Now that I have received my new Bishline. I want to know from the banjo players here, “What do you use to clean your banjo with”?..i.e. neck, resonator, strings, head, fretboard…I was recommended to use Dunlop Guitar polish and fretboard cleaner and Windex for the metal parts. Also, how often do you use said products? Do you wipe down your banjo and fretboard after every use?
Banjo Cleaner
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It’s always good practice to run a microfiber cloth over the instrument (particularly the strings) after it’s played.
The builder would be the best person to ask about any cleaning solutions…he knows exactly what the finish is and how maintain it.
Windex is for windows…
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Good question. I saw a Gibson player wipe something on his strings after a jam once; “keeps 'em from rusting he said”. I can’t remember what it was, I’ll check. It was sort of like a deodorant stick, he just took the cap off and swiped it down the strings a couple of times.
It was probably fast -fret. It is a string cleaner and lubricant. It is made by G H S music products.
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Hi Tye, I use Glyde-Cote from Stelling on the wood, Simichrome on the metal also from Stelling. Lemon Oil on the fretboard. I use a yellow cotton duster. to wipe down the surfaces. I also keep a small paintbrush and some pipe cleaners handy to brush out any dust around the pot. The pipe cleaners come in really handy for cleaning under the tension hooks and other little nooks and crannies. Single spot of 3 in 1 oil or light gun oil on the threads of each tension hook/nut this helps keep the threads from rusting particularly in humid and wet climates and makes the task of chainging the head and adjusting tension so much easier. Some bees wax on my leather strap keeps the leather supple and helps stop the leather drying out and cracking.
Dry tissues to wipe down the strings, I used to use Fast Fret but I was convinced it was eating into my fret wire and stopped using it.
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Yep, I think that was it. He swore by it.
I use Flitz Metal Polish for Metal parts.
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Hi All
Renaissance Wax
Now correct me if i’m wrong on this but i know that museums use it on wood and metal on priceless antiques and i use it a lot when making snooker cues and so i can testify that its great on wood and i also use it on my guitar and banjo and if applied thin and polished leaves a great slick finish
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@fiddle_wood. @Maggie @lonewolf223 @Archie @Ragamuffin @Lee_G Thank you all for your invaluable input, I will definitely look at all you have suggested and see what will work the best. I am probably not going to need it quite yet, but I would rather be “proactive” than “reactive”. The “tiger” stripe grain on the neck is soo beautiful i just want to be sure I protect my investment as much as I can.
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