Is Goof-Off paint friendly?

[JacksonAerodyne]

Hey guys,

I've searched in the forums but didn't want to scan for hours trying to find an answer so here's my question:

I bought a new bass off of ebay a little while back and my dad says there's a 'layer of funk' on it (and no, not the good kind). It's an '86 Fender Jazz Special (for the type of bass, possibly type of paint info) and I want to clean her up. He said he used my Dunlop Formula 65 to try and clean it but it just wasn't doing the trick. Would Goof-Off be safe to use or would it totally strip the paint/clear coat right off? If Goof-Off is a no-go, what would everyone recommend? Thanks for your help!

(P.S. - I'm in Afghanistan, my dad is just trying to be nice and clean it up for me for when I get home.)

[Oren Hudson]

Goof Off shouldn't bother the paint. I would also try Krud Kutter. It's probably a little better cleaner than Goof Off. Caution - with both of these try and keep it off of anything but the wood. Other materials could be damaged. As always - test an out of the way spot first when in doubt.

BTW - thank you for your service to our country.

[4001]

Be very careful with that stuff!

I got a drop on a nitro finish, wiped it off at once and it still started eating into the finish.
I had to break out the 1,500 grit, wet sand it and re-buff it.
You would never know it happened, but I thought I was going to have a heart attack.

Use Swirl-X and then Zymol wax for the best finish possible.

[bolophonic]

I would not use Goof Off on a painted surface.

[Bullitt5135]

The only inconspicuous spot on that bass is underneath the bridge. I'd remove the bridge and test your cleaner(s) there.

[kzr750r1]

Try some cleaning wax first then move to a fine polishing compound. Goof off may work then use the above in reverse. Good luck. Get home safe.

[1958Bassman]

You could contact Fender to find out what kind of finish they used, but it's probably polyester, not nitro. They had stopped using nitro back in the '60s- partially because of the EPA and because it takes longer to bring a nitro-finished instrument to market.

If it has a layer of funk, try guitar cleaner. If that doesn't work, start with weaker cleaners, like fantastik. If the decal is on top of the finish, rather than under, stay away from it with the cleaner.

[RustyAxe]

Most luthiers would recommend naptha ... Ronsonol lighter fluid is naptha. Save to nitro and poly finishes. I use it on my fine acoustics if I have to. Not sure about actual paint though.

[lowendgenerator]

I recently went to my string tube and wet a towel with some denatured alcohol to remove old sticker goo from a poly finished bass. Took all of 10 seconds to get it completely removed. YMMV.

[JacksonAerodyne]

thanks for the info guys! I'll pass some of the ideas along to him and tell him to test on my scrap guitar before using on the good ones!

[grendle]

WD-40 works great just for that purpose and won't harm the paint. Wipe it all off with ISO alcohol when your done. Great on sticker goo too.

[carl h.]

2nd for wd40.

[JacksonAerodyne]

WB40 to clean? Well it is man's best friend right next to duct tape so I don't see why not. By ISO alcohol you mean Isopropyl Alcohol, like of the rubbing variety? I kinda like this idea as I have plenty of WD40 lying around the garage (who doesn't). Thanks for the tip!

[nogoodwithnames]

WD40 is fantastic for cleaning gunk off of just about anything. Another +1

But it will leave it feeling slimy and lubricated, hence the need for the alcohol.

[impactwrench]

I have 3 or 4 things I use to clean basses, but all that I have are POLY and not nitro. I use water, fender polish, naphtha (ronsonol), and nail polish remover. Usually one of the 4 will remove any kind of nasty off of a guitar.

I tried soaking rusty metal pieces in vinegar...some came out looking relic (good), others came out looking like crap.