  2. #2

    Default Re: Instrument Cleaning/maintenance?

    I don't wipe down my strings but I was talking with an instructor at camp who does so every time he plays, I say whatever works for you. Some people have problems with chemical reactions of their fingers and the strings, I just make sure my hands are clean when I play.

    For the finish I have the same mandolin and just wipe it down with a microfiber cloth from time to time, it has developed a few shiny spots where my right arm rests at the tailpiece and where a pickguard would be, I don't usually plant my pinky or anything but I must be doing something to cause the shiny spot.

    As for the neck I do take some very fine (1200) sandpaper to it to keep it smooth, I just go over it very lightly and wipe it down.
    Northfield F5M #268, AT02 #7

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  4. #3

    Default Re: Instrument Cleaning/maintenance?

    It is the nature of the satin finish to get some shiny areas caused by playing the mandolin. The neck certainly will get shiny first but the body too where it is held against your front and also where your arm rests against it's front. Your shirt is abrasive just like your hand sliding on the neck will eventually cause the satin finish to shine. Depending on how much you play your mando it will happen sooner or later. It is a fact of life with satin finishes. The only solution I know of to maintain the satin finish is to not play your mandolin. I think the satin finishes of today are better than they were, but still they can be shined through use and contact with shirt cloth. I don't however think that it is worth worrying about though. If it happens it happens. Some great players have virtually destroyed the fronts of their mandos through vigorous playing.

    As long as you have a pick guard on your instrument you can plant a finger on it while playing if you like. But a mando without a pick guard can be worn badly by a planted finger. I found that out the hard way.

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  6. #4

    Default Re: Instrument Cleaning/maintenance?

    Thanks for the feedback. I am not so concerned about the finish becoming shiny, I think the wear from playing adds character and looks good. What i was more referring to is oils or other foreign substances getting on the mandolin and cleaning them off. I suppose just ever so slightly damp cloth with a tiny bit of soap if necessary? and obviously dry it off immediately? my concern is harming the finish with something other than wear and tear. hope that makes sense...
    Eastman MD315

  7. #5
    Mandolin Botherer Shelagh Moore's Avatar
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    Default Re: Instrument Cleaning/maintenance?

    I clean my strings with kitchen tissue or a soft cloth after every playing session and it definitely helps extend string life. I'll treat the fretboards with lemon oil about once a year and clean the instruments every so often with a soft cloth, sometimes lightly moistened with water if necessary.

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  9. #6
    Registered User Joey Anchors's Avatar
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    Default Re: Instrument Cleaning/maintenance?

    I wipe down my strings and body after every use. My mando also has a matte finish and it has shined up on back of the neck and areas of the body where my arm hits.. But I like the wear look.
    Waterloo WL-M

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  11. #7
    Registered User avaldes's Avatar
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    Default Re: Instrument Cleaning/maintenance?

    Two factors affect string corrosion: chemistry of your skin oils and sweat, which you can't control, and dirt, which you can. I love my musician friends, but a lot of them attack a plate of wings or other finger food, lick their fingers, and start playing.

    I use microfiber cloth on the strings after playing, and less frequently on other surfaces. Other fabrics leave lint. I use (rarely and sparsely) a guitar polish. Once a year or so when I have all the strings off, I clean the fingerboard with fine steel wool, and apply a VERY small amount of walnut oil (recommended by a luthier). Linseed oil may be more conventional. Let it absorb for an hour, then wipe off as much as you can. Oil will ruin wound strings.
    Be careful of overaggressive cleaning. I have heard of people snagging and lifting a fret.

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  13. #8
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    Default Re: Instrument Cleaning/maintenance?

    Speaking of cleaning, I use this brush to clean the fingerboard under the strings. It does a great job of cleaning the "debris," for lack of a better term, that accumulates next to the frets. It can be used while the strings are taut.

    Actually, the brush is normally used by OB/GYN doctors for pap smears, according to my RN daughter. If it works........

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    Default Re: Instrument Cleaning/maintenance?

    I sure hope you opened that new out of the wrapper....

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  17. #10
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    Default Re: Instrument Cleaning/maintenance?

    Quote Originally Posted by Alan Lackey View Post
    I sure hope you opened that new out of the wrapper....
    Rest assured.

  18. #11
    Mediocre but OK with that Paul Busman's Avatar
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    Default Re: Instrument Cleaning/maintenance?

    Funny-- on a matte finish mandolin, making it shinier is actually distressing it. Talk about cognitive dissonance.

    There used to be a great guitar shop down the block from my office. They carried some nice, but lower end Asian guitars and everything else up to one of a kind luthier built guitars in the tens of thousands of dollars. The owner Klem recommended cleaning them with a clean cloth and a little bit of Windex. Not enough to soak the finish, just enough to remove skin oils etc. Works like a charm.
    For wooden musical fun that doesn't involve strumming, check out:
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  19. #12
    Quietly Making Noise Dave Greenspoon's Avatar
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    Default Re: Instrument Cleaning/maintenance?

    I have a patch of sheep's wool that I run up and down the strings after playing. It does a great job of absorbing any oils on the strings. I wipe the body lightly with a dry micro-fiber cloth, though I've been told by a builder that the original Pledge is fine. A can of compressed air does wonders for removing fine grit that the cloth can't easily remove.
    Axes: Eastman MD-515 & El Rey; Eastwood S Mandola
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  21. #13
    but that's just me Bertram Henze's Avatar
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    Default Re: Instrument Cleaning/maintenance?

    I use a dishcloth with 3 drops of Dr. Duck's AxWax for string cleaning after playing (practising or session - extends string life by a factor of 4). I also use the dry part of the cloth to wipe my DNA off the laquered parts of the instrument, to slide it up and down the fretboard under the strings and to finally remove excess AxWax from the strings.

    This procedure is also an established signal to the other session players that I'll be leaving in 10 minutes. I have seen it cause anything from cries of dismay to sighs of relief...
    the world is better off without bad ideas, good ideas are better off without the world

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