Need tips on cleaning and fixing this bass.

LazyZombie · #1 04-25-2010, 10:12 PM

I just bought a friends Bass that I found in his closet for 50 bucks. Fender Jazz Deluxe MIM... The case looked cracked and it looked like cat urine residue on the top of it. But the bass inside seemed in decent enough shape. That is except it's dirty, rusted and the input fell out.

How should a Do-it-yourself noob attack this mess?

LazyZombie · #2 04-26-2010, 12:42 AM

My main issues

-Rusted Pickups, screws, oxidation
-Input is Stripped.
-Saddles seem to have a weird buzzing sound sometimes. Someone told me to superglue the screws to reduce that... does that sound right or insane?
-Overall Cleanliness, There's gunk everywhere. I don't care about scratches and bumps as i think they give the bass character.

But for 50 bucks... I mean how can i lose? I just don't want to spend hundreds of bucks fixing it up...

Yakob · #3 04-26-2010, 01:04 AM

-Rusted Bits:

Get some polish. It should fix up the rust and leave it looking shiny and bright. I use jeweler's polish on metal components. Great, buffed-out look.

-Input:

Toothpick method. Get some toothpicks, lower them into the stripped screw wells. Cut them so that they're flush with the surface and super glue them in. When they dry, re-drill the hole.

-Saddles:

Mess with everything else before you mess with these. Check out the setup, clean the bridge and the strings (or replace the strings). If the rattling persists, pin down where the rattling is coming from exactly. Post that info when. if you get it.

-Cleanliness:

Scrub a dub dub! For some of it, just wipe it off with a damp cloth (DAMP, not WET). For other stuff, you may need a little soap or a little hot water. I'd suggest gutting the bass body before you clean it. Also, hit the neck up with some oil for moisturization.

Floyd Eye · #4 04-26-2010, 06:44 AM

Take the entire thing apart. Clean all the wood with Naptha. Soak all the rusted hardware in light oil. Re-assemble.

PCR · #5 04-28-2010, 10:39 AM

Give this thread a whirl.... (Click Here)

I just cleaned up a bass that would probably rival yours.

I used Never Dull on the metal parts. And I used a little piece of wet dry sandpaper on the pup magnets (400 grit; just what I had in a drawer).

Nice find!

LazyZombie · #6 04-29-2010, 04:56 PM

Thanks for the tips. I'm going to get to work on this thing ASAP. I'll send some pics when i'm done with it.