Tar-like substance under pickguard

bammill · #1 01-20-2013, 01:37 PM

I have a '74 Precision I bought new. I just noticed a black, tar-like substance oozing from under the pickguard. The location is under the strings. After removing the pickguard I see it goes from the bottom of the pickguard to the bottom of the bridge pickup (about 1 inch), although I doubt that the pickup has anything to do with it.

Does anyone know what this is or have you seen this on your bass? Could this be heat related? How would I best clean this off without marring the finish?
thanks.

Rip Topaz · #2 01-20-2013, 01:52 PM

Years of nicotine?

C.Linton · #3 01-20-2013, 01:56 PM

I don't know. The onmly thing I can think of is sloppily applied shielding paint. Is it dry or sticky? Is the rest of the cavity shielded with black graphite paint? Is it possible to post a pic?

Rip Topaz · #4 01-20-2013, 02:08 PM

Years of string funk??

I'm just guessing, obviously, but with it being such an old bass, look past the obvious. It could be someone once hid a roach in to the pickup cavity and forgot about it, and years of sweat caused a streak.

Again, just guessing.

Diesel Kilgore · #5 01-20-2013, 02:08 PM

Could it be sap from the wood coming thru the shielding making it black?

Rip Topaz · #6 01-20-2013, 02:08 PM

Either way, try naphtha to clean it.

MEKer · #7 01-20-2013, 02:45 PM

Take off the PG and look first.

petrus61 · #8 01-20-2013, 02:58 PM

Probably the pickup height foam breaking down underneath the pickup

Rip Topaz · #9 01-20-2013, 03:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MEKer

Take off the PG and look first.

Definitely do this. It may not be serious and may cause unwanted results if you clean it the wrong way.

Rip Topaz · #10 01-20-2013, 03:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by petrus61

Probably the pickup height foam breaking down underneath the pickup

This!! I never even thought of this, but you're probably right.

bammill · #11 01-20-2013, 03:15 PM

Petrus61, that sounds like the most logical answer - breakdown of the pickup foam. Cliff, the cavity is not shielded with paint - just wood as far as I can tell. It is not dry, kinda rubbery. Naptha is safe on the finish, Rip?

petrus61 · #12 01-20-2013, 04:04 PM

Yeah this happened to an old jazz of mine. I was having trouble adjusting the pups and when I looked underneath, the foam had been reduced to a sludge like you described.

Stone Soup · #13 01-20-2013, 04:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by petrus61

the (pickup) foam had been reduced to a sludge like you described.

That's what I was going to say.

**TheAnalogKid** · #14 01-20-2013, 04:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bammill

Petrus61, that sounds like the most logical answer - breakdown of the pickup foam. Cliff, the cavity is not shielded with paint - just wood as far as I can tell. It is not dry, kinda rubbery. Naptha is safe on the finish, Rip?

Rip Topaz is correct: Naphtha, or lighter fluid, is OK on shiny poly finishes and your plastic pickguards; it evaporates quickly. It may discolor bare wood. Barring that, IMO, the next best thing is Denatured Alcohol, an old toothbrush and a clean cloth. D-alcohol has NO water and shouldn't stain wood (as far as I know).

Davey4557 on YouTube has a couple of vids about "cleaning yer guitaaaar".

Rip Topaz · #15 01-20-2013, 05:09 PM

Don't use alcohol on nitro. It'll dissolve it. I tried to clean some stand marks on my nitro painted bass and it made the area it touched really cloudy and nasty looking.

Jeff Scott · #16 01-20-2013, 07:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bammill

I have a '74 Precision I bought new. I just noticed a black, tar-like substance oozing from under the pickguard. The location is under the strings. After removing the pickguard I see it goes from the bottom of the pickguard to the bottom of the bridge pickup (about 1 inch), although I doubt that the pickup has anything to do with it.

Does anyone know what this is or have you seen this on your bass? Could this be heat related? How would I best clean this off without marring the finish?
thanks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CkOfeSNsWpM

lyla1953 · #17 01-20-2013, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Rip Topaz

Years of nicotine?

Yup...if it's black and sticky

Frankjohnson · #18 01-20-2013, 08:25 PM

I actually thought maybe it could be something spilled, and got under there.......
so -
what was the culprit?

petrus61 · #19 01-20-2013, 08:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Frankjohnson

I actually thought maybe it could be something spilled, and got under there.......
so -
what was the culprit?

Without pics it's hard to tell but it's most likely not nicotine. You would smell it if it was dripping off your bass. I'm sticking with foam degradation, as it has happened to me.

khutch · #20 01-20-2013, 09:34 PM

I suppose the foam is the most likely. The problem reminds me of something a VP at my employer told me many years ago. When he was a kid in the depression he made money fixing Atwater-Kent radios. Evidently he was the only one in his neighborhood who was willing to melt the tar out of the power supply filter can to fix the coils and caps inside. Perhaps in 1974 Fender was potting their pickups with tar??

Ken