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How to clean a bass

Raman

Raman

Feb 19, 2003
2,223
3,273
53
Montreal, Qc
#1
I realized that I barely ever clean my basses. I dust them once every couple weeks, but that's about it.
I used to have a cleaning kit in the form of a sponge that you rubbed against the strings and the neck. It had some alcohol to dissolve patina and then a wax. It did give back some "zing" to my bass, but I also felt that it built wax on the strings. I ran out and can't say I miss it.

Are there cleaning habits that you'd recommend to keep an instrument in top shape?
 
#2
The most important; change strings frequently and get/keep the gunk off your fretboard. I prefer 0000 steel wool to get the crap off the fretboard and polish up the frets. I then will wipe down all painted surfaces with turtle wax. There’s a lot of other stuff I do, but what I’ve outlined is what I’d consider the bare minimum.

I oil a fingerboard once upon purchase with a VERY light coat of oil, on/off super quick. And never do it again. Rosewood just doesn’t need it, it’s oily enough.

If you’ve got a maple board and it’s still shiny, you can just pull the strings and clean the gunk off with a terrycloth and some of that turtle wax.
 
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#4
arbiterusa said:
The most important; change strings frequently and get/keep the gunk off your fretboard. I prefer 0000 steel wool to get the crap off the fretboard and polish up the frets. I then will wipe down all painted surfaces with turtle wax. There’s a lot of other stuff I do, but what I’ve outlined is what I’d consider the bare minimum.

I oil a fingerboard once upon purchase with a VERY light coat of oil, on/off super quick. And never do it again. Rosewood just doesn’t need it, it’s oily enough.

If you’ve got a maple board and it’s still shiny, you can just pull the strings and clean the gunk off with a terrycloth and some of that turtle wax.
Click to expand...
Steel wool is a bad choice with electronics and magnets.
Synthetic wool (scothbrite type available in 0000) is a better choice.
It also doesn't leave behind splinters that rust
A toothbrush works well for cleaning a fretboard, the fret edges.
Also works well for cleaning bridge saddles, around tuners, etc.
On coarser fretboard woods, the toothbrush can scrub the open pores.

For painted/clears car care products work well.

Remember alcohol dissolves lacquer !

Naptha works well for string and finish cleaning

Mineral oil can be used on open pore bare wood fretboards to add color depth and lustre. VERY SPARINGLY don't let it ,"soak in"
 
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#7
For the record, I'm a professional painter and since I have the tools and supplies, I usualy paint my own basses with the equivalent of a car show quality custom paint job. I try to keep my basses clean and the finish in perfect condition, so I use some of the standard cleaning methods of my industry.

Microfiber cloths are essential because they don't leave scratches on the paint and they also pull up dirt and grime and hold onto it, rather than push it around.

I wipe my bass neck and strings with a dry microfiber cloth after every time I play it, which is pretty much every day. I have a bunch of them so I toss the cloth in the laundry after each use and always use a clean one every day.

Most people really don't need to be this obsessive and can get away with multiple uses of the cloth before washing.

Once a week, I'll clean the body and hardware with "Meguiar's Quik Detailer Mist & Wipe" (or similar product from your preferred brand) and a microfiber cloth. Just spray it on, wait 5 minutes, then wipe off.

You can apply this to a maple or other painted fretboard but I would avoid using it on a rosewood or similar board that is just impregnated with oil. If you wipe the board with a clean cloth after each time you play, then it will always be clean, anyway. But if you let it go for a long time and let the grime and gunk build up, then you kind of don't have a choice.

Do not scrub or use hard pressure. Just wipe the product off the surface until everything is dry. The dust and dirt will stay in the cloth. Do not reuse this cloth until it's been through the laundry.

As an option, you can use a cleaning product that contains wax and it will leave a very thin layer of protection on your bass after you wipe off the cleaner. I don't bother with it. It isn't really necessary and I don't like the way it feels under my fingers.

Never use anything other than clean microfiber cloths. Never use water, alcohol, or harsh detergents or chemicals. Never scrub.

Disclaimer:
Everything I've said above is simply the opinion of this one, experienced professional painter. However, I know other professionals who use different methods because even experts don't always agree.
 
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#15
Raman said:
I realized that I barely ever clean my basses. I dust them once every couple weeks, but that's about it.
I used to have a cleaning kit in the form of a sponge that you rubbed against the strings and the neck. It had some alcohol to dissolve patina and then a wax. It did give back some "zing" to my bass, but I also felt that it built wax on the strings. I ran out and can't say I miss it.

Are there cleaning habits that you'd recommend to keep an instrument in top shape?
Click to expand...
Not sure if the frequency matters, but every time I change strings I wipe down the fingerboard with lemon oil (cleans and conditions the wood) - if the bass has an unfinished fingerboard. Every other time I change strings, I use 000 steel wool to clean & polish the frets. You can use automotive polish to occasionally rub out light wear marks/scratches in the clear coat.
 
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#18
When I change strings, in addition to checking my set up, i clean the body with a piece of old T shirt and a little windex. Since all my basses have rosewood ebony or PF boards I wipe them down with a slightly dampened piece of old T shirt followed by a dry piece of same. If frets are looking dull i’ll hit them with a used green scotchbrite pad followed by some polish on a rag then buff with a clean cloth.
Other than that, any used bass that comes into my possession gets completely broken down and all components scrubbed and sanitized, then put back together with new strings and a complete set up.
 
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