Fender Stratocaster: Electric Guitar Setup : How to Clean a Fender Stratocaster Guitar

[SanjeevGeorgeV]

Is there any simple way to clean the fretboard, with home made stuff or anything?

[whatthefluk]

Thank you for your video!

[gi8809]

I don't wanna buy all that fancy guitar polish shit. I just want to know what I can use to clean that black stuff off my fretboard and body (I think it was called grime). Won't it come off without a special guitar cleaning stuff?

[aStrangerAmongUs]

@gi8809 Just get a damp cloth and wipe it off... It's not rocket science.

[scark11]

What is the fret board cleaner??

[GLK2780]

maybe im wrong, seeing this is "expert"village....but ive always heard not to take all your strings off at once? is this true?

[SpinGoldmusic]

@GLK2780 Of course you can take them all out at once, but you just need to know how to do a minor set up on your guitar. It's easier if you take one string out at a time while replacing individually, but then you won't be able to effectively clean your guitar....

[davojoe]

Size 9 strings ftw...

[musicman19191]

You should clean your strings rather than change them ....... personal opinion .....

[FrenchyDuckbill]

Can you use any polish and cleaner?

[megajames3000]

i change once a month.

[sphynx105]

i use the rough side of a sponge or something similar lol and it removes the grime off the back of the neck and fretboard really well.

[zziggymaan]

a few questions:

1. if you take the strings off a strat, or a guitar that has a bridge like a strat (floyd rose, etc) would you have to re-set up the bridge, or would it not matter?

2. I clean my fretboard with the fine steel wool method. would it be a good thing to get the fretboard cleaner and use that with the wool, or should i just use one or the other?

3: i know the string guage of too thick/ thin wil mess up ur sound. how thin is too thin. (i like to bend the strings alot while i play)

[marineman825]

@zziggymaan

1.) no

2.)use the cleanrer

3.)too thin might move around depend on your regular gauge and what the new gauge will be

[MacFromMCP]

Would you recommend getting both a fretboard cleaner and a guitar polish or could I just get the polish? I hate asking such a newbie question but I just bought myself a bass and want to give it a good clean before I start practicing. 

[MacFromMCP]

Would you recommend getting both a fretboard cleaner and a guitar polish or does it not really matter to much? I hate asking such a newbie question but I just bought myself a bass and want to give it a good clean before I start to use it.

[SonicOrbStudios]

good video....however I've always been told never to take all the strings off the guitar as it may warp the neck.....

What are everyone's thoughts on this one?

[Voidchaser]

@SonicOrbStudios

NEVER TO TAKE ALL THE STRINGS OFF THE GUITAR AT ONCE!

IT MAY WARP THE NECK ?

NO IDEA !!!!!

[Winnders]

@SonicOrbStudios i have been told that too.... but i think if you mix everyone's ideas eg: only clean it like once in a while, once every month and a half or two. otherwise just restring it string by string. then you get the best of both worlds

[SonicOrbStudios]

@Winnders yea I tend to wipe the strings and such down after every play session however I would not be restringing daily. I restring monthly and so I would probably give the fretboard a good cleaning every 2-3 months.

I personally think it's a huge hype by some people saying that you should never take all the strings off.

[FunknGrvn]

@SonicOrbStudios That would be false the neck will not warp from removing the strings it may require a neck adjustment which is done via the truss rod nut if you have never done it I would research some vids on youtube or have a pro do it just make sure not to over tighten the nut so you don't strip it besides that you need a good quality straight edge to do a good job and I don't mean a plastic ruler:) just to be clear warping is a twist in the neck if it's doing that strings won't matter.

[sawboss17]

!1 at a time shit head! And replace them AFTER YOU CLEAN IN THE SAME ORDER!

[XysflightchampX]

do you have to remove the strings for this? i dont want my neck to bend...

[spatel550]

you should never take all your guitar strings out at one time

it messes up your neck. then you need a guitar tech to fix it.

[VitoStudiosXD]

what is better a mexican fender stratocaster or a squire stratocaster? I have the mexi and my friend has a squire and he ses his is better than mine :(

[LostSoldier1994]

the mexican is better

[Prowler047]

can i use furniture polish to clean my guitar??

[Elfredo]

I think that it is a bad idea to remove all the strings at once, when you restring your guitar. This can cause the neck to bend slightly... I prefer changing one string at a time. Otherwise, good video! :)

[Gughif12]

What type of guitar you have in this video ? it's a fender stratocaster...than?

sorry..i'm not english

[ShortStack2091]

i have that guitar. 50th anniversary biiaaatch

[BigEvilLadia23]

what the good cleaner for Fender Stratocaster

[4EVERton]

Don't put the toothbrush in your mouth after having used it on the guitar, as there can be quite a lot dirt, bacteria or virus on the fretboard.

