Care and cleaning

Dunlop Formula 65 Guitar Polish & Cleaner

Name: Dunlop Formula 65 Guitar Polish & Cleaner — 4 oz
Brand: Dunlop
SKU: B000EELB8W
Rating: 4.7 (3363 reviews)

4 oz

The cheap bottle that has been on repair-shop benches for decades

7.8

Fretline score

4.7 (3,363)

Under $15

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The short version

Formula 65 is the default guitar polish in the way that a Phillips screwdriver is the default screwdriver - not because it is the most sophisticated thing available, but because it has been in every shop for so long that its behaviour is completely known. It cleans and restores gloss in one pass and leaves a very thin protective layer that Dunlop specifies as non-building, which is the property that matters: a polish that accumulates eventually has to be stripped off.

How we rate it

Scores are Fretline editorial ratings on a 1-10 scale. They are our own assessment and are not supplied or endorsed by Amazon or by any manufacturer.

Effectiveness: 8.0
Ease of use: 9.0
Versatility: 5.0
Value: 9.0

7.8/ 10 overall

Specifications

Full specifications for the Dunlop Formula 65 Guitar Polish & Cleaner
What it is
Brand	Dunlop
Model	Formula 65 Guitar Polish & Cleaner4 oz
Category	Care and cleaning
What it does	Cleans and polishes a gloss finish in one pass
Fit
Use it on	Gloss-finished bodies and hardware
In the box
Contents	4 oz spray bottle

6 verified fields, taken from the manufacturer first and the Amazon listing second. Fields the manufacturer does not publish are omitted rather than estimated.

What it gets right

Cleans and restores gloss in a single pass
Non-building formula, so it does not need stripping off later
Very cheap, and a 4 oz bottle lasts a long time
Decades of use in repair shops, so its behaviour is well understood

Where it gives ground

For gloss finishes only: it will burnish a satin or matte finish unevenly
Contains a mild abrasive, so it is not for frequent use
Not for unfinished fingerboards

Who it is for

BeginnerIntermediateAdvancedProfessionalAny instrument

What owners report

Patterns drawn from published owner reviews. Summarised, never quoted.

What comes up most

The shine it restores on a neglected gloss finish is the main report
Price and longevity of the bottle are cited constantly
Long-time owners mention using the same product for decades

Frequent complaints

Owners who used it on satin finishes report an uneven result
Some find it needs more buffing than newer formulas
A minority dislike the smell

Recognised strengths

Utterly predictable on the finish it was made for

Recognised weaknesses

The gloss-only restriction catches people out

The verdict

Good, cheap, and for gloss finishes only. That last point is the one to take seriously and the label does not shout about it: a polish contains a very mild abrasive, and on a satin or matte instrument that abrasive burnishes the texture into uneven shine, which cannot be undone. On a gloss body it does exactly what it says. If your guitar is satin - and many in this catalogue are - use a plain cleaner instead and leave the polish on the shelf.

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