No way! My name's Chris and I played in a couple of bands....'Sabotage' and 'Floater' (jeez, what were we thinking?!) I think we supported you a few times back in probably early 2000's. I found my old school record a few years ago and it had Optimus Prime scribbled all over it
I'd be interested if you manage to get this resolved. I have an old Peavey valve amp which is making a similar noise, and previous techs have not found any issue with it. Rather frustrating.
This is crazy cheap. Played a few Crew Maniac basses on a trip to Japan a few years back. They're great quality.
I'd snap this up if I had some spare cash. Good luck with the sale
The Virtuoso Cleaner and Polish is good for nitro basses. Fairly pricey, but good stuff. Had mine for years.
https://www.theguitarrepairworkshop.com/product-page/virtuoso-cleaner
Dr Ducks Axe Wax is also meant to be good. I've got some but not got around to using it yet.