cleaning up a abused but mostly unused bass? what with?

[choo5]

picked up a ibanez sr44sp bass today but the eq knobs / frets are dirty and corroded, realy strange concidering the overall great condition of the bass.

anyway, what would be best to clean it with? my local guitar shops charge *************** to do any work on basses (ie: 95$ to adjust the action as they wont adjust it unless you buy strings at the same time)

Mod edit: I have no idea if that phrase meets TB's profanity rules so I'm deleting it to err on the side of caution.

[PilbaraBass]

Originally Posted by choo5

picked up a ibanez sr44sp bass today but the eq knobs / frets are dirty and corroded, realy strange concidering the overall great condition of the bass.

anyway, what would be best to clean it with? my local guitar shops charge ************* to do any work on basses (ie: 95$ to adjust the action as they wont adjust it unless you buy strings at the same time)

sounds like your local guitar shop doesn't get much business...not at THOSE prices...

mask off your fingerboard with blue painter's tape...then a little brasso will do a nice job on your frets...or a clean old t-shirt and a dab of white normal (not gel) toothpaste).

Then clean your fingerboard with lemon oil, such as dunlop 65.

disassemble your bridge (remembering which parts go where) and clean each part with a clean cloth (a little brasso, if needed)...do the same with your tuners, and knobs...

a quality carnuba wax (without silicone!) on the body, and you're in business!

[aquateen]

I use lemon oil and 0000 steel wool to clean up the fingerboard and frets. does a good job and doens't cause any damage.

[62bass]

Brasso and a cotton cloth works best for me to polish dirty frets to nice and shiny. But first I clean off all the gunk on the fingerboard and sides of the frets with alcohol. Then mask the fingerboard and polish with Brasso. You don't have to mask off the whole fingerboard at once. I use 2 strips of masking tape, one on each sode of the fret, and move it along when I go to do the next fret. These 2 strips will last me for at least 6 frets before it gets too chewed up and I have to tear off 2 fresh strips. Brasso is cheap enough and a small can will last you forever. It's a quick job.

A bit of dish liquid in lukewarm water and a cotton cloth will clean up most of the rest of the bass. You can use Brasso on the tuning pegs and bridge to shine them up, although on the bridge it gets a bit fiddly with all the nooks and crannies. The control pots usually respond to a shot of contact cleaner. If not they might need replacement. I clean the output jack with contact cleaner also.

Find a good tech (there are many out there) to do your setup for you. If your strings are old, buy a new set first. A simple set up won't cost much. If it gets complex it can be expensive and that's when you have to decide if the bass is worth the money or not. You can try doing the setup yourself. If you can't get it right, take it to a pro. Just don't get into anything drastic first beyond adjusting saddle height, minor trussrod tweak and intonation.

[bassgod0dmw]

Before...


After...


#0000 steel wool and a little elbow grease...came out great.

[BetterBottomEnd]

Dunlop makes a fretboard cleaning system that I've used a couple times and really liked. http://www.musiciansfriend.com/produ...Kit?sku=425271
Much easier and less messy then steel wool.

[Scalestein]

may I ask how you taped the fingerboard off so well? did you tape over everything and then remove it?

[Jimbob Jones]

Personally, if i'm oiling a fretboard, i DON'T use lemon oil. Everyone seems to swear by it, but (apparently) it can damage a fretboard if used in the long term. Good old raw linseed oil is the best: wipe on with a soft cloth, leave for five minutes, then wipe off the excess that hasn't soaked into the wood. You only need one coat.

Originally Posted by Scalestein

may I ask how you taped the fingerboard off so well?

+1, your taping skills amazed me too

[PilbaraBass]

Another method, I've used successfully is a dremel tool with a buffing wheel and a dab of lemon oil.

Advantages, no masking required...really gets into that "gunk" next to the frets...
disadvantages...be careful not to "burn" anything with other moving parts...expense of dremel tool

Don't apply lemon oil too often...I do it once a year...that's plenty

[atrapp]

Originally Posted by Scalestein

may I ask how you taped the fingerboard off so well? did you tape over everything and then remove it?

My guess would be after he applied the tape he followed the edge of the fret with an exacto knife or the like...