Newbie to the site here! Be careful with the hair drier. It can damage the finish and loosen glue joints.

i would go down the hot soapy water road first, to me it’s the safest.
IPA is always the best option, it dissolves old sticky glue faster than a British MP blaming the ‘system’ for stealing money from us hard working tax payers.

A step down from the blowtorch is a hair dryer. I’ve been told the heat softens the glue so the sticker will peel off and the residue removed with one of the solvents suggested above.

Never tried it. Let us know if you do.

Me other half swears by furniture polish…don’t know why but it just seems to dissolve te glue?!

I’ve heard this works well , Not the patio furniture cleaner 🙂 The stuff underneath

http://www.magicamerican.com/googone.aspx

Ethanol.
Pure alcohol would be best for loosening the glue and doing the least to your finish. Ask your pharmacist for “denatured ethanol” (like foot scrub). The denatured bit just means that it’s undrinkable (they add “Bitrex” so you don’t go on a Friday night bender) and that should do the job. Easier to obtain is isopropylalcohol (IPA), the screenwash you can get from a gas/petrol station to clean your windshield/screen.

Without wanting to get chemically, the longer the carbon chain or the more polar the organic solvent, the greater the risk of damaging the finish. Acetone (nail varnish remover) is next up the list.

It’s all about patience. Soap and water works, but it swells the wood so forget that. Ethanol can work well, but let it soak in before scraping with a soft tool. Ditto IPA or acetone.

Come back here before reaching for the blowtorch 😆

WD40 is cack, by the way. I worked for the MoD in the 80s and I never let it near my car, never mind my guitars.