Recommended for Fingerboard Maintenance - Introducing Sago Products!

To all your guitarists and bassists out there! Do you moisturize your guitar/bass even in the summer? Usually in winter your hands and skin dry out easily, so you probably try to keep them moisturized. But in the summer, the temperatures are high and humid, so you probably don't pay much attention to the effects of the harsh summer on your guitar and we tend to forget to moisturize our guitars/basses. However, it is of the utmost importance to take care of your fingerboard during the humid season! If you don't protect the fingerboard well even in summer, it will absorb too much moisture and dry out quickly when winter comes, causing your precious fingerboard to crack.
In this issue, I will introduce yuzu oil and yuzu wax, which are fingerboard cleaning and moisturizing care products from Sago, which I recommend for their refreshing fragrance in summer. In addition, I will also discuss how to use these products, so please read through this article!

First, remove the strings. Once the strings are removed, wipe the fingerboard lightly with a cloth or tissue to remove any dirt. Then, take a little yuzu oil on a tissue and spread it all over the fingerboard.

This process will moisturize and remove any fingerprints or other dirt.

★Tip!★
Apply evenly by applying vertically with the wood grain. Once the oil has been applied evenly, blot the surface once to remove excess oil.

Next, to further increase the moisturizing power, I will use the new product “Beeswax Yuzuwax”. These two products are made with the same yuzu scent, so the smells will not overlap even if used together!

Apply this product to a clean cloth, such as a cloth or rag, and apply it to coat the entire surface.

How does it look? The fingerboard is now as good as new. ◎Moisturizing the fingerboard well will protect it from drying out and prevent problems such as cracking.

After the fingerboard is finished, I will move onto the body! Since I have removed the strings, let's clean the area around the pickups, which is usually impossible to wipe clean... It’s not a good look if it’s covered in fingerprints when you’re under stage lights, so I think it’s a good idea to make this into a regular habit. First, wipe the whole area with a clean cloth. Then, take a little bit of “Body Cleaning Polish” and put it on the body and polish up the whole body.

This polish contains abrasives and waxes to diminish fine cross scratches and other blemishes, and give the body a shiny, mirror-like finish made to look good as new.
*This is a glossy finish, so this polish cannot be used on oil-finished or matte bodies.
*Since this finish contains abrasives, there is a possibility that thin lacquer paint may peel off. First test the product on an inconspicuous area and use with caution.

When you apply the polish, you will feel a change in sensation. This is the signal that your work is now complete! A sparkly, shining body has been unearthed!

The Beeswax Yuzu Wax used for this project is a collaboration product between Nekodamari Kobo, which is a hot topic on Japanese social media, and guitar maker Sago New Material Guitars! Nekodamari Kobo's “Beeswax Wax” is made from beeswax and jojoba oil, which are completely naturally derived ingredients. It is also gentle on the hands since it’s made from a recipe originally used in hand cream, and the subtle scent of yuzu gives it a refreshing feeling(^^). The cleaning wax is not only meant for the fingerboard, but you may also want to use a little on your hands when playing bass or guitar, like finger-ease?

- Maintenance Extravaganza! -

I recommend the S_IX' Chemi Cloth over Sago as an indispensable cloth for maintenance!

S_IX / Chemi Cloth

Chemi Cloth is made of the same material used in eyeglass cleaning cloths, so it is extremely soft and scratch-resistant. It is also antistatic, which prevents the nuisance of static electricity in the winter, and prevents dust from accumulating after wiping. It can be used not only for body cleaning but also for the metal parts of drums.
Some users even use it in their cars as a glasses cleaning cloth!

Please make use of these maintenance goods and enjoy your music with a cleaner guitar.

☆Here are the links to the recommended products I introduced in this article.↓
Sago / Yuzu Oil
Sago / Original Beeswax Yuzu Wax
Sago / Polish
S_IX / Chemi Cloth