New member and Martin

[Daniel1955]

Hi,

Just joined recently and wanted say howdy. I do have a question for those who know. I just bought a new Martin D Classic with mahogany satin finish. Love the wonderful smell when I open the case! How do I clean the finish when it needs it.

Dan

[frazervalley]

welcome to the AGF. Someone will pipe in with some helpful comments soon. After each use, I just wipe my guitar with a clean dry microfibre cloth which I keep in my guitar case for this purpose. I gently wipe the whole guitar including the strings, especially where I touch them.

[Kerbie]

I also want to welcome you... hope you enjoy it here. We have lots of talented and smart folks to help you out.

[M19]

Damp cloth followed by dry cloth.

That's all.

[Steadfastly]

Use a damp, not wet, cloth and then a completely dry, lint-free one. There are some products most guitar stores sell but the above is fine.

[Ed-in-Ohio]

Originally Posted by M19

Damp cloth followed by dry cloth.

That's all.

Originally Posted by Steadfastly

Use a damp, not wet, cloth and then a completely dry, lint-free one. There are some products most guitar stores sell but the above is fine.

Welcome Dan, and congratulations on the new Martin! Enjoy it.

The above is great advice: warm dampness (not wet) followed by a dry cloth.

I saw a great tip in Acoustic Guitar magazine for how to easily and effectively do this. All you need is a clean, dry, lint-free polishing cloth (a good microfiber cloth is great). You can create the warm dampness needed by exhaling on the guitar from a short distance. Your breath will condense on the guitar, and you can wipe if off with the polishing cloth.

This process will work for just about all necessary routine cleaning.

Again, congratulations on the new guitar!

[Alex6strings]

Bit of a wipe as already said, no chemicals, it's just wood, wipe it.

[guitar george]

Welcome to the Acoustic Guitar Forum.

I have a Martin D15S where the satin finish has become semi-glossy on the back of the guitar at the waist, and on the front of the guitar at the lower bout. These are the two areas that are touched while the guitar is being played. Hopefully, if you follow the recommendations in this thread, this will not happen to your guitar.

[SunnyDee]

i just wipe it off (dry cloth or maybe very, very slightly dampened), when it gets sweaty.

[nitram]

Originally Posted by guitar george

Welcome to the Acoustic Guitar Forum.

I have a Martin D15S where the satin finish has become semi-glossy on the back of the guitar at the waist, and on the front of the guitar at the lower bout. These are the two areas that are touched while the guitar is being played. Hopefully, if you follow the recommendations in this thread, this will not happen to your guitar.

Some would say that is a natural patina resulting from being played for a length of time. If the point is to have a pristine instrument to be kept as a mint specimen then I understand. But if it's to be played it's inevitable that some wear will occur. Each guitar has it's own signs of use that speak of the person who owned it.

[51 Relic]

Originally Posted by Ed-in-Ohio

Welcome Dan, and congratulations on the new Martin! Enjoy it.

The above is great advice: warm dampness (not wet) followed by a dry cloth.

I saw a great tip in Acoustic Guitar magazine for how to easily and effectively do this. All you need is a clean, dry, lint-free polishing cloth (a good microfiber cloth is great). You can create the warm dampness needed by exhaling on the guitar from a short distance. Your breath will condense on the guitar, and you can wipe if off with the polishing cloth.

This process will work for just about all necessary routine cleaning.

Again, congratulations on the new guitar!

I have just purchased a new Martin and I was advised as above from the Martin dealers . Good luck and I hope your as pleased with your guitar as much as I am

[Mr Fingers]

Microfiber is better than cotton in the rag department. These days, even cotton can include fibers in the weave capable of scratching a finish. But I'm one of those who much prefers the luster of an instrument used over time, so I don't get too wound up about cleaning and polishing. I guess the warm damp cloth is a good idea since many recommend it. Personally, I never use anything damp on my guitars unless there really is a buildup of crud, which aside from the fingerboard, never occurs.Microfiber... polish every three years or so.

[muscmp]

welcome to the agf, daniel!

play music!

[Daniel1955]

Thanks everybody!

[StephenHD35]

For basic cleaning, I second the damp cloth suggestion. If you are dealing with grime or something more stubborn, Virtuoso cleaner works better for me than anything else I have found, though I use it extremely rarely.