Do you clean your basses regularly?

[T. Alan Smith]

A little here. A little there.

 

[kcole4001]

Fretboard: every string change (fret polish & fretboard clean/oil)
Body: before every show (EB guitar polish on a microfiber cloth)
Battery: I try to check them before every show, but I do sometimes forget.

Essentially the same routine (except for the battery, I have no active basses).
I use Mequiar's Scratch-X every year or so, and apply Zymol wax every show and occasionally in between.

 

[T-MOST]

I wipe my basses down (including neck and strings) with a guitar cleaner and mirco fiber cloth after every use. It keeps them fresh and ready to go for next time.

 

[Crumbs]

I wipe all the crap off the fretboard when I change the strings, which is every two years.
So...

I might try some of that lemon oil stuff in the future, though.

 

[Jerry Ziarko]

At home not so much. At a gig, after every set, the strings get a wipe down, the neck and top of body where I rest my hand get a spritz and wipe down as well. I also wash my hands before every set. I HATE a sticky bass.

 

[Martin89]

I am almost OCD about washing my hands before playing any of my basses.

 

[okcrum]

I just got a new bass whose fingerboard was so gunked up it ate a whole pad of 0000 steel wool getting it clean, so I could oil the board and finish the fret dressing. Normally I'll clean the fingerboard and lightly oil it at every string change, because the humidity is typically under 20% here. You can tell when the board gets dried out, though.

I'll do a quick wipe with a cloth once or twice during a gig, depending how things feel.

 

[nurnay]

I wipe down the body and strings after each gig/practice and I make sure I wash my hands before playing. Seems to work just fine. I prefer to keep my basses looking nice.

 

[Ian Perge]

Fretboard: every string change non-Maple 'boards get Dunlop Fingerboard Conditioning Oil
Strings: Always wash/use antibacterial alcohol on my hands before play and wipe them after practice/performance. Non-coated strings get changed ever 4-6 months (I'm the opposite of players that "eat thru strings", my body chemistry hardly does anything to them), coated string when flaking begins
Body: Gets a wipedown with Dunlop Number 65 Polish/Cleaner with a microfiber cloth when I notice some smuges. Full cleaning at string changes with Dunlop or Fender/Meguiar's products

 

[Pilgrim]

I seldom clean them - I just keep them clean while playing.

I haven't oiled a fingerboard since I started playing bass in 1962. I've never wiped the strings on my P-bass, and they've been n it since at least 1972 - and they're not grungy.

 

[Marko 1]

Well, I think I understand why some need to change strings so often. Damn, wipe your strings every set or jam session.

And how long does it take to spray something on your bass and wipe it down, maybe 30-60 seconds?

I’m far from a clean freak, but dang, I won’t gig a smudgy bass, just for the sake of the band’s appearance if nothing else.

Sheesh…

:scowl:

 

[Marko 1]

I wipe down the body and strings after each gig/practice and I make sure I wash my hands before playing. Seems to work just fine. I prefer to keep my basses looking nice.

+1

 

[NorCal Dog]

normally, the only time i clean on of my basses & right before i ship it out to it's new owner

now my Harley's a different story, i clean it before every ride

 

[ilovenofrets]

I wipe down the body and strings after each gig/practice and I make sure I wash my hands before playing. Seems to work just fine. I prefer to keep my basses looking nice.

another +1

 

[BZadlo]

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.

I clean my tools too. Sometimes you need to use a screw driver and don't want grease all over your hands.
My T-Bass has a lot of chrome on it and after a show looks pretty nasty. I clean it just so that it doesn't look all smudged.
I'll also oil all of my fingerboards and buff my frets once a year or so.
My sweat seems to make them turn green sometimes.

 

[Billnc]

I voted no. But my basses and guitar are all clean. I will wipe down if they get a lot of sweat on them in the summer. Other than that no, and I've never polished them. But they all look really well cared for.

 

[darkstorm]

I'll wipe mine down fairly regular with soft clean cloth. But more so if taking any pics. Cause some of the pics Ive taken showed way too much dust and such on em to use the pic. Lol. Wax with turtle car wax or similiar about twice a year. Condition fretboard about same amount. Occassionally use a little bit of spray on wax inbetween regular waxing. I like the idea of occassionally vacueming case to for dust. Hadnt thought about that before. Lol.

 

[lareamond]

I clean mine every now and then out of boredom. I use lemon Pledge and a polishing cloth on the bodies. Every string change (once a year) I use Fretboard 65 and a different polishing cloth on the fingerboard after masking the frets off and scrubbing them with homemade toothpaste (don't ask) to get a really nice shine.

 

[Dr. Eagle]

my Gibson T Bird is nitrocellulose lacquer and needs to be cleaned of any sweat or dirt after each playing. I wax it about every third or fourth time I play it. My warwick buzzard needs the beeswax to keep sweat etc. from staining the wood. The rest of my basses are urethane finished so they don't get that kind of special attention, I use the fender spray on them once in a while when they look smudged or most of the time when I change the strings.

 

[matt descending]

I can't imagine cleaning my bass after a gig. That time is for clearing/loading, selling merch, signing c.d.s, and enjoying the well deserved after show festivities. Sometimes I don't even unload the gear till the next day. People have made "wow! Look at the sweat stains on that guitar(sic)" comments repeatedly. Of course, I don't gig my bootleg Ritter...