GIVE YOUR GEAR THE WHITE GLOVE TEST
by Adam Dolge
Having a clean instrument doesn't only give it a chic appearance, it's also important for the longevity and the health of your instrument. Cleaning your instrument may be as simple as using a soft cloth to wipe off fingerprints, or it may be as complex as removing drum heads and using a wire brush to clear dirt and debris from the inside of toms.
Drum Sets
Different drums require different cleaning techniques. Toms, bass drums, snares, and cymbals should all be cleaned with a soft cloth regularly. Products like the Trick Drum Care Kit come with microfiber polishing clothes and polish to clean and protect the finish of nearly every material on a drum.
Check your local music store to find the right polish for your kit; it'll depend on your drum shell material. In most cases, using furniture polish is a bad idea as it can leave greasy residue; however, if your kit has a lacquer finish, you can use a nonwax, high-quality, and nonabrasive furniture polish. Glass cleaner works well to polish wrapped, covered shells.
You should regularly wipe down your kit's shells, lugs, and rims. For more elaborate cleaning, use a small, soft brush to clean out the crack where the head meets the rim. On occasion, you should disassemble each drum, removing the heads, lugs, and any mounted hardware to clean dirt from behind the lugs.
Put a shine on your kit's chrome parts by cleaning lugs and other metal hardware with chrome polish.
However, chrome polish should never be used to clean cymbals. Many drummers use specialized cymbal cleaner, and if used once a month, it will help protect cymbals and prevent major buildups.
Carefully following the grooves, wash cymbals with a household cleaner like Fantastic. Avoid rubbing cymbal logos as they will eventually wear off. Stronger cleaners like Comet should be used only if you haven't cleaned your cymbals in a while. Be sure to thoroughly rinse and dry cymbals after cleaning.
If you notice your pedals are starting to get stiff, use a few drops of oil to lubricate them. Keep an eye on the lugs, washers, and other hardware to replace anything broken or damaged. Something as small as a loose washer could create a noticeable buzz.
Guitars
There's nothing better than that shiny finish on a new guitar. But some musicians
(present company included) feel the same way about their guitars as they do their jeans. They like them "worked in" and gently used, showing off their use and exposure as years of experience. However, you run those old jeans through a washing machine when they're dirty, just like you should keep that old guitar clean.
Use a soft cloth to wipe and polish your guitar's finish, removing fingerprints and grime that have accumulated. All major manufacturers have their own line of polish: Martin Guitar Polish, Dunlop 65 Polish, or Fender Guitar Polish. Other cleaners and polishes are specifically designed
for acoustic guitars. They all do pretty much the same thing, clean and polish your guitar, but you should experiment with what works best for your ax. Don't be afraid to ask musicians who work at your local music store what they use. They may turn you on to a new cleaner that works just right.
Spray a little polish on the surface of the guitar, or on the cloth, and gently rub it in, using light strokes and a circular motion. Flipping your cloth to a dry side, wipe off the polish. Do this to all the surfaces of your guitar, including the back, front, under the strings by the pickup or sound hole, along the back of the neck, and by the head.
It's wise to use another cloth to wipe down your strings and frets. On occasion, if excess gunk has built up on the fretboard, you may use a gentle brush and guitar cleaner to wipe off dirt, which could slow your fingers.
The String Cleaner, a device that cleans guitar strings in 360-degrees, is a great tool to keep your strings feeling like new each time you play. It also helps maintain the longevity of your strings.
If you have problems with your fret, it's extremely important not to dress -- file down -- your frets unless you know what you are doing. A trusted guitar repairman's expert touch will properly reshape them.
Electronics on your guitar can be cleaned with tuner cleaner, simply spray the cleaner in your tone and volume knobs, or in your channel select switch, to remove any built-up dust. This cleaner should only be used on electric guitars and never on any electronics found on an acoustic guitar.
Keep your bridge well lubricated. Some musicians use soap or oil, but it's best to use a professional product like Finger Ease String Lubricant spray. Similar products can be purchased in music stores.
Keyboards
Keyboards are different from other instruments, in that they are completely electronic. It's very important to adhere to all manufacturer warnings about not opening the keyboard housing and also to unplug the keyboard before cleaning.
Cleaning the keys on your keyboard, or piano for that matter, can be easily done by using a soft brush attachment on your vacuum cleaner. You can use a small amount of glass cleaner on a lint free cloth to wipe away dirt and stains, Guitars Keyboards being sure to work from the part of the keys closest to the electronics, and out away from the keyboard instead of sideways across the keys.
To get in the hard to reach places, avoid using compressed-air, instead use a soft paintbrush or a toothbrush to clean away grime.
