Crusty old basses

[ThuzzleFump]

I like vintage instruments as well as the next person, but I am really put off by the amount of embedded crud, scuzz, and slime that people leave on them for authenticity or fear of damaging by cleaning. I don't want a DNA sample from every person who every played the instrument. Gross!

I'm nuts, right? I should just let it go?

 

[mongo2]

Let it go.

 

[Bone]

Be careful, that stuff can rub off and you'll become a crusty old bass player.

 

[BBox Bass]

Perhaps I'm a germphobe, but I feel the same way as the OP. Most basses I've bought from Ebay looked were encrusted with other people's DNA. I got into the habit of donning a pair of rubber gloves before I even opened the box. Then it was down to the basement for disassembly and a thorough cleaning.

I would like to add that last week I bought a bass from a TBer that was absolutely immaculate.

 

[Iridescentone]

Windex is my friend.

 

[Kirk Bryant]

You use windex on what part of a bass? Metal and plastic parts? Not the wood parts I hope.

 

[ThuzzleFump]

Windex for chrome, Pledge for the rest?

 

[blubass]

I'm not a fan either. Fortunately every used bass I've had, has been really well taken care of. It doesn't bother me what someone else's instrument looks like, I just prefer mine to be clean.

 

[Iridescentone]

You use windex on what part of a bass? Metal and plastic parts? Not the wood parts I hope.

I use it on the whole enchilada, fearlessly. Even use it on especially cruddy raw wood fret boards, like rosewood, ebony, wenge, cocobolo, purple heart, whatever.

I don't own any valuable nitro finished vintage basses to stress over anymore, and even when I did Windex never hurt anything, anyway.

To each their own but we're just talking about bass guitars here, not 300 year old Strad violins.

Hate to disagree with JJ, but sorry James...."the dirt doesn't keep the funk", the dirt just keeps......the dirt.

 

[barginkov]

I also don't like the dirt and crud. . I always clean it.. but never use windex
I used it once over 20 years ago on a musicman and it s removed all the shine from it .. no m as yet how I tried to get it to shine again I couldn't it look like flat black

 

[Kirk Bryant]

Reminds me of the big Greek wedding. To each his own. I guess you don't value your instruments or they're aren't worth very much. You'll never catch me using it on my ______,______,______,____, expensive basses......etc. there are lots of better things to clean your bass with. oh don't forget it works on warts too!

Edited to remove names of basses

 

[A-Step-Towards]

Thats what eBay delivered me for $99 BIN, a crusty old bass. You cant see it well but the neck was coated in funk, which to me means whatever dirt and boogers rubbed off someones fingers for decades. Same with the body. It didnt even go inside my house tell it was gutted, I cleaned the neck 2 times, then the frets and then gave the neck oil. Same diligence on the body, new tuners, pickups, knobs etc. Im not into playing someones germs. If I get a used bass and the strings show signs of use I cut them off and put new ones on.

 

[P. Aaron]

Dunlop 65.

 

[40Hz]

Simple Green All Purpose Cleaner and a lot of cotton rags plus some compressed air for really cruddy stuff. In my experience, it's safe for everything except unfinished wood surfaces. It's non-toxic and non-irritant, so it's safe for humans too. Nice sort of wintergreen scent.

For normal crud levels: Dunlop 654 Formula 65.

I clean and closely inspect everything I get in, whether it's used or new. Just a habit I've gotten into after a large wolf spider crawled out of the soundhole of a nice old stringless acoustic guitar I bought at a yard sale. Glad it waited until I got it home and on my workbench. I woulda died if it crawled out when the guitar was on the seat next to me while I was driving.

 

[A-Step-Towards]

Just a fyi if you have a neck coated in finger funk a tooth brush is the best thing to scrub them off with, you can get them in soft so they dont damage the wood. Sometimes necks I clean are so dirty brown just runs off them, yuck.

 

[Iridescentone]

Reminds me of the big Greek wedding. To each his own. I guess you don't value your instruments or they're aren't worth very much. You'll never catch me using it on my Jerzy Drozd, Elrick, Ken Smith, Tobias, Minnieweather,.........etc. there are lots of better things to clean your bass with. oh don't forget it works on warts too!

No, I do value my stuff. What I'm saying is I've used Windex to clean guitars for over 4 decades and never had an adverse affect yet. And your dropping a bunch of expensive boutique names into the convo isn't going to change that fact. I'm no kid and I don't wither under elitist condescension, so you're wasting your breath with that crap.

And yes, I've been through all the specialty cleaners and wood treatment oils for fretboards.....reed bore oil, all the citrus oils, etc. My fave is Lizzard Spit because it smells nice. Is it necessary?....no.

 

[Siggy]

Windex for chrome, Pledge for the rest?

DO NOT use pledge on lacquer finishes it softens it.

 

[Fat Freddy]

I just take a pressure washer to mine

 

[Iridescentone]

Dunlop 65.

Yep, that's all ya need, the polish and the board oil. I get it cheap from Sweetwater.

 

[Gilmourisgod]

Somebody mentioned Ronsonol lighter fluid on another thread, supposedly safe for the finishes and evaporates away, but of course, highly flammable. It wouldn't have occurred to me on general principles. Anybody use it?