Auto scratch remover on bass guitars?

[mikeswals]

McQuire's products are safe for both nitro and poly.

Yup, I've been using Meguires for decades on both Poly and nitro finishes.

 

[CrUiSeR]

The primary cause of swirl marks on a guitar/bass finish whether you're polishing/waxing or removing scratches is that people use cloths that have previously been used for other purposes.

Use NEW 100% cotton cloth or microfiber and only use it on your bass. Circular motion is not the issue.

Nobody is gonna buy a new microfiber or cotton cloth everytime they polish their instrument.
So you're trying to convince me
that if I run my clothe at a straight angle that the dust particles are gonna jump around and make perfect little
circular swirl marks?!!
HAHA

 

[ddnidd1]

Nobody is gonna buy a new microfiber or cotton cloth everytime they polish their instrument.
So you're trying to convince me
that if I run my clothe at a straight angle that the dust particles are gonna jump around and make perfect little
circular swirl marks?!!
HAHA

No. The idea is to Dedicate a cloth or cloths for the sole purpose of working on the relatively delicate finish of your bass.

I reuse them all of the time.

Rather than using them to clean other dirty surfaces first and then using them for the fine work on the finish of your bass.

Not a new cloth every time.

If you stop to think about it, rotary polishing is used to get bass finishes to a high gloss by manufacturers and even on show cars, although hand polishing is the preferred method.

No one uses linear motion rather than circular motion for fine polishing.

Swirl marks are caused by contamination of the cloth/medium being used for polishing, etc.

 

[kcole4001]

Meguiar's Scratch X works great, but the new version is a bit more aggressive than the old formula (which I have).
As recommended by some experts a few years ago I use 100% cotton diapers (new, not used!).
After the Scratch X, apply several coats of wax.

Use one for the Scratch X and keep it in it's own ziploc bag, and another for the wax, which I keep in it's own ziploc.
Mark the bags clearly and don't ever wash them together or with anything else.

Use only detergent without fabric softener to wash your polishing cloths.
I'm told the softener adds grit to the cloths.

 

[Blankandson]

My '94 Warwick is just a polished shinny swamp ash piece of wood. I can get rid of the tiny scratches with just a little sandpaper rubbing - very very fine sandpaper. The poly stain goes deeper so the color and shine stay with it. Just don't rub too much. Don't have any large scratches so don't know about those. But this works on the little annoying ones.

 

[Watchootognbout]

I've been wondering about this for awhile. I hope this isn't a stupid question but i've been seeing these comercials on tv about auto scratch removers and was wondering if they would work on bass scratches and swirl marks. I just don't know if they would ruin a basses finish or not. What do you guys think? Or is a bass finish a whole different animal?

That's one reason why I favor satin finished over shiny finished basses.
Satin finishes hide minor scratches and deeper scratches can be sanded out.

 

[fender68]

That's one reason why I favor satin finished over shiny finished basses.
Satin finishes hide minor scratches and deeper scratches can be sanded out.

I didn't know that. I would have thought that satin finishes would have been more fragile. Cool.

 

[Batmensch]

I also use Novus Plastic Polish and it works well. The main reason I have it, is it works really well on car finishes. Novus #2

Good to know. I have the whole 3 part Novus system, and I have a used Squier P bass body on the way, it's good to know if it has any mess on it, I already have the means to fix it. That stuff worked good on a scratched PG I had.