The Complete Handbook of String Instrument Polish

This is the first book on polish that didn't read like an advertisement. The chapter on understanding how polish interacts with varnish is worth the price alone. I've been playing for thirty years and I finally understand why my luthier was always telling me to keep the polish away. It is dense, but it's exactly the kind of reference I wanted.

It's a solid, informative book, but it feels a bit like reading a technical manual. I found the chemistry sections in chapter one interesting, but I had to re-read them a couple of times. The author clearly knows their stuff, but I wish the same information was presented in a slightly more direct format. Still, the troubleshooting section is handy.

I'm a repair tech and I got this more out of curiosity than necessity, but I was impressed by the thoroughness. The business opportunities chapter was a nice surprise - it gave me some practical ideas for a mobile cleaning service that I hadn't considered. The chapter on choosing the right polish is a bit conservative, but I can't fault the logic. A good desk reference.

I was hoping for a more straightforward decision matrix to tell me exactly what to buy, and the book does sort of give you that in the end, but you have to wade through a lot of theory to get there. It's very thorough and I respect that, but it feels like it's aimed at a luthier rather than a serious player like me. Still, some great practical tips on application technique.

As a teacher, I wanted a definitive answer to the question of what to recommend to my students' parents. This book gave me that, but I am not sure a parent would sit down and read a whole chapter on varnish types. I found the glossary and FAQ sections to be the most immediately useful, and the advice on how often to polish was refreshingly sensible.

Absolutely brilliant. Finally, a book that treats instrument care with the seriousness it deserves. The author explains the chemistry of polish, the risks of silicone, and the differences between oil and solvent-based products with such clarity that I now feel I could advise others on the subject. I loved the chapter on maintenance and troubleshooting; the part about fixing a hazy finish was life-saving.

There's a lot of good information here, and I won't deny it's comprehensive. My only reservation is that the writing, while precise, is a little dry. I was expecting a bit more passion, or maybe more anecdotes, given it's a handbook by a ghostwriter, but it gets the job done. The comparison of materials in chapter two was particularly well done, though.