Mold, rust, and grime

Darth Moley · #1 12-03-2009, 10:52 AM

So I picked up a used MIM P-bass from GC last week. It had a couple of nice upgrades installed (EMG P pickup, Badass bridge and a white pearloid pickguard), and the price was good as well ($300). I tested it out in the store, and gave it a bit of an exam, which told me that it needed cleaning. No surprise, it's a used bass. The next day, after I got it home and into some better light, I decide to take a closer look at it. I noticed that there was rust on the bridge springs, small rust spots on the string tree and the strings (it looks like it got sprayed with water and left to sit), rust on the pickguard screws, and even some discoloration/early rust on the last 5 or 6 frets. Oh, and the bridge itself was kinda dusty and a little grimy. So I'm thinking, it looks like this bass got wet at some point and wasn't dryed very well.

Well, I got some new strings and decided that I was going to dissassemble the bass and give it a deep cleaning to try to get rid of the rust. After taking off the old strings, the neck and the pickguard, I noticed that there are very defined imprints of the strings on the tuner shafts, the inside of the control cavity looks as though most of it is covered in mold! I know some of it may be polishing compound that wasn't cleaned up at the factory, but there's definitely a "fuzzy" look to a lot of the stuff in there. I definitely think this thing got pretty wet at some point, and it wasn't cleaned up and dried very well, if at all, afterward.

I'm calling on the experts for this one. Should I dig in and try to clean this thing up, or should I just return it and call it a day? They said I have 30 days to return it, and I'm well within that. Taking it in for any work is not an option (cash is very tight now), and while I am good with tools and such, the most complicated thing I've done in terms of work on an instrument is tweaking the truss rod and intonation. Basically, if it's not something I can fix with certainty by myself, it's not going to be fixed any time soon. Advice? Any help is much appreciated!

dmusic148 · #2 12-03-2009, 11:00 AM

The rust you've described is typical, really, on a well used/lightly abused Fender type bass. If those parts aren't wiped down fairly often, they will rust. The mold is another story- I've never seen that myself. If you are sure it's mold, get some Moldex or similar from a home center and kill it. Don't use bleach, it doesn't work.

R. Laevinus · #3 12-03-2009, 11:14 AM

If you like the bass, fix it up.

The mold isn't much of an issue. Just clean that stuff out (wear a good mask and gloves while you do this - outside is best!) and lay down some foil tape to both shield and prevent regrowth.

As per the rust, dmusic is right. A little bit of elbow grease will fix that right up, if you're concerned. Personally, I'd leave it - builds character, you know?

Also, the string indents on the tuner posts is fairly standard. Don't worry about it. If they hold the pitch, that's all that's important.

Besides, for that price it's totally a winner.

jworrellbass · #4 12-03-2009, 11:36 AM

If you have a dremel tool you can use buffer wheels (hd and lowes sells them) along with some metal polish, that should remove the rust. As far as the mold goes I've used Clorox 2 spray cleaner on composite decking that sat on grass and started to get moldy, it removed the mold. I would remove the old copper foil (if it has any) spray it, let it dry with some heat (under a lamp) and install some new foil. While it's apart you should install some new pots and a jack. The pups might need to be looked at as well.

But if you like the bass, the $300 price tag and some elbow grease might be a good deal. Your call.

dmusic148 · #5 12-03-2009, 11:44 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jworrellbass

As far as the mold goes I've used Clorox 2 spray cleaner on composite decking that sat on grass and started to get moldy, it removed the mold.

Bleach works on non-porous materials, like your synthetic decking, but it does NOT work on wood.

jworrellbass · #6 12-03-2009, 11:50 AM

Composite decking is made from reclaimed hardwood sawdust and plastic. Sorry if I offered some help and it offened you.

dmusic148 · #7 12-03-2009, 01:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jworrellbass

Composite decking is made from reclaimed hardwood sawdust and plastic. Sorry if I offered some help and it offened you.

No offense taken. I'm just pointing out that bleach will not kill mold on wood, that's all. I know more about this than I'd like to know. Mold is no joke.

jworrellbass · #8 12-03-2009, 01:46 PM

Thats good to know,

To the op use what the man recommends.

bobinverted · #9 12-03-2009, 02:00 PM

Tea Tree oil kills mold and probably won't hurt the bass.

Pilgrim · #10 12-03-2009, 03:25 PM

Bleach is also something you do NOT want anywhere near paint.

Darth Moley · #11 12-03-2009, 06:09 PM

Good info guys, thank you. Keep 'em coming!

Another question I have is in regards to the frets - as I said, I've noticed what looks like corrosion or discoloration from the early stages of rust as well as some small patches of rust on the last 5 or 6 frets. Would it be possible to remove this without specialized tools (sorry, I don't even have so much as a Dremel), or should I be expecting to get a refret done, possibly a defret conversion to fretless?

EagleMoon · #12 12-03-2009, 06:30 PM

This sounds a lot like a bass I got a while back. All the hardware was rusted except for the tuners which were all right. I figured it was because whoever owned it lived on the coast and it was exposed to salt in the air. A trip to the hardware store took care of all of the screws, including the bridge screws. You can order springs for the bridge as well online.

As far as the frets go, tape up the fingerboard with some blue painters tape and use some steel wool on the frets. Before you do that though put some blue tape over the pickup magnets to prevent any loose steel wool getting on them. And make sure to vacuum and clear up well before you take the tape back off of the pickups.

Marton · #13 12-03-2009, 06:45 PM

Someone is treasure is another man trash..... I was really happy to have some rust on my bass when I bought it, it have way much character !

Darth Moley · #14 12-04-2009, 01:54 PM

Honestly, I'm not all that worried about the rust (except on the frets), I'm more concerned that there may be trouble down the road due to how these things were caused in the first place. I also have a '94 MIM P-bass that I bought new. In nothing more than a Fender gig bag, it's been with me through gigs and traveled across the country with me a few times, both by car and plane, and with the exception of a couple of pretty small dings, it's still in the same shape as when I bought it! Like I said, I'm just worried about future problems that I won't be able to afford to fix.

Darth Moley · #15 12-04-2009, 04:27 PM

Heh, I just tried to remove the bridge, and it's literally stuck to the body. It's like it's glued on - It won't even budge a little! And yes, I did remove the screws.