As a physician, surgeon and luthier, I can tell you what to put on your guitar and what not to put on your guitar. When I finish working on a guitar for someone, one of the services I provide is to detail the body and fretboard. This is most easily accomplished with the strings off and with the following (to clean and refurbish the fretboard. I use something totally different for the finish of the guitar): 1. 0000 steel wool 2. Murphy's Wood Oil Soap 3. An old cotton towel 4. Pure Almond Oil 5. A clean cotton towel With warm water and the Murphy's Wood Oil Soap, you lightly scrub (with the grain) with the steel wool. You can use brass, as it is softer, but finding it in a 0000 gauge is nearly impossible. Doing this with the old towel underneath the neck will catch the drips. Doing about 5 frets at a time and then wiping off the crud with the old cotton towel, you work your way up the neck. You'll find that rinsing the steel wool often (several times a fret) will help extricate the dirt and oils from your fingers and really clean it off the wood. Once the entire neck is done, a finish by carefully taking the steel wool across the fret wires to polish them as well. If you've done a good job of getting the crud off the fretboard, it should look uniform and dull, without dark areas or light areas. If this isn't the case, throw out the Murphy's Wood Oil mixture, mix up a new batch and do the fretboard again. You'll be amazed and disgusted as how dark the water is as you pour it down the drain. Now, the good part. Take the clean cotton towel (or wash cloth) and put some Almond Oil on it. A little goes a long way. Go fret by fret, rubbing it in with the grain of the wood. By the time you get to the top of the neck, you'll have enough of it soak in that it is time to wipe off the excess. The neck will look as though it was new (maybe better). As Almond Oil is pure and a natural byproduct of processing almonds, it has no additives, no preservatives and is completely natural (unlike Lemon Oil, or Scott's Liquid Gold or other things which are petroleum based and will raise the grain of the wood and does more harm than good). Restring the guitar and you're ready to go. I'm a firm believer that absolutely nothing other than Almond Oil should be applied to the bare wood (fretboard and saddle) of a guitar or any fine wood.

How good is the camera work in this video!! You never notice it but you always see pertinent areas quickly and clearly. Well done to however filmed this.

Thanks so much! This is very practical, easy to follow instructions. And if routinely followed, it will keep your guitar looking great. But so many people wait until they've got layers of crud on the fretboard, as well as on the various crevices of the guitar. So easy to MAINTAIN a guitar's finish, as opposed to trying to have to radically clean it after long periods of buildup, and what the oils in your hands and string corrosion particles do to it.

Best guitar care video I have seen yet. I really appreciate it!

"I'm going to come up to the headstock and loosen the strings slowly"..... proceeds to put power tool to the machine heads at 600rpms. Sorry, just having fun at your expense. I liked the video.

Thanks for sharing. With your suggestions, I believe even an old guitar would appreciate the attention! Thank you.

Fantastic. Very clear and informative. Thank you.

first we're gonna remove the strings slowly with this high speed electric tuner unwinder.

Thank you! You taught me something I really needed to know. How to Tighten the String Peg. I've had two loose ones.. Not Anymore! Was surprised about Turtle Wax

50years of changing strings and I finally learn how to do it the factory way! Gotta love the stand he used! I used the kitchen table and a towel with the head hung over the edge and that plastic winder that I have was very useful (finally).

@ElixirStringsMedia thank you for the tips and everything!!

Fantastic video - all simple but essential to keeping your guitar playing and looking great.

Tons of Nice Tips! Thanks.

Great vid thanks!.. I followed and did all this yesterday, and playing nice.

Thank you so much for the tip! I have been told by some others that against the grain is correct. I will tell them that quality Taylor guitars say different. Thanks again!

Good Cleaning and Maintenance Techniques for the target audience. A gig guitar that travels around with you or one you use around the house would definitely benefit from this. The negative comments seem to be about maintaining a $1000+ or collectable guitars.

@ElixirStringsMedia Thank You this helped me very much and answered all my questions!

wow...this video is so nicely done!

Thanks so much! Really appreciated that you use general, affordable products that can be bought in bulk and that work effectively! My first time using 0000 steel wool on the fretboard itself (not only the frets) and boiled linseed oil to hydrate. It totally makes sense, as this is what's is commonly used in furniture making and in oiling wooden tool handles - so why not guitars? It's just timber after all. Thanks again!

I do it exactly using Lemon oil with my electric guitar ESP AX-50 LTD. Very nice work!

What a great video. And man do I love Taylors.

So awesome...I think i want to work at Taylor Guitars now!

Wow! Great tips!

Couple things I would add, keep your bridge pins in order, especially on older guitars. I use lemon oil on my guitar neck, unless you have a guitar with no finish applied, you’re actually waxing the finish, any good furnish will work. Waxing will help keep from scratched

Best string brand so far

best asmr video ever, thx elixir

Thanks for taking the time to make such a nice and detailed video. Man, where was the internet 20 years ago! I would have had to ask some smirky kid in a GC to learn this. ;)

I never use anything other than Murphy's oil soap, diluted 3 to 1 with distilled water to clean and polish my guitars, even on the fret boards, plus a little Cape Cod metal polish for frets themselves. It's been working for 40 years and never fails to keep them clean and looking great.

