cleaning supplies

[60's Bluesman]

what are some things i can use to clean the neck and strings and fretboard. i know earnie ball makes a wipe for it but its freaking expensive are there any househld things that do the job?

[Andy_D]

Some people like pledge for the fretboard, any good guitar polish should do for the neck and you can run your stings through the dishwasher to clean then. I heard about the dishwasher thing on an Anthony Vitti instructional video. He claims it rejuvenates the tone as well (I guess it might if you really gunk them up).

[60's Bluesman]

would the guitar polish make your hand slide better on the neck?

[kjpollo]

If you have any other kind of fretboard BESIDES maple, then lemon oil is good.
Maple boards are normally finished so the oil wont soak in, most other types of boards are not and benefit from some oil maybe once a year or so, depending on your local climate conditions.

** Thanks for reminding me-my basses are due for some fretboard oil-looks like I have a project for this weekend!!

[Oren Hudson]

Lemon oil is good for cleaning and conditioning anything but maple, and will temporarily make your hand slide better on the neck. However, a spray product that's been around since the 60s is what I use before playing for slickness of the neck and hands. It's called FingerEase. I've used it sine the 60s and it works good. I also use it on the strings, particularly when putting new ones on. It's supposed to protect and condition them. It's always worked well for me.

[RustyAxe]

Quick wipe with a clean microfiber cloth. Dampen it if really grungy. If it's really crappy, clean with naptha (Ronsinol lighter fluid is naptha). Change the cloth in the case every now and then. Polishes, oils, and waxes are unnecessary, and build up makes the neck sticky, traps dirt in the frets, etc. Furthermore, some products contain silicon, which is a luthier's nightmare if you ever want to refinish.

[Pilgrim]

Originally Posted by RustyAxe

Quick wipe with a clean microfiber cloth. Dampen it if really grungy. If it's really crappy, clean with naptha (Ronsinol lighter fluid is naptha). Change the cloth in the case every now and then. Polishes, oils, and waxes are unnecessary, and build up makes the neck sticky, traps dirt in the frets, etc. Furthermore, some products contain silicon, which is a luthier's nightmare if you ever want to refinish.

^^^Agreed. Stay away from any oils or products not specifically designed for musical instruments.

Strings? Unless there's visible grunge on them, leave 'em alone. They sound better that way. But you can always give 'em a swipe with a cloth and the naptha.

[azfryguy]

i heard fish oil is the best never tried never will . . .the guy who told me had a custom stambaugh though but still

[hyperba55]

You are going to get a lot of different opinions on cleaning and care of basses. I think there should be a sticky somewhere :-)

Here are my thoughts, and my personal practices. I admit, I have been accused of being anal about caring for my basses, but I believe that anything worth having is worth caring for. All of what I do is based on advice from luthiers, repairmen, and other (IMO) knowledgeable sources. I have been playing bass for 26 years and have owned dozens of basses of various makes, models, and quality.

I have no desire to argue about any of this. I realize that for some people advice on bass care can be a "hot button" but really, I am just trying to give my opinion. It could very well be that none of this stuff is necessary, but it's what I do to care for my basses. I enjoy the process of caring for my basses - it's semi-therapeutic for me :-)

Your best friend is a slightly damp rag/cloth. Wiping your bass down - strings, neck, body - everytime after you play is probably the most important thing that you can do to care for your bass. Slightly damp is the key - you don't want it soaking wet. A dry cloth is better than nothing (for instance if you are at the end of a gig and have no water).

For a bass that is dirtier - if a damp rag will not do the trick, there are numerous cleaners that will work. I always start with naptha (lighter fluid) - it cleans well and evaporates quickly and does a good job of getting the "gunk" off of a bass. My 72 Jazz Bass was covered with years of grime, and this worked well to help remove it. Naptha can be used on the neck and body of most basses without harm. Naptha also works well on hardware.

