Do you clean your basses regularly?

[Rusty the Scoob]

I spilled a can of soda on one of mine while it was on a stand and it ran down the neck and dried into a sticky, gooey layer. I made a half-assed attempt at cleaning the areas I could get to. Does that count?


Other than that I'll clean the upper horn where my right arm rests if I start sticking to it too noticeably.

 

[Marko 1]

... only real dirt is finger dandruff from playing.

Doesn’t that also clog up your strings?

 

[Martin89]

I voted no because I know I don't clean mine as much as my other stuff, but I'll wipe it down every now and then to look nice.

 

[EdHunter]

I tried taking the clean appraoch, but on a balck, gloss bass there's always gonna be fingerprints. And beer trails. And blood. And knife marks.

 

[oddgrowth]

Being an avid motorcyclist, and pretty decent mechanic, I work on my own bikes. I have a fine collection of tools that I have MUCH more money invested in than I do bass gear. I've been collecting tools since I was a teenager.

I clean them when I use them. I take a rag and wipe them down. Get all the grease and gunk off of them. I also have them all neatly arranged in tool drawers so I can find what I need when I need it.

knew some motorhead would chime in on this.

If I dumped 1000's into Mac tools, sure I'd clean them too.

but not my craftsmans...

 

[Chrisk-K]

I sometimes clean the back of the neck. I never clean the body. Well, I sold my Warwick Thumb because I hated waxing the body.

 

[No Neck Shrek]

Being an avid motorcyclist, and pretty decent mechanic, I work on my own bikes. I have a fine collection of tools that I have MUCH more money invested in than I do bass gear. I've been collecting tools since I was a teenager.

I clean them when I use them. I take a rag and wipe them down. Get all the grease and gunk off of them. I also have them all neatly arranged in tool drawers so I can find what I need when I need it.

If my basses are dirty looking, I clean them. I wipe them down with a microfiber cloth. I oil the fretboard when I change strings. I wipe down the strings when I'm done playing.

+1

This is exactly what I do with my tools and my basses. I wipe down my tool with a shop rag before they go back in the tool box. I wipe down my basses with a microfiber cloth after every use. Then my basses and tools are always clean and ready for use !

When I bring home "new" bass, I take them apart, clean and wax them, put new strings on and set the action.

 

[Ed Goode]

I buy the very best bass I can afford for the gigs it is intended to work, and then I use it. Aside from keeping it in flawless working order, I rarely do anything to it in terms of maintenance. If something nasty gets on it, I clean it off. If the fingerboard gets dry, I oil it. If I see some dust laying around on the nut or bridge, I wipe it off.

But the very last thing I'm worried about is obsessively keeping it clean. I have an FBB 7 string that is on the chopping block and I tell all interested parties that the bass shows wear .... still looks great on stage, but up close you can see the scars and general funk. And I have it priced accordingly ....

If someone wants to baby their gear, go for it! Me, I just use it

 

[esa372]

...for those who do clean then, what are you using to do so?

I use Alembic Supreme polish:
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...and here's a related thread:
http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f8/keeping-you-bass-looking-good-685151/

 

[Lazerrus]

I guess for me it's more about the routine quick wipe. Not really obsessiveness.

 

[Mrfstop]

A good coat of Dunlop 65 Cream of Carnauba guitar wax leaves the painted guitars with one hell of a lasting gloss....also tends to cover minimal surface scratches....

Then the Dunlop 65 polish and cleaner is good for removal of light crap here and there....

Usually when strings get changed I polish the crud off the frets and do up the fret board with some Dunlop 65 Lemon oil, on rosewood boards at least....

I know , I know....Sound like an endorsement for Dunlop products right? hahaha!!

I TRY to keep everything from getting to dirty....Just because I find the re sale of my basses and guitars remains high due to the good condition they are kept in.
nothing wrong with making back a good re sale on things

 

[Lazerrus]

Agreed. My 91 Fender P All original looks nicer than new stuff hanging in the local shop and it's seen lots of and lots of play and travel.

 

[Baird6869]

When I change strings, I will clean the body completely with Gibson's instrument polish and the fretboard with a beeswax/lemon cleaner.

Beyond that, not really. If the body starts getting tacky or I actially spilled beer, blood or whatever on it, I will wipe it down but that is it.

I play with a guitard that wipes his Les Paul down between sets. That is a little much IMO.

 

[Martin89]

Wow between sets seems a little OCD, I just kinda do the normal stuff to keep it looking decent and then maybe do an overhaul if I'm getting ready to sell it lol.

 

[chadhargis]

knew some motorhead would chime in on this.

If I dumped 1000's into Mac tools, sure I'd clean them too.

but not my craftsmans...

I don't own any Mac tools. Those suckers are expensive. I might have a Snap-On piece or two somewhere in the collection, but most of it's Craftsman. Cheap, and lifetime guaranteed. I've used that guarantee many times, especially with cutters and screwdrivers.

I also own some less frequently used tools that I didn't splurge on. They are cheapo Northern Tool or equivalent. They get cleaned and cared for too.

 

[tangentmusic]

I always wipe my basses after playing them. I try to keep them looking new as much as possible.

Ditto

 

[deaf pea]

...If someone wants to baby their gear, go for it! Me, I just use it...

After all, it's only a tool . . .

I wipe the strings (and the rest the bass) of every time I notice that it's dirty . . . but that bass stays with the band's equipment, so I only see it at rehearsals and gigs . . . . . .

 

[Antny]

For my gig bass, I change the duct tape holding the upper horn together about once every 3 or 4 gigs. But I wipe the strings down often with lemon oil on a cloth, between sets even. I like my strings slippery smooth, not grabby.

I polish my wall hangers fairly often though. I consider them to be artwork, so they deserve some love.

 

[GlennW]

I hit it with Windex and an old sock every 5 years or so whether it needs it or not.

 

[Nev375]

If I notice some gunk building up in or near the bridge or pickups I try to wipe that off with any old rag or t-shirt, the rest of the finish I just leave alone and get fingerprints stacked on fingerprints.