Vintage Finish Cleaning

[Big John]

Hi Guys,

I was wondering how I can clean my 1968 vintage Precision bass
It's nitro-cellulose lack.... are there special products for that?
I want it to shine!
Thanx
John

 

[GeneralElectric]

No pics, no bass.

 

[Big John]

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=112131&stc=1&d=1229545102

 

[thumpbass1]

In the old days I used to use Lemon Pledge with good results but seriously there are
some better polishes for guitars available. I really like the kit that Fender has put together with Meguiar's the company that is well known for it's automotive polish and finishing products. I used to do some auto painting for fun and the Meguiar's line was the stuff I used to bring a mirror shine out of a nitro or acrylic laquer finish job. I also have used guitar polishes from Martin and Gibson that put a nice shine on laquer while being gentle.

 

[Big John]

thanks a lot for the quick reply!
I have a look at fender or gibson

 

[Pilgrim]

Virtuoso cleaner and polish: http://www.virtuosopolish.com/

 

[Sadowsky]

I use the following:

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

 

[Oren Hudson]

Thumbs up on the Meguiar's. Don't forget to condition the rosewood fretboard. I use lemon oil - but be careful with it.

 

[mikeswals]

Even on nitro finishes I still use Meguires High Tech Yellow polish. I just be very careful and slow on the areas of finish checking to not get the compound in the cracks.

 

[Thornton Davis]

Virtuoso cleaner and polish: http://www.virtuosopolish.com/

+1

Virtuosso cleaner and polish are specifically formulated for Nitrocellulous vintage guitar finishes. It's the only cleaner and polish that i'll use on my vintage basses.

The cleaner is blows me away and the polish is amazing!

Buy some, you won't regret it.

TD

 

[Big John]

thanks guys! I do!!!!
YES WE CAN!

 

[Basdyret]

Just to refreshen some trivia for me - '68 was the last year they used nitro, right?

I'm pretty sure the coating on my '69 Jazz is poly, and I heard they switched in '68.

 

[Longwheelbass]

Just to refreshen some trivia for me - '68 was the last year they used nitro, right?

I'm pretty sure the coating on my '69 Jazz is poly, and I heard they switched in '68.

I've owned P's and J's up to 1973 vintage with nitro and seen many more up to 75...
there's some good websites on Fender's factory history and most of them say the same thing - nitro was still being used well into the 70's - they did start spraying poly on the back of necks and many of the clears on bodies on J's and P's were poly from about 73-4...then you began to see headstocks that didn't "yellow" with time from the mid-70's...victims of poly...it took em that long to source headstock logos that didn't react badly with poly...

 

[mongo2]

Careful, cleaning it will rub off all the mojo.

 

[Phillip Jordan]

I highly recommend the Gibson polish. As stated above it is very gental and brings any nitro to a high luster. Oncei buffed a satin-finished highway 1 jazz bass to a full shine using Gibson polish and planetwaves carnuba wax. You can pick it up at Guitar Dented for about 6-8 bucks. It's about 3-4 ounces and the bottle is white with an orange label. Good luck.

 

[lowdowndad]

Don't clean it!

Just use a soft cloth with some Pledge sprayed (very little) on it to wipe the dust off.

A little lemon oil or Pledge on the fretboard.

Thats all it needs.

Don't ruin the mojo.

lowdowndad

 

[De Gier Guitars]

we use Dunlop formula 65 (polish&clean) here in the shop.. works great on nitro lacquers..! Shines like the sun.

They also sell a good lemon oil..

 

[The Golden Boy]

Don't clean it!

Just use a soft cloth with some Pledge sprayed (very little) on it to wipe the dust off.

A little lemon oil or Pledge on the fretboard.

Thats all it needs.

Don't ruin the mojo.

lowdowndad

I've heard that furniture dusting stuff (such as Pledge) are REALLY bad because of the silicone used...

 

[Sadowsky]

OK Guys, let me lay it out for you.

On newer nitro finishes, all the polishes mentioned like Dunlop, Martin and Gibson, and my own Everyday polish will work fine. The problem arises on older finishes that get oxidized. If you use these polishes on an oxidized finish, the finish will turn duller than before you started. In these cases, you need to use the Virtuoso, the Sadowsky Restoration Cleaner and Polish, or the Fender/Meguiars kit.

I also can recommend the new line of Planet Waves polishes and cleaners.

DO NOT use Pledge or any other furniture polishes.

roger

 

[Basdyret]

I've owned P's and J's up to 1973 vintage with nitro and seen many more up to 75...
there's some good websites on Fender's factory history and most of them say the same thing - nitro was still being used well into the 70's - they did start spraying poly on the back of necks and many of the clears on bodies on J's and P's were poly from about 73-4...then you began to see headstocks that didn't "yellow" with time from the mid-70's...victims of poly...it took em that long to source headstock logos that didn't react badly with poly...

Are you saying that my '69 should actually be finished with nitro, perhaps with poly only on the neck? Or are you just saying they did both for a while?

Because if this is nitro, I'm for sure not seeing any cracks in the body finish - although the headstock is plenty yellow/brownish. I have a (bad) pic of the bass, doesn't this look like poly?