Blrfl
Friend of Leo's
I guess this counts as finish-related...
When my dad passed away five years ago, I inherited his guitars and have been getting them cleaned up and back into fighting shape on the Father's Days that have followed. The last one is a 1969 Gibson L-48, which is an ES-125 without any of the electric bits. It's nothing special as guitars go, but it's been a fixture in my life since he bought it in 1972 and I'd like to clean it up and start playing it regularly.
The finish looks and feels like nitro and is in good shape for a 54-year-old instrument, but Dad never did much to clean his guitars and there's the expected layer of oils and whatever on it. I'd like the collective's advice on the best way to remove that and bring the finish back to a nice shine without damaging anything.
The metal on the tuning machines (Kluson 303-V strips, pretty typical for that era) has dulled a lot. Those will be coming off the guitar and I'd like to bring those back to a reasonable shine. Flitz or Simichrome seems like the right thing, but I'm open to other ideas.
Thanks!
When my dad passed away five years ago, I inherited his guitars and have been getting them cleaned up and back into fighting shape on the Father's Days that have followed. The last one is a 1969 Gibson L-48, which is an ES-125 without any of the electric bits. It's nothing special as guitars go, but it's been a fixture in my life since he bought it in 1972 and I'd like to clean it up and start playing it regularly.
The finish looks and feels like nitro and is in good shape for a 54-year-old instrument, but Dad never did much to clean his guitars and there's the expected layer of oils and whatever on it. I'd like the collective's advice on the best way to remove that and bring the finish back to a nice shine without damaging anything.
The metal on the tuning machines (Kluson 303-V strips, pretty typical for that era) has dulled a lot. Those will be coming off the guitar and I'd like to bring those back to a reasonable shine. Flitz or Simichrome seems like the right thing, but I'm open to other ideas.
Thanks!
