Treeline
New member
We polish acoustic guitars to make us feel good. We don't do it to improve the guitar. The best thing is no wax at all. Most spray polishes are essentially a form of paint thinner - dilute petroleum distillates that sit on the finish but do not (hopefully) reach the wood itself. You know the chatter about the wood "breathing" because of wax and polish? It's all bugdust.
Counterintuitive, I know, but the finish is all you need to protect it. Use a non-abrasive cleaner to cut the old wax and if you're really driven, then polish the finish with an ultra fine glazing compound and a soft cloth. Meguiar's Mirror Glaze has been used for years to polish the plastic windshields in small aircraft - you have to be able to see through those things, so you know it's a gentle cut. There are other polishing agents available, but I would look for mirror glaze in the finest cut you can find. It's a thick liquid in a bottle. Look at luthier supply places or your local auto parts store. The trick is to be gentle - a little goes a long way and every time you polish it you are thinning the lacquer. You can polish right through the finish if you start getting compulsive about it.
You could use a light spray polish - on the cloth, not the guitar - but be very picky about what you get. Look for something that does not include silicone in it. Silicone oil is the acoustic guitar's (well, repairman's) worst enemy. It gets in little cracks and it never dries. Everything is peachy until you need a repair done and then the glue (or new laquer) doesn't stick to anything. Most spray polishes use silicone oil because it makes things look better. Endust is free of silicone and free of wax.
I use a little Endust on my guitar now and then. But mostly I use a soft clean cloth. If the guitar has fingerprints, I use a little water. That's it.
Counterintuitive, I know, but the finish is all you need to protect it. Use a non-abrasive cleaner to cut the old wax and if you're really driven, then polish the finish with an ultra fine glazing compound and a soft cloth. Meguiar's Mirror Glaze has been used for years to polish the plastic windshields in small aircraft - you have to be able to see through those things, so you know it's a gentle cut. There are other polishing agents available, but I would look for mirror glaze in the finest cut you can find. It's a thick liquid in a bottle. Look at luthier supply places or your local auto parts store. The trick is to be gentle - a little goes a long way and every time you polish it you are thinning the lacquer. You can polish right through the finish if you start getting compulsive about it.
You could use a light spray polish - on the cloth, not the guitar - but be very picky about what you get. Look for something that does not include silicone in it. Silicone oil is the acoustic guitar's (well, repairman's) worst enemy. It gets in little cracks and it never dries. Everything is peachy until you need a repair done and then the glue (or new laquer) doesn't stick to anything. Most spray polishes use silicone oil because it makes things look better. Endust is free of silicone and free of wax.
I use a little Endust on my guitar now and then. But mostly I use a soft clean cloth. If the guitar has fingerprints, I use a little water. That's it.
