I was about to trade away a 1973 Martin D-18 to a friend who needed a good acoustic guitar to front his band with. So I decided to take it in for a set up to make sure everything was in order. It came back in much better shape than it left. But what really made me happy was how much better it looked! As it turned out the secret to this cosmetic rejuvenation was Petros Miracle Finish Restorer. And now I have finally acquired a bottle of this guitar refreshing elixir myself.
This product was developed by luthier Bruce Petros to be used as the final rubout on his exquisite, handmade instruments; some of the finest guitars built today. He eventually made it available for sale and I cannot recommend it enough for anyone who wants to improve the health and beauty of their guitar by combating the build up of materials that can damage an instrument's finish. But more than that, it is noticeably good at eradicating various marks and scratches that so often mar well-played guitars.
The finish restorer consists of an ultra fine abrasive suspended in a putty brown liquid designed to disrupt foreign substances clinging to the finished surface of the wood. This could be anything from spots of dried beer to invisible films of sweat or other pollutions that can attract caustic dust or simply react chemically with the nitrocellulose lacquer of the finish. You simply shake well and apply the restorer in small amounts, followed by a serious rubbing with a clean, soft cloth. I find micro fiber cloths like the
Googalies polishing cloth work especially well. I cannot help picturing a scene from the
Karate Kid whenever I am rubbing it in, first clockwise and then the opposite direction. It can be quite a workout to cover a small area, but it is so worth it. Many fine scratches that were in the finish for ages are simply no more. It also works very well to erase marks and scratches from pickguards. The restorer will not cure all blemishes, but with continued use even the most gnarly pick scratches and the like become so much less noticeable and many ultimately disappear entirely. One can apply a dab of the restorer to an individual scratch, rubbing it out in a matter of seconds, or it can be applied to larger areas during a thorough make over.
Petros Finish Restorer is rather thick and dull looking. Though you can certainly buff out small amounts of it, it is not designed to replace guitar polish. Rather it is a step in a guitar's upkeep which is best followed by a good coat of your favorite polish. In fact, when I first applied it to my 1990s Martin OM-28V I was alarmed to find that the finish on my rosewood became cloudy and lackluster. But after doing some research I discovered that the finish restorer can sometimes react with a combination of old polish, grime and perspiration residue. The simple cure is to wash the guitar before applying the finish restorer. I prefer using naphtha for such a job, which is most commonly found as lighter fluid. One does not want to rub naphtha
into the finish of the guitar, but rather gently bathe it with a soft cloth. However, putting some muscle into the occasional crud won't harm anything. I then follow that up with a quick rinse of a cloth and plain water. After that I apply the Petros Miracle Finish Restorer to any scratches, etc. Another rinse with a damp cloth may not be necessary but I do it anyway before applying a new coat of guitar polish. After that initial washing one should not have any future issues with the finish restorer dulling or clouding up the finish.
I do not tend to use the finish restorer each time I polish my guitar. But when I want to give it a thorough cleaning out comes the restorer and polish for a one two punch. There are many respectable instrument polishes out there but it is safe to say that none work better with Petros Miracle Finish Restorer than
Petros Professional Instrument Polish, which I can also recommend highly.
These days I almost take for granted the rejuvenating effect of Petros Miracle Finish Restorer, but I was recently reminded of just how good it can be. Maury's Music had provided me a brand new
Martin D-18GE to review for their website. I was quite distraught when I noticed a long pick scratch in its pristine Adirondack spruce top, front and center, up on the bass side of the sound hole. I do not know if it arrived that way or was the result of my getting a little carried away with my
New Tortis pick. Suffice it to say I was not happy when the light struck it at just the right angle to show it off so well. But after being introduced to the finish restorer that pick mark vanished into thin air. The top looks as unplayed as the day it shipped from the factory. So to rejuvenate old guitars or to keep new guitars looking that way, Petros Miracle Finish Restorer and some elbow grease go a long way.
On a scale of 8 possible on the T Spoon Scale of Guitaracity, I give Petros Miracle Finish Restorer a solid 6 Notes.
TSP, NYC
