This just came up.
Someone contacted me and asked me what they needed to use to clean their vintage Kramer NS-2's bridge with.
And to make sure I told them the right thing, I called Stuart and asked him.
First, Stuart says that the Kramer and Brooklyn Era bridges have a very thin 18K gold electroplate on them.
So NOTHING abrasive or chemical. You don't want to rub through that coat and get to the brass underneath because then you'll really have some issues. Brass oxidizes quickly. So that electroplate protects the brass underneath.
He says to use something really soft, preferably a micro-fiber cloth that won't scratch (like what you'd clean eye-glasses with) and then use just a little amount of water.
That's it.
Pitting, discoloration, tarnishing... these things have to do with either imperfections in the original electroplate or the eventual wearing off or perhaps a scratch, etc... that happens in time.
Look to clean off gunk or dirt, but don't look to restore the bridge, you're not going to remove pitting or any tarnishing. And that's OK. An old vintage bass should have this sort of "road worn" stuff.
Lastly I was asked if they should replace the bridge and I say "ABSOLUTELY DO NOT" unless the bridge is damaged and the bass is not useable, NEVER replace original parts from a vintage Spector just because they don't "look" good.
If you want a new bass... get one. But these vintage/classic USA Spectors are getting more rare with time and the more original they are the better their value.
A vintage Spector with a new bridge, new tuners and a refinish is NOT a vintage Spector anymore.
You can protect a vintage gloss finished Spector with the Dunlop Formula 65 products. And I highly recommend the Dunlop Fingerboard cleaner/conditioner products to maintain the health of the fingerboard of your bass.
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