Finger Gunk

That seems odd to me. You sure it's not the finish coming off?

I have and had several basses decades old and have not come across that problem.

Maybe @johnk_10 or one of the other lutheriers might be able to help out.

 

Nice bass. Love me some Lado.

How many stone does it weigh?

Just keep hosing it down. It will clean up eventually.

 

There's a chance whatever he thickly slathered on had a chemical reaction to the clear-coat. What you are describing sounds like when lacquer isn't cured; it feels clammy/sticky and sheds thin soft fragments. Not sure what to suggest but isopropyl alcohol could be something to try. After sufficiently cleaning it it may need to re-cure in sunlight. This is all an educated guess - worst case scenario will be needing to remove the clear coat down to bare wood and re clear-coating it. Let us know what you end up doing.

 

Sounds like you may need to sand it and leave it or refinish it.

 

I'd probably try a soft plastic scraper, like an autobody putty spreader.

Many years ago, I cleaned up a mid 70s grimy guitar neck with isopropyl alcohol, and it softened the finish slightly. I did some frantic wiping, scraping and rubbing to try to smooth things, but it did not settle until around a month layer. I've always chalked that up to "re-curing" but I have no idea. I did learn to avoid it on polyurethane finishes...

 

that is nasty. I always wonder why people treat instruments like outdoor furniture.

On really disgusting basses I use window cleaner and a toothbrush. I cleaned a 50 year old bass once that was probably never cleaned before: it was sticky all over, had massive buildup of black gunk near the frets (and pretty much everywhere else) and had a horrible smell too. I take care not to use a cleaner that dissolves the lacquer but apart from that I'm merciless.

 

Simple green, plant based natural degreaser. Ive used it on vintage fenders and hofners with no adverse effects to lacquer

 

Well, if that's the worse of it then I'd say you are ok. Many players like a more 'natural' wood feel for the neck and refinishing it (just the handling part) is not that difficult. I'd sand all residual finish off the neck and finish it in whichever way you prefer. (lacquer, poly, oil) Each has it's own feel and can be any sheen you choose. I've done all three and like each, not having a absolute favorite. But I do like a more satin finish, which you can achieve with each. The difference is that with satin lacquer, the more it's played the shinier it will get, more so than with poly. A satin oil finish will maintain its satiny feel but will need to be maintained over time depending on how much it's played. When the neck finish gets too shiny for my liking, I'll use a soft fiber scotch-pad to mute the gloss back to satin.

 

You should just take the finish down with a grey 3M scotch bright pad and put about 6 coats of Tru-Oil sanding lightly between the coats with the grey scotch bright pad, buff the last coat to a nice sheen, you will love how smooth and fast it feels!!

 

Another vote for Simple Green.

 

Give Naphtha a try. It evaporates quickly when used as a wiping agent and should not harm your finish. Stew Mac has a cleaning and protecting silicone free product called, Preservation Polish that I've used on dirty basses following the Naphtha wipe. This combination has done well for me.

Hope this helps.

Koog

 

I'm not an expert, but I've had success using Ronsonol (lighter fluid) to safely remove, greasy, gummy (adhesives) from delicate plastic without doing harm. Not sure about a wood surface. Perhaps try out in an inconspicuous spot. Beautiful bass btw.