Wow, I learned a lot.

Using a set of diagonal cutters as a tool for grasping the bridge pins is risky with bone pins. They can easily scratch or crack the brittle bone. There are cheap (under $5) plastic pin pullers that are a lot safer to use. Or you can use some cloth around the jaws of the diagonal cutter to protect the pin from the sharp edges.

Magnifique!! Love Taylor guitars❣❣ Probably own too many of them❣❣😍

you guys are just awesome

Watched a few of your videos, observed that your ways of doing “how to” on guitars are very effective, really useful on daily care of a guitar. Thanks and looking after to watching more of your videos.

Very nice, thanks for the video

Great tuition

Such a good vid I'm adding this to favourite 😍

Excellent Information

Sir please ignore the idiots who are arm chair experts in guitar tech your videos are excellent and informative.keep up the good work and videos hope to see ya more often you are definitely pro guitar tech hands down! Thx

He makes it look simple

I'm gonna loosen these slowly... REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.

AFTER the tape was applied I'd wipe down the guitar, to remove any tape glue residue. Someone mentioned using only drafting tape instead of masking tape. This blue tape-from 3M, I believe-comes off very easily. I used it quite a bit when painting homes. It's not very sticky. But it still has glue on it. I'd also use a vacuum instead of a brush to remove those bits of metal after using XXXX steel wool, unless you have a shop like he has.

ive broken bridge pins pulling them. i have to put hand inside guitar and push them out. chops sticks make a great free fix in a pinch. i also broke a bass tunner from tightening it with out string tension. tunned it up and snap!🍻

THANK YOU!

"Im Going to loosen them slowly" BAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHA

Wow i need to try elixer

I there! Thanks for this great instructional videos! I have a question: Can I use a soft steel wool to clean my stratocaster maple freatboard? Thanks

Thanks!

Elixer strings are the best on the market for acoustic guitars, id love for you guys to make nylon strings too

Thank you 😊

the new string sound lasts reaaaaaly long. these strings are awesome

I want this guy taking care of my guitar! Pro job.

Thanks for the video. You were careful to tape the sound hole for steel wool bits but now they are all over your workbench. Do you come back later with a magnet before you do the next guitar?

@TheDime4life Depends on your taste. I love the Nanowebs.

Thank you. A better explanation than Martin on the Martin technique. It is better because of the visuals you had.

@ElixirStringsMedia Oh I see.. Thanks for telling me this really help me a lot... From now onwards I will not let the oil sit, I have been doing that for a couple of months already, no wonder my strings always feel oily. Thanks a lot it really help me. :)

... I was expecting the steel wool fragments to be picked up with a magnet... magnetizing a screwdriver works well... thanks for sharing your expertise .... :)

1. I totally liked, favorited this video and subscribed to your channel! 2. I got a question: does scrapping off the varnish of the sound board help improving sustain and volume?

hello there very nice technique indeed thankyou for showing us this info is golden just a question about that black n decker cordless driver your using is that a 3.6 v power driver and did you just adapt the string winder head to your one or can you buy the attachment somewhere as im looking for the same thing your using cheers and thanks again

Good video I agree

can you tighten the little screw on the side off the tuning nuts when the strings are on the guitar

It's like a guitar spa :)

That's a sweet looking 818e.

Does that Turtle Express Shine used on a 114ce satin finish as well? Can't seem to find out anything on the web.

Thanks for all the tips. Did you use the Turtle Wax Polishing compound silicon free? Or what was it? Thank you!

I don't tie my strings either. Simply wrap them from top to bottom 2-3x around the post and they are just as secure as tied. Been playing since the 70s and wrapping around the posts is all that's required. They won't come loose, they wont affect intonation, they don't go out of tune, and it makes it easier to change strings. No negative effects whatsoever.

By the way- A good Homer Formsby wood cleaner works damn well, followed up by a lemon/linseed oil on a "rosewood/non coated" fretboard...FYI!!!

Suggestion: I would ask John Carruthers at the M.I. Guitar Craft Academy or Stew Mac what he thinks is best for cleaning the neck. .

my guitar's fret board is made of the polish wodd tht is seen on the body of the guitar so should i wax it or just do what you did ?

i paint and i have the linseed oil people use for oil painting will that work?

Could one use just some regular dishwashing soap thingy and water for cleaning the fretboard and back of the fretboard?

What is the exact make & Model of your String Winder please? I'd love to purchase one ( same as yours ). Seems like it works great. I just bought a New 414ce-R Taylor, and I've been watching all of your Tips and Maintenance videos. Great information.

you used the same brush for steel wool on the fretboard on the soundhole over a magnetic pickup.

