I hate to RANT but. . . .

[ADR]

Your right,Patience. . im lacking.Good point, will def take everyones advice. I am open to learning new things.
ps: My Charvel was in the place for app a year, so maybe its dry? and needs a 2 or 3 step polish/wax to bring it up to par?
Also im used to a PG covering half the paint and not a customed to seeing the swirls/scratches that the plastic PG doesnt reveal.

So Thank You everyone

[guitarsjb]

Sweet guitar!!

[bibz]

Dark colour = easier visibile scratches. Playing a guitar means its gonna get dirty, and I love my guitars having a bit of character and proof I've poored hundreds of hours over them!

Is that a crystal grey sti? what do you use on it?

[catzodellamarina]

Sweet guitar. Nice Dodge Neon with the hoodscoop too..lol

I had the same problem on my Custom Shop Charvel. After a couple months of gigging I noticed there were so many pick scuffs it looked like I'd owned it 5 years. I freaked out too. I used an automotive polish on it and I was light on the touch, moving in little circles. Then I applied a car wax. It took about 70% of the used look away.

That was about a year ago. Since then I haven't bothered. I think it's starting to look cool - dirty maple fret board, a dull area where my forearm rests, and those pesky pick scuffs.

[Twisteramps]

ps: Here is my WRX STi paint. . I like shinny paint.

Yeah, I like shiny paint too... here's an old pic of my firebird back when I kept it polished:



FYI, I used Zaino on it and currently on my guitars. It's expensive but worth it. http://www.zainostore.com/

Pete

[ADR]

Pete: Looks super,nice job.Im familar with the German Zanio(sp?) I have a CS Relic and expect that type of wear,wearing of the finish.Im going to polish than wax the paint and hopefuuly make it less prone to scratches,defects. BTW: My STi has been thru now 4 NY State winters.I have always used Collonite fleet wax #885 paste. (a marine grade wax. .lasts 1 yr, under unconceivable condidtion)
I thought the paint on my Charvel would seem more durable, then again its dark so need to take care of it,so it seems.
Man, have I learned alot abot my Charvel. . thanks so much.Must get some sleep, ill be dead tomorrow at work.

[PittJitsu]

Nice Guitar! swirl marks N all.

[Inazone]

FYI -Gibson guitar polish contains trace amounts of laquer. This is what is smearing and taking forever to dry. It should only be used on gibson guitars.I know the bottle say's it is good for all finishes but trust me it works like crap on poly finishes.

Ugh, I wish I would have known that a long time ago! I couldn't figure out why I got such crappy results using Gibson polish a few years back. I eventually reached the conclusion that it wasn't working for me, but I never thought about the nitro vs. poly thing.

[Sunbane]

Beautiful Charvel!
The car is nice too!

[sully]

another product that doesn't get much (if any) talk here that i use from time to time is mother's pre-wax cleaner. that along with the diaper cloths that you can get in the auto section work wonderfully. granted, it's a little bit more involved than just spraying and wiping, but it does a nice job.

sully

[Strat God]

The Fender Care Kit has some good McGuire's (sp?) stuff in it, polishing compound (very light), swirl remover and spray stuff for touch up. Also, you can use 3M Finesse-it (super fine).with a microfiber cloth. I buy the cheap ones in Walmart or automotive parts stores in bulk.

If the above doesn't get it go with StewMac fine compound. It is amazing stuff, but needs to be thinned with mineral spirits. It's OK to use a new can without the mineral spirits at first, but it will dry out in time.

I can't understand your finish scratching problem. The Charvel's are finished automotive grade Polyurethane.

Also don't be too quick to judge on the views on your topic. There are many many members on this forum. I know you were getting uptight, but be patient.

I use the Fender'McGuire's exclusively. 3 bottles of bliss...
FYI- stay away from microfiber cloths- they WILL SCRATCH your finish- what you've read about this 'wonderful' microfiber stuff is pure marketing bullshit.
Raw 100% cotton cloth is the way to go, and use seperate cloths for deep scratch remover, haze remover and light polish.
If your guitar has a nitro finish or a high-end French Polish finish- do not use the deep scratch remover- it will damage the finish on any guitar with these finishes.

[bibz]

another product that doesn't get much (if any) talk here that i use from time to time is mother's pre-wax cleaner. that along with the diaper cloths that you can get in the auto section work wonderfully. granted, it's a little bit more involved than just spraying and wiping, but it does a nice job.

sully

Thats good stuff , I've got a bottle or so in the shed. I replaced it with Meguiars Paint Cleaner and it does amazing work also. It wont help swirls or scratches, but it sure gets rid of the oxidization and oils from the finish. The stuff it can remove from cars is amazing, and the stuff on guitars after years can be similar. You can follow them with a glaze/wax but to be honest I just wipe my guitars down with a rag and so be it. Oh yes, there will be blemishes!

[jcm800x]

I feel so dirty now.

[ADR]

I throw out my 3M Micro fiber cloth,see ya. I just used my "Meguiars-Quik Detailer" (have a bucket full of car stuff)with a terry cloth wash cloth and WOW!!!! that worked great.I sprayed onto the cloth first (per advice) and it easily cleaned it,2-3 swipes,flipped cloth Done.
Next restring,im going to Quik Detail it, folllowed by a coat of Collonite,which leaves no white residue which is nice feature.
Now I can play the San Dimas longer than I was cleaning it.
The Meguiars smells way better ( yeah cherry)than the Gibson polish, that smells weird. So now my Black Cherry Charvel really smells like Cherry.
Thanx for all the advice,tips and feedback.Not feeling the blues any longer.
ps: jcm800x. . I have a YJM too (click my profile for my YJM tribute page and see my gee-tars) if you get a chance.
~Andy

[Jacksonite]

Rosignolo makes a GREAT 3 step system that has 3 seperate cloths...


Microfiber DOESNT scratch, but it holds dirt pretty bad, so if its not clean, it WILL.
the rosignolo stuff is 25 bux for the entire kit including cloths