How To Clean Classical Guitar Fretboard

The Hard Baroquer is a home musician that has pursued music as a hobby for nearly 20 years. An intermediate guitarist, beginner bassist and even sometimes dabbling on the harmonica, he is always learning something. In his free time, he runs The Hard Baroquer blog.

By The Hard Baroquer

Classical music is music worth playing as it demands discipline, physical strength, skill and technique while being an elegant form of music and the classical guitar is a prime example, regardless if you are playing baroque pieces, romantic-era pieces or modern and contemporary pieces. Well-crafted instruments can last a lifetime and their age reflects in the timbre they produce, which can improve with age. But in order to bring out the best qualities of your classical guitar, you need to show them the required amount of attention.

Protect the classical guitar during storage

It's sounds like common sense, and it should be! Storing your classical guitar recklessly will damage the varnish and runs the risk of denting the fragile body. For this reason, when not in use, it's best left in a well-padded case that fits the instrument in snugly. This is especially essential if the guitar travels often – to lessons or to gigs – as it keeps the instrument out of harm's way.

If the Spanish guitar stays permanently at home, you can store it on a music stand away from hard furniture that it could accidentally bang on. You can also consider hanging guitar holders on the wall for a more compact guitar storage solution that will add a little more musical character to the room!

String maintenance for classical guitars

It's not just the body that requires protection from the elements. Guitar strings, especially the three bass strings with their metal coiling, can easily be corroded by sweaty hands, the natural grease on fingers as well any lotion you apply. This rings especially true if you are using silver-plated classical guitar strings. Once corroded, the strings lose the richness of their tone, lose volume due to less high-frequency harmonics, resulting in less sustain. If left for longer their wear and tear will catch up and they will break. If you perform at recitals, dull strings will require replacing – even if they are in no danger of breaking – as they will have lost their resonance and volume.

To protect your classical guitar strings and keep them lasting as long as possible, wash your hands before playing (this also helps you move up and down the fretboard with low friction). An additional step is to wipe down your guitar strings with a fine dry cloth after playing or practising. This will ensure that any salty perspiration doesn't corrode the strings.

String tension can also have an impact on the classical guitar's body, so be sure to remove strings one at a time working from the extremities towards the centre, in order for the neck to not lose tension suddenly, as over time this will damage the neck. Alternatively, slowly unwind the strings before removing them.

Lastly, as the pressure your fingers apply on the strings affects the wear, try to play with as light a touch as possible. This will improve you as a player too.

Protect your guitar from string scratches

Staying on the subject of classical guitar strings, your instrument will thank you for avoiding scratches from loose strings during string changes. When removing old strings and attaching new strings, consider placing a cloth near the bridge, or purchase protective equipment to protect the varnish of your classical guitar from sharp strings.

Clean the classical guitar fretboard

Regular playing is bound to result in a build-up of muck from your fingers, and doubtless you will clean your fretboard when this happens. When doing so, it's important in the maintenance of the guitar that the neck wood is also oiled at regular intervals, such as whenever you change strings. This is done to protect the fretboard wood from drying out. You would apply lemon oil on the fretboard and wipe it with a cloth. The fretboard will then soak the wood and remain in good playing order.

Wipe down with a soft cloth and guitar cleaning solution. This could be alcohol or lighter fluid to remove gunk. Or something more specific.
Clean the fretboard with warm water
Apply some lemon oil to the fretboard to keep the wood well-treated

Varnish the body regularly

You no doubt want to keep your guitar body clean of oils and grime that can collect in the form of hand marks. Applying guitar polish will restore the sheen to your guitar body's varnish. Try to avoid using furniture polish on the instrument as guitar cleaner is optimised to the guitar's requirements.

Lubricate tuning machine

Your tuning machines are a cog-based system and that means they require some lubrication to avoid wearing out. Apply some mineral lubricant to the tuners whenever you re-string your classical guitar to keep them moving easily and prevent them rusting.

By taking steps to keep your guitar in as good a condition a it was when you purchased it, you'll ensure that your classical instrument becomes a lifetime investment for you.