Sadowsky | Guitar Care

EVERYDAY POLISH

If there is anything I don’t like in a polish, it is a greasy, oily residue. Sadowsky Everyday Polish is a light polish that will clean everyday smudges, fingerprints, sweat, soda and beer spray and almost everything else that can get on your guitar from normal playing or gigging. It will not leave any greasy or oily film.

Spray Everyday Polish directly on your guitar or onto a soft cloth and lightly rub the area to be cleaned. Buff dry with a Sadowsky Microfiber cloth or another soft cloth before the mist dries on the guitar. I recommend a 100% cotton cloth like an old T-shirt or flannel. The only paper towel soft enough for use on guitars is, in my opinion, Bounty brand.

Avoid spraying on unfinished wood surfaces like fingerboards and acoustic bridges. However, Sadowsky Everyday Polish is excellent for cleaning finished maple fingerboards.

RESTORATION CLEANER AND POLISH

If you have instruments finished in Nitrocellulose lacquer, you may have encountered a situation where you use a regular guitar polish and the finish gets cloudy or dull, looking worse than when you started. This indicates an oxidized finish which requires a mild abrasive to rub out that outer oxidized layer. Many compounds have too much abrasive which can result in a dull, scratched finish.

Sadowsky Restoration Cleaner has the perfect amount of micro abrasives for safely cleaning the oxidized layer of nitro guitar finishes. For acoustic and larger electric guitars, tackle an area no larger than 1/4 of the top or back or about 1/3 the side. Place a penny sized dot of cleaner on the area to be cleaned. Using a small soft cloth, rub in circles until the cleaner begins to dry. Buff with a Sadowsky Microfiber cloth or a different soft cloth. Continue until the entire top, back or side is complete. Repeat the process with Sadowsky Restoration Polish for a high gloss and smudge resistant finish.

For finishes that are not oxidized, eliminate the Cleaner and begin with Sadowsky Restoration Polish. Maintain with Sadowsky Everyday Polish.

OTHER TIPS

Do not use Sadowsky Restoration products on satin or flat finishes as the micro abrasives polish the finish and make it glossy. Only use Sadowsky Everyday Cleaner on satin or flat finishes.
Do not use Sadowsky Polishes and Cleaner on oil finishes.
Sadowsky Restoration Cleaner will remove light scratches and oxidation.
Sadowsky Restoration Polish will maintain a finish previously treated with Restoration Cleaner
Sadowsky Everyday Polish is the perfect formula for cleaning your guitar or bass after playing.

Order the full kit of all three products and get a microfiber polishing cloth FREE!

A WORD ABOUT SILICONE

If you ask 10 guitar techs about silicone, you will probably get 11 answers. Here is the first and last I have to say on the subject: Silicone in a guitar polish does NOT damage guitar finishes!

Silicone in polishes is only a problem if your need to have your finish touched up or refinished by a professional guitar tech. The silicone prevents the new wet finish from flowing out evenly, creating little craters called “fish eyes”. The only way for a professional finisher to avoid “fish eyes” is to add an agent called “fish eye remover” to the new finish before spraying.

What is “fish eye remover”? It is pure liquid silicone!

In other words, you have to add pure silicone to the new finish to prevent residual silicone from polishes from causing any problems. If you are a repair person or refinisher, you have to assume that any finish you are working on has been contaminated with silicone before you spray your first coat. There is no product that can remove silicone in advance from a contaminated finish. So, you automatically add silicone “fish eye remover” to your touch up or refinish lacquer.

Given the above, the entire discussion about whether or not guitar finishes have silicone is a moot point. It only matters to your repair person and they have to assume there is silicone present.

Sadowsky Restoration products have trace amounts of silicone.