I do not like to admit it, but I have not be able to keep up on the upkeep with my bass's hardware. My bridge is DIRRRRTTTTYYYY. Most notably, there is a lot of grit and rust on the saddles screws. Could a 10 minute dip in a tub of metal cleaner do the trick for those hard to reach places, and make my screws looker a lot nicer than they do now? (I'm not really asking for miracles).

I do not like to admit it, but I have not be able to keep up on the upkeep with my bass's hardware. My bridge is DIRRRRTTTTYYYY. Most notably, there is a lot of grit and rust on the saddles screws. Could a 10 minute dip in a tub of metal cleaner do the trick for those hard to reach places, and make my screws looker a lot nicer than they do now? (I'm not really asking for miracles).

To really clean it will mean disassembling it first. Once its broken down, a Dremel tool with a brass brush works well. Eye protection is mandatory. Be sure to lube everything as you reassemble it.

You may be able to match up the saddle heigth screws at a well stocked hardware store. If so, they only cost a few cents so its best to replace them. That rust can freeze the set screw in the hole if it's not attended to.

Metal cleaners are usually an acid and I wouldn't use it on an instrument unless I knew for sure that it was safe.

Metal cleaners are usually an acid and I wouldn't use it on an instrument unless I knew for sure that it was safe.


Right, hopefully you thought that I was going to take the bridge off the bass first before giving it an acid bath. If not, oops! :p