Fenders are good, by the way.

[byTyrant]

@4EVERton lmfao who would put it back in their mouth? smartass.

[MrAlfredocolon]

seriously? people care about the finish too much. i like getting little scratches in my finish to have a little story for each one. i just condition the wood on my neck because i sand the necks on all my guitars for comfort.

[BLaZe071775]

@MrAlfredocolon yeah but if its a custom one or vintage, you wanna take care of that..

[MrAlfredocolon]

@BLaZe071775 yea thats a good point.

[lucariown]

all i needed to know was that you need to undo the back thing the rest i didby myself i am so proud

[imadey0utube]

Fret brush. lol

[Fluffie14]

how often should i restring my guitar if i play about 3 hjours a day. I have floyd and it takes a long time to do it so i usually restring every 2 months

is that too long to wait

[kumar1280]

ur supposed to restring ur guitar once a month.

i have a floyd rose too, i usually put it off for another month cuz it takes way to long to restring but i try to do it every month.

[Olpaj]

nah, for floyds every 2 months is quite reasonable. i got a guitar with a floyd too and i hate doing it. however on my TOM-bridge guitar i change em at least once a month

[Posthuman83]

i used wooden brick to block my floyd and restringing keeps same time as on fixed bridge.

[barryplem]

That's a matter of preference, if you're not gigging. My rules of thumb are these: 1. I change them when I break one (duh). 2.  I change them when they are visibly dirty or rusted. 3. Change them when the sound loses it's tone, particularly the brightness of a new string you should notice when you change them. Hope that helps. I change at least once a month playing that much.

[moleman1961]

@barryplem I agree! Whats the point of changing strings once a fortnight? Waist of money if you ask me! if it ain`t broke don`t mend it! Play the crap out of them till they sound bad THEN change them!

[XavierAJones]

How to you do all that  without warping the neck

[halfcabdisaster7]

There is a Steel truss rod running down the neck: you will not warp it by cleaning.

[firinthepig]

dude, when i got my guitar, second hand, its this really nice stratcaster, but the pickups bit has gone yellowy. how can i get them white again. they still work fine.

[GaryT85]

for white plastics that have discoloured, you can try a tiny amount of toothpaste... sometimes it works

remember only use a very small amount, you dont want it going all over the place

[javier7high]

a q-tip with a little goo-gone is what i use. be sure no to soak the q-tip just a bit should be good. apply it on the surface, let it do its work for about 20 seconds and then wipe it with a clean cloth. that should work, if it doesnt, is probably plastic discoloration, for that i use a car 3m rubbing compound its light abrassive paste. the goo gone can be used in single and double coils, but the rubbing compound method i only recomend to use it on single coils because it leaves a lot of residue

[koneric]

For what is the lubricant?

[Fleadabomb99]

any dunlop fretboard cleaner/ polisher

[KyFenderGuitarMan]

i myself spray down the fretboard on all my guitars with lemon Pledge oil,let them sit for about 5 minutes,then buff it off with a clean cloth....and it works for me...hope if any tries this it works for them too,oh and,any brand of lemon oil is great for guitars with Rosewood fretboards.

[2346]

I use windex and baby oil windex is only for dust though

[guitaristguy20]

NEVER spray anything directly onto the fretboard! Spray the fretboard cleaner on a microfiber cloth and then apply. I am a guitar tech. I guess we all have our levels of care.

[gypsysunerainbow]

the funny thing is that he didn´t record a video called "how to play an electric guitar"

[braulio9511]

lol

[NathanGuitarist]

i have a few guitars with maple necks and on someplaces there are like some green patches on the back of the necks any one know how to clean that?

[tozza2525]

how often should you clean your guitar and re-string?

[diesel779]

2-3 months, at the least.

[aStrangerAmongUs]

Depends on how much you play, I re-string every two weeks or so, if I'm gigging regularly I will do it every couple days.

Don't listen to the guy that said 2-3 months lol, that's horrible maintenance.

[1996Prashant]

@aStrangerAmongUs not when you have elixer strings

[XDlosDominicans]

@aStrangerAmongUs lol i never re-stringed. Its only been 1 year since i'am playing guitar and still trying to discover some new things. So why do i have to re-string them ?

[Winnders]

@XDlosDominicans this is something you will realise later on in your playing life, but old strings on a guitar feel and sound horrible. not only that but they break easily if you are playing them right :P new strings are just generally nicer. plus, if you havent re-strung then you havent experimented with string gauges (the width of the strings) buying thinner strings may improve your playing ability, and thicker strings may improve your tone! *note- too thin or too thick may screw up intonation

[XDlosDominicans]

@Winnders Ok, I'am planning to re-string my Peavey, It still has a great sound, but i can hear it being a little sloppy, how often should i do that also and does the Flying V (my other guitar) need the same strings or i are there strings for Flying V ?

