Chris Paulick wrote:
Wax in the pores not a good idea as it took me 2 hours to get dried wax out of the pores already. I'm concerned that buffing compound will get into them again. It looks hell with that stuff in there.
Chris, I think all of us who've buffed out a guitar, know the whitish dried compound look on fretboards or bridges, it's nasty and must be carefully removed to look good.
The natural products in the Howards, just seem to fit well on a handmade instrument. It like any type of finish or preservative will pop the grain and slightly darken. So if you like the color and don't want it to darken, I'd advise against using Howards. For anyone trying it, go for some scrap wood first, or do a test like I did for my bass customer. In a couple years now of use, I've been very pleased. I don't put it on finished wood, no need to do that. It seems to do as advertised conditioning of dry bare wood surfaces and leaves a soft luster.