Guitar Polish and Fretboard Oil

Guitar polish removes fingerprints, sweat and dust from the finish and restores its shine, while fretboard oil cleans and nourishes unfinished fretboard wood. On this page, you'll find spray and cream polishes, carnauba waxes and fretboard oils from Dunlop, MusicNomad, D'Addario Planet Waves, Fender, Taylor and other brands. Polish and wax are for the finished body and neck. Apply oil only to an unfinished fretboard, typically rosewood or ebony.

What's the difference between guitar polish, wax and fretboard oil?

• Polish – Dunlop Formula 65 cleans the finish and leaves a thin protective layer that doesn't build up, so you can use it every day. To bring out the shine in your finish, there's also MusicNomad Guitar Polish, Taylor Premium Guitar Polish and Fender Custom Shop Guitar Polish with a UV filter that extends the life of the finish.
• Wax – carnauba wax such as Dunlop Body Gloss 65, MusicNomad Guitar Wax or D'Addario Planet Waves PW-PL-02 creates a moisture- and sweat-resistant layer on the finish and conceals minor scratches.
• Fretboard oil – the lemon oils Dunlop 6554 and D'Addario Planet Waves Lemon Oil, as well as citrus-free MusicNomad F-ONE Oil, remove dirt and grease from the fretboard and protect the wood from drying out.
• Fret polish – MusicNomad FRINE Fret Polish contains fine polishing particles that remove oxidation from the frets. Smooth frets make bending and vibrato easier and help your strings last longer.
• All in one – MusicNomad Guitar ONE combines a cleaner, polish and wax in one bottle for gloss finishes.

Which oil is right for your fretboard?

According to the manufacturer, Dunlop 6554 and 6551SI lemon oil is intended for rosewood fretboards; don't use it on a maple fretboard. MusicNomad F-ONE Oil is a blend of tree and seed oils with no citrus oil, wax or water. It soaks into the wood straight away and doesn't feel sticky. Dunlop Pure Formula 65 Coconut Oil is one hundred percent coconut oil, which the manufacturer recommends for most types of unfinished wood.

Which polish is safe for matte and nitrocellulose finishes?

According to the manufacturer, MusicNomad Guitar Polish is suitable for matte and satin surfaces, new nitrocellulose finishes, polyurethane and high-gloss finishes. It also cleans pickups, frets and metal hardware. The manufacturer describes Taylor Premium Guitar Polish as safe for all types of guitar finish. By contrast, PW-PL-02 liquid carnauba wax from D'Addario Planet Waves is not intended for matte or natural surfaces.

Apply polish, wax and oil with a soft guitar polishing cloth. You'll find cleaners and instrument care kits in the guitar cleaning and maintenance category.