Those who have painted guitars, as I have done, know that boiled linseed oil hardens like varnish, the method he used is the least recommended if the guitar is going to be in places with hot climates or high humidity since boiled linseed oil starts to get sticky

a couple of tips. I love playing guitar and I have been buying your strings for yrs along with deans. DO NOT WAX BEFORE YOU CLEAN. As you rub the wax on you're also rubbing dirt into the original finish. I work in the car res-toe biz. We never pull in a car for a pre show prep and clean and wax it first. We hit it with a HAIR DRYER on cold setting to blow off dust you cant see with the eye. Then we flow rinse it for a few mins per panel. Then we hit it with a soap cannon loaded with dawn dish liquid. we rise with a mist. Then we rewash with dawn and a microfibre with a new microfibre cloth. We rinse and then hit it with a buffer with a mirror glaze but with what was left in the pad from the previous job. If it looks show ready then we wax. If not we back up and go to a polish then then the mirror glaze. My boss use haul them in and wash them with the soap and a micro fiber. He would be adding scratches by not doing my first few steps and adding time in doing the job. I am on a pay scale (my doing) in what I am doing. Paid $45/hr for media blasting and detailing show cars. $42 for spraying a car and $37 for body work/sanding. $28 for cleaning the shop lol. I hate sand blasting but i will do it for 16 hours a day this time of yr because on paper Im paid $28 for my 50-60 hour week. The rest is cash and my pay stub shows a $28/hr salary...thats bonus money my wife don't know about an my gun collection is getting huge and as far as the wife is concerned my resto mod 74 corvette has only cost me (us) about $1800 yet lol. Damn woman found a few receipts i was careless with lol. Anyway I got long winded. Clean the fucking guitar before you rub dirt into it thinking you're just adding wax. If its a regular customer if you took pics you will notice in time ech time it comes in it looks more and more dull. Its dirt build up in the layers of wax.

I went to school with Bob Taylor. When Bob retired, he and his partners sold the company to his employees. Bob made his first guitar in 8th grade wood shop. He won a state prize for a lamp he designed and built. Taylor Guitars owes its existence to high school shop classes and the lessons learned there. Taylor Guitars supported hundreds of families at their factories through employment in San Diego and Mexico. Tell that to your school boards when they tell you they need to cut out vocational education.

Hello, very good information. I have a question, how do you clean the body of a matte taylor guitar? Many thanks!

Is this Turtle Wax Express spray safe to use on nitrocellulose (Gibson) finishes? (I strongly suspect no?)

I recently heard you can use almond oil to clean/condition the fretboard. Can a pro confirm or deny?

Can you take all the strings off at once if you have an under saddle pickup?

What about all the dust inside the sound hole ? Just a damp cloth? A can of air blaster? Anyone have any tips ?

Steel wool longitudinally does not clean next to frets. Oil with toothbrush cross wide does. I use teak oil. You can use boiled linseed. You can also use body lotion. Just wipe off excess.

I found linseed oil left a sheen gloss on the Pau Ferro fretboard, should I sand it down?

does it apply to cort earth grand . you can even feel the grain on it. or should i use different cleaning product?

He probably should have mentioned that you have to use low-tack masking tape on the soundhole, instead of just saying masking tape.

using f-1 by musicnomad is okay but be sure not get any water in there. Also, when using steel wool make sure it's a VERY VERY FINE steel wool, otherwise you can open up the little parellel crevice/minute cracks on the fretboard. Using the steel wool parellel might be better than perpendicular to the fretboard. otherwise just use the rougher side of the sponge if you have any doubts. I used steel wool and I'm seeing a light brown color appear certain areas of the frets which make me think that some dampness got in those cracks after using steel wool. Be VERY CAREFUL with older guitars in a high humidty enviroment when cleaning. (of course dry heat can affect an acoustic guitar also.

that last end about the tuner knob trick. however, what if you have gibson-style tulip knobs? where do you adjust?

My new Builder's Edition 614CE has a satin finish, would I still use the kind of car wax you did?

I'm thinking about using scotchbrite to clean the fingerboard due to use of too much fingerease, will it get the same effect??

what do i do if my frets that were silver are now brown/green-ish? does the steel wool clean that off?

@Jonathan1162 is that the same type of linseed oit that is used with oil painting or is it different

what can i use to clean the strings from the grease that deposits over time? the strings tend to get very mellow over time and i want to keep that bright metallic tone as much as possible

Looking for care info for a K14ce with silent satin finish what’s recommend for that?

Funny. That's exactly the side cutters I use on my identical Taylor. I put a bit of tape on the back side of the cutters. I suppose the debate on neck waxing will go on and on, but I find that it works beautifully on my Taylor, but not on my unfinished Hamer maple neck. The Hamer likes the 4000 steel wool, but that's it.

i wonder what kind of screwdriver used in this video is? can anyone indicate the exact model of this screwdriver? thank so much

When is going to be a "Setting up your acoustic guitar"?

steel wool? over the neck so it rubs on the fretboard? Will it not leave scratches? I thought you were supposed to tape the fretboard between frets to protect the fingerboard? Am missing something?

One day il own one of those Taylor badboys........ one day! nice vid

What would I use in place of the Turtle-wax for my GSmini? It’s the Rosewood body, Sitka top, all satin finished. Same fretboard oil throughout?

How do you recommend i clean the maple fingerboard on my stratocaster??

How about satin finish which is best cleaning liquid??