How to Clean an Electric Guitar: Easy Step-by-Step Guide

In this video, I'll show you how to fully clean your electric guitar and make it look store-new!

Here’s what you’ll need to get started:
- Guitar polish
- Fretboard oil
- Fret polish
- Contact cleaner - also called switch cleaner
- 0000 grade steel wool
- Masking tape
- A Phillips head screwdriver
- A lint-free microfiber cleaning cloth
- A sharpened pencil
- A pin
- New guitar strings
- Something to rest your guitar on - like a clean towel or blanket
- A vacuum cleaner

Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:16 Preparing your guitar
00:31 Cleaning the electronics
01:09 Cleaning the body
01:50 Cleaning the fretboard
02:53 Cleaning the hardware
03:06 Lubricating the contact points
03:28 Cleaning the pickups
04:01 Final thoughts

[ConorRocksYT]

00:00 Intro
00:16 Preparing your guitar
00:31 Cleaning the electronics
01:09 Cleaning the body
01:50 Cleaning the fretboard
02:53 Cleaning the hardware
03:06 Lubricating the contact points
03:28 Cleaning the pickups
04:01 Final thoughts

[robertclarkguitar]

This is about what I do. During restring. Great quality video.

[iamanovercomer]

Both my Fender 🇺🇸 & Mexican strats 🎸 didn't have that neck backing. In fact this was the first time I seen this type of neck backing.

[Chimp_No_]

Really helpful video ! Thank you for sharing !

[KevanRCraft]

The Strat frets are showing some signs of wear and may require levelling, crowning and maybe even filing the fret edges. You may be able to get away using a Dremel with some buffing compound to remove the worn aspects of the frets to make them like new. Probably play better too 🎸

[GRBAquatics]

Very Cool, Thankyou. Awesome instructional video, great tips. Cheers

[aaronmansfield]

Thanks. I have the same guitar and I love it.

[AUBCodeII]

Soon I'm getting a new guitar. Should I keep the plastic on the pickups? I was thinking on keeping the plastic on them so they don't get dirty

[masamune]

I usually hire people to do it for me….. might try this at home with an old strat..

[chordguy]

Is there any alternative for steel wool for cleaning the laurel fretboard?

[YouListenHere]

Hope nobody used WD40 contact. It removes existing lubrication. Can dissolve some plastics too

[taylorbee]

Can you clean a faceplate to be whiter?
My guitar has been through a lot of moves with me but a lot of the people Inhave lived with shut the AC off to save money so 😢 I’m rather sad that it has basically aged prematurely.

[AMPMReviews]

It looked cool being a little dirty I thought 😮