I can't stop playing and polishing my (new to me) 360 JG. I thought I had it looking good until I sprayed a fine mist of Mother's Showtime (car detailer) on my polishing cloth and gently wiped the guitar. Now it looks too perfect to play and leave fingerprints (damn!). Try it but only if your guitar has a perfect mirror finish. It will accentuate any swirl marks you didn't notice before.

It is good to wipe your guitar down after use and yes an occasionally a polish is in order, I always use polish extremely sparingly, you actually get a better buff when you use a little. Some of my 20 year old guitars still look new from regular maintenance. Even guitars left in cases have to be checked and maintained. I try to only have as many as I can maintain, that's about 10 or 12. If I had more than this I would spend my days maintaining and not playing.

Playing a well serviced guitar is the way to go and your guitar sounds better.
I always wipe the strings before and after use as I hate corroded strings.

Some products I use are the Rickenbacker cloth that came with the guitar and a Dunlop finishing cloth. I use a product called Zymol to polish my guitars it's expensive as gold but one jar should last a decade or so if you keep it in the fridge ( but not in children's reach). I love the smell of that stuff! Zymol gets used extremely sparingly as it's rich (but doesn't go gluggy)

I have a question for you. If I remember correctly you own a 350v63 as well as this 360. Do you find the 360 easier to play than the 350v63. The 360 has neck binding the 350v63 doesn't. Does the 360 seem to be easier for your Left hand technique as far as your playing foot-print is concerned?

jbudweiser, I haven't played them enough to notice any difference. Both are only a month or so old to me. I have been traveling back and forth from St. Louis to Denver lately and that, along with arthritis in my thumbs make collecting more than playing my pleasure. I wish my playing was good enough to justify even owning a couple RIC's. Wish I could hear you play!

Thanks for the reply. For most of my life I've played acoustics and I suppose that over time my Left hand has adapted to a wide fingerboard, Only 6 years ago I really started playing electric guitars. I have adapted well over the past 6 years and have no problem with my 381v69 but the 350v63 with no neck binding seems to give me a bit more of a challenge. I find I have to use a very light touch to make sure I don't push the Low E off the board, which I do just very occasionally. I really like to play the 350v63 as it's so light and sounds very good with a decent quality amp. I was just curious as to whether you noticed any difference between unbound and bound neck.

Sorry to hear your playing gets limited due to lack of time and that arthritis. I used to work with physiotherapist in hospitals with patients that had been involved in motor vehicle and workplace accidents. We also saw many people with arthritic conditions, the hands, fingers and thumbs are common problem areas. It can be debilitating.

When I was 8 or 9 just learning guitar I used to go and listen to an old Russian concert pianist who lived on our road, he had bad tendinitis and arthritis setting in. One thing I remember is that part of the physio's suggested treatment and how the old Russian pianist was treating his hand condition was similar.

It's all about increased blood circulation.

Soak your hands in very warm water with some peppermint oil or eucalyptus oil, use a scrub brush to massage every part of your fingers and hands , front and back all over while soaked in a deep tub. Do it until your hands are flushed with blood, next dry off your hands and then rub and massage in more liniment for 5 minutes, especially those thumbs. It will not cure arthritis but it really makes your hands and fingers work better. If you cannot cure something, just try to give it some relief.

If you do it 10 minutes prior to playing your axe I bet you will be very surprised how well your fingers move

Thank you very much my friend. I'll give it a try.