Do me a favor and give me a good vote.. it's the cool thing to do.

There are many, many flavors of Guitar polish out there, and for this little article, I'm going to concentrate on the Electric Guitar.

The first tip is very, very simple.  Any good furniture polish is as good as any guitar polish. Maybe better. If it's made for wood, then whoever made it wants it to work good on wood. If it can be used on fine furniture, then it's great for guitars as well. Do yourself a favor and save a little money.  Chances are, you'll get more furniture polish in a container for less money per ounce than any small bottle of guitar polish.. And, it will last a long time as well. 

Guitarists are kind of divided into two camps. Camp One wants the instrument to be like new as much as possible. Camp Two does not care, in fact, a portion of Camp Two actually likes guitars that are beat up and look old, but still play well. I've always drifted towards Camp Two myself, since I believe an instrument is meant to be played and actually gets better by being played.

That said, I'd like to touch on dealing with minor pick scuffs, belt rash, shallow scratches, etc.  If they bother you, if you simply want to make the instrument look better, maybe jazz it up some to sell.. for whatever reason.  I have three words for you.  Automobile Detailing Products.

Your local Auto Zone, Walmart, etc are a treasure trove of guitar restoration products. Start with a clay bar and spray solution to take off any overspray and built up grime. Don't know what a clay bar is..? Google clay bar auto. Next, a good scratch remover .. Scratch X, etc. Follow the directions and they work great. After all, if it's good enough for a delicate clearcoat automotive finish, then why wouldn't it work just as well on a guitar..?? These scratch removers have ultra fine polishing compounds built in, they can take a little work, but they do the job, especially on fine scratches and pick marks. Follow that up with a few coats of a quality paste wax and I guarantee you will be amazed.

As with all things, follow the directions. If you feel uncomfortable doing it, practice on something first. Like your car.

Last, wood dries out, especially if you live in a dry climate. Those little humidifier do dads you put in your guitar case are a good investment. And, for a neck, there is nothing better than to give it a light coat of lemon oil, let it sit for a few minutes and then wipe off the excess whenever you put on new strings. You can pay good money for Guitar Fretboard Lemon Oil, but it's the same stuff you can pick up at the furniture polish isle at any grocery store or department store.

Best of all, the furniture polish and lemon oil is there for you when you want to actually use it on furniture. Same goes for Automotive Detailing Products.

Till next tile, remember,  keep practicing, because that where the REAL difference in guitars takes place. It's all in your fingers.  Uncle Willie