I know this is probably beyond a dumb question I’m overthinking, but any special considerations to take when cleaning a guitar?
Finally had a string pop on my main electric after like 10 years, figured I should just replace that whole set. And while they’re off, might as well give a nice touch up all around.
The basic obvious approach I have in mind is to use combos of paper towels, q-tips, warm soapy water, and isopropyl to remove any gunk I can see in any crevices, wipe down the surfaces, maybe polish any metal.
Any spots I might overlook? Do I need to be worried about water or alcohol coming in contact with the fretboard or any part of it?
10 years??? Wow man. Do you even play? Lol
Seriously though, for the majority of your guitar, alcohol is fine, but most luthiers use naptha to cut through just about any gunk. It evaporates very cleanly without any residue. Safe for almost every finish and wood type. That shit is like magic, but it’s extremely volatile, so don’t smoke around it, or breathe it.
That being said, if you use it on bare wood (such as an ebony or rosewood fretboard), you’ll definitely want to oil it afterwards. Lemon oil is the go-to here. You don’t have to use much. Just get the fretboard wet with it and rub it very clean with paper towels. I’ve used tung oil in the past and that works fine as well.
I wouldn’t use any kind of water based anything (soap) as that’s going to leave residue everywhere.
OP might be a bassist