I will also use Viruoso Premium Cleaner on the body for dirtier basses - it also works well, and contains no abrasives. I use Virtuoso Premium Polish on the body of all of my poly and nitro basses - works extremely well, and also contains no abrasives. I find it works better than many of the "pump" polishes out there. I also will use this on maple fretboards (maple fretboards are typically sealed) - it does a great job of cleaning them and making them look nice.

For dirty fretboards in general, a toothbrush is indespensible. I will use naptha, but glass cleaner with a toothbrush also works very well to clean "green gunk" from the frets. You can polish the frets with steel wool, but I use green 3M pads as steel wool threads can become stuck to the pickups. I always make sure I protect the fretboard wood with tape when I polish the frets.

For oil-finish bodies (i.e. Warwick, others) I use the Warwick wax monthly. About once a year I use Howards Feed-N-Wax on the body for extra protection.

Whenever I change strings, I use a powder-graphite on the bridge to lubricate where the string comes in contact with the bridge. I have had a tube that has so far lasted me about 10 years (a little goes a long way). I also use it to lube straplocks and tuners. Every once in awhile I will use Nevr Dull on the hardware. My Hipshots get lubed with a little generic tube of grease of unknown origin.

On the back of oil-finished necks, I use tung oil (pure) with 0000 steel wool.

I clean the pots (amps and basses) about once a year (or when needed) with a Radio Shack electronics spray cleaner - the kind with the little straw.

For fretboards (you will have a lof of people disagree with this) - maple, Virtuoso stuff, see above. For rosewood and ebony (and other unsealed woods) - I use Planet Waves Hydrate (more for cleaning than hydrating) between every string change - about 4 times a year. Spray on, wipe off. Once a year, I oil the fretboard (I used to do this twice a year when I lived in a climate with very dry winters, but have been doing it once a year in the Pacific NW USA). This process varies depending on the bass:

For fretted basses, at various times in the past I have used boiled linseed oil, tung oil, walnut oil (from real walnuts), and "real" lemon oil (including Dr. Stringfellow's Lem-Oil, which I am not sure is real). I now use Stewart-McDonald's Colortone Fretboard Finishing oil. Again, a little goes a long way - wipe on, wipe off, and a little buffing. I ALWAYS make sure I clean very well first, as oiling "gunk" will just make things harder to clean later and may cause problems down the road with loose frets. While some may argue that this isn't needed, I personally like the way that the bass looks afterwards, and I have been following the same process for 26 years, and have yet to have it harm any basses. I make sure that I do not over-oil.

For fretless basses, I still use boiled linseed oil (BLO). I like BLO because it dries to a hard finish, which significantly increases "mwah" on the bass, helps protect the fretboard, doesn't show string marks very well, and it's easy to reapply when needed. I do spend a significant time buffing the finish, and have never had any issues with stickyness after buffing and drying. I tried wipe-on poly once, but wasn't as happy. I am not the best with paints and such, and couldn't quite get it right (plus BLO is less time consuming). BLO was easier and less problematic, at least for me. While some may argue that it's not needed for protection, I definitely like it for the sound.

And then wiping the bass/strings with a damp cloth after every time I play :-)

So the supplies, in a nutshell:

Water
Rags - lots of rags (as well as q-tips for tight spots)
3M green scouring pads
Virtuoso Cleaner and Polish
Naptha
Planet Waves Hydrate Fretboard Conditioner
Warwick wax
Howard's Feed-N-Wax
Stew-Mac fretboard oil
Boiled linseed Oil
Pure tung oil
0000 Steel wool
Nevr Dull
Graphite lube powder
Radio Shack Electronic Cleaner
small generic tube of grease

As with anything, YMMV, IMO, this does not constitute an endorsement, if you set yourself on fire while smoking while cleaning your bass with naptha don't blame me, etc. Take necessary precautions (especially with flammable stuff or BLO which has been known to spontaneously combust), and for the most part moderation is the key.

Good luck, and I hope this helps.