How to Clean Acoustic Guitar Necks

Keeping your guitar in top playing condition requires routine maintenance. If you don't clean your acoustic guitar neck, you risk premature fret wear, warping and loss of tonal response.

Things You'll Need

• Guitar polish
• Raw linseed oil
• Cotton polishing rags
• Replacement strings

Instructions

1. Remove the current set of strings in an alternating pattern, low E to high E. For example, low E, high E, B, D and G. This will prevent neck twist from uneven string pressure. Discard the old strings.

2. Wet a polishing cloth with a small amount of raw linseed oil and buff the fretboard with the cloth wrapped around your index finger. Pay attention to the area on either side of the fret wire. Dirt builds up there and can cause premature fretboard rot.

3. Allow to dry for around 10 minutes, then wipe off excess raw linseed with a dry part of the polishing cloth.

4. Apply a small amount of guitar polish to a polishing cloth and wipe down the back of the neck. The neck is likely coated in a polyurethane or nitrocellulose finish. A polish designed for guitars will not damage the finish.

5. Allow guitar polish to dry, then buff the back of the neck with a dry polishing cloth until it feels smooth. A buffing machine is not necessary for routine cleanings.

6. Replace strings in the same order you removed them.

Tips & Warnings

• Elbow grease is always better than machine buffing. You may need to repeat the cleaning process to remove all the dirt.

References

• Peerless tone
• Guitar Player Repair Guide 3rd Edition; Dan Erlewine; 2009