Lol. I'm still learning for the cleaning and Re-stringing my guitars.

[Theshamham]

@aStrangerAmongUs unless you take huge dumps on your fretboard you defiantly don't need to change your strings every couple of days..

[aStrangerAmongUs]

@Theshamham Really? Tell that to any pro guitarist lol.

[Theshamham]

@aStrangerAmongUs your a fat piece of crap

[Theshamham]

@aStrangerAmongUs I REALIZED THAT RIGHT AFTER I POSTED IT BUT I DIDN'T GIVE A SHIT.

so fuck YOUR face

[42blackhawks]

@aStrangerAmongUs ive played guitar for over 3 years and im still only on my second set of strings

[shlomiya]

@aStrangerAmongUs If you have elixiers you can keep it 2-3 months, but it loses the "new strings sound" after about 2-3 weeks. But it doesn't get rusty in less than a month.

[aStrangerAmongUs]

@shlomiya Elixers are horrible and way overpriced. You should never have strings on for months lol, regardless of how much they charge you for a set or what shitty "fancy coating" they put on them. The only people that are cool with old strings are newbies, period. Nothing wrong with that I'm just saying...

[shlomiya]

I bet you never played Elixier and don't even know what a coat is

[aStrangerAmongUs]

@shlomiya lol

[rrrajiv1234567890]

@aStrangerAmongUs no shit! really?! You must be goddamn rich :P

[REX05011]

@aStrangerAmongUs I change my string every 6 months and my guitar is perfectly fine maybe you do it because you actually have the money to do that .

[Ownage32123]

@REX05011 strings are only like 5 dollars...

[REX05011]

@Ownage32123 where do you get your string my string are 13 dollars well i get elixer pollyweb strings

[vodkapower1986]

i think that if you take all strings off the guitar bridge will unsychronized!?! isn't she?

[1HOLYDIVER1]

it bepends on the bridge really but even if the intination did change it would only take a couple of minutes to set it back up again

[colonelZett]

u shouldn't take all 6 strings off at one time

[1HOLYDIVER1]

why not? the guitar isnt going to fall apart is it lol

[Freebird10201977]

No, it'll blow the fuck up - just kidding.

[DAbears5]

actually the bridge could fall off. but you were close.

[Freebird10201977]

I stand corrected.

[ironmaidenup]

strat is the guitat of iron maiden

[MangoBananaFeet]

awesome guitars like gibson les pauls, gibson v-facter, jackson flying v, and more are the guitars most bands use.

[EdMardell]

And also, he's getting all the gunk and sweat off of the body onto that cloth, and then he wipes it back on the fretboard he just cleaned! What a load of rubbish!

1. Never put polish on rosewood

2. Use different cloths for the board + body

3. Be more gentle than him

4. Take time on it

[1HOLYDIVER1]

in fairness he actually used a neck cleaner, most probably lemon oil and he did use seperate cloths and i think he didnt take time on it because its a tutorial video

[EdMardell]

You shouldn't just spray the fretboard - if you spray onto a cloth then you've got more control and won't cake concentrated areas of the board in cleaner...

[guitaristguy20]

This guy is no expert. Ill make a guitar cleaning (care) video that the pro techs stand by. Looks like some amateur, running the guitar polish cloth over the fret board after cleaned fret cleaner.

[Marseglia12345]

I use Brillo and Spic and Span.

[RhoadsLivesOn]

Great video! Nice and simple.

[RandyMcDumpy]

I would also recommend a can of compressed air. You can get these at any Radio Shack for a few bucks. It will come in very handy especially when it comes to to cleaning out the bridge/tailpiece assembly. Also great for cleaning out the crevices between the body and the pickups as well.

[mihawk1]

if u have dirty frets u can use 0000 grit steel wool to make em shine....makesure to put blue painters tape on easch side of the fret b4 u do that to avoid scratching the wood itself.

[JackSmith07]

Make sure you read the title carefully. This video is just for cleaning a Fender Stratocaster. My friend tried it on his Les Paul and his guitar melted.

[GuyMcpersonLol]

wood melts? O.o

[JackSmith07]

the hardware melted, the wood exploded.

[GuyMcpersonLol]

all that because of polish? O.O

oh my, i use that stuff on my les paul O.O

[JackSmith07]

who let you out?

[tomweavin64]

omfg hahahahaha

[Karabell085]

GuyMcperson you are a serious idiot.

[GuyMcpersonLol]

how am i an idiot?

i just said that i use the polish myself and that its freaking MADE for guitars so it shouldnt make them melt or explode

[mickdee06]

lol

[larukulunaseas]

careful if you have maple neck! some cleaners are harmful to maple necks!!!

[D4RX1D3]

(o)==# thanks for the help

[Snowbag1998]

thanks for your advice , Nice !