cleaning pickups?

[Tape]

ok, well ive had my bass for almost 3 years now, and there's alot of gunk(cant tell if its dirt or rust) on my p/u poles. how do i clean this off and prevent it from coming back?

 

[Bassic83]

Take the pickups out and remove them from the cases if the poles don't stick up. Then take some crocus cloth and polish the tops. Wear a mask, and don't breathe the dust in. Replace. Done.

 

[Tape]

ok. i have no idea what a crocus cloth is, and my pickups poles do stick out of the covers. isnt there an easier way? my friend suggested using a damp cloth to rub the dirt off. would this harm anything?

 

[Jim Carr]

I doubt it would do any harm to use a slightly damp cloth, but moisture is probably what caused this gunk/corrosion to be on there in the first place.

Wipe it off, and then make a habit of a good dry wipe down of the neck, strings, and pups after a gig.
Rust never sleeps, or even dozes off for a few seconds.....

 

[bassman10096]

If the crud is the oily grim (finger boogers, I've heard it called), a paper towel with a corner wet with alcohol will disolve and remove the crud pretty easily. I'd be cautious not to get the alcohol on your finish unless you are sure it's not going to react. The added benefit to using alcohol is it evaporates immediately and doesn't cause rusting.

 

[Delberthot]

try 000 grade steel wool and then give the poles a thin coat of clear nail varnish.

 

[Tape]

im thinkin that the alchohol idea seems easiest. but before i do it, has anyone else done this? if so, how does this work? i REALLY dont want to mess my bass up.

 

[Bassic83]

If it's rust, alcohol won't do much. It'll get the grime off, but that's it. If you have any pitting, get some crocus cloth. It's available at some finer hardware stores, or paint shops. It's basically cloth with an abrasive quality to it. Similar to 2000+ grit sandpaper.

 

[Tape]

oh ok, thanks.

so if i dampen the corner of a paper towel with some alchohol, and rub at the pickup poles a little it should be fine?

should i put a coat of clear nail polish on after this? i'd really like to avoid it.

 

[jasper383]

A pencil eraser can work sometimes.

The nail polish recommendation is a good one.

 

[Tape]

Well here's a question, Will a little rust on the pickups make the bass sound any different?

 

[GlennW]

I doubt if it would alter the magnetic field enough (if at all) to be heard, but I don't really know.
Might make them unnoticeably weaker.

 

[Tape]

thanks. I just wont clean them. Im lazy.