battery compartment corrosion help

[Cybergimp109]

so i was in practice a few hours ago and my bass ( mm bongo 6) started changing volume and then eventually died. seemed like the battery was dying but i only hcanged both of them a few weeks prior possibly with sweaty hands... noticed one of the battery compartments has green corrosion around the edges(around 50% of the part the battery contacts) i stripped an instrument cable and put some balled up wire in the contact point and it works ok but i have a gig tomorrow and i use a weird bass i wont have an easy time finding a replacement if anything goes wrong.

what should i do short term and long term?
ill email musicman and see if theyll send me a new part anyway and im happy enough putting it in.

if im wrong about this being just some sweat over a few weeks what would have caused this?
any help appreciated, cheers.

Edited March 1, 2013 by Cybergimp109

[icastle]

Spray WD40 on the corroded metal part and gently scrape the green off.

Wipe the debris away and repeat until it's all gone.

A little polish up with a bit of Brasso and it'll be as good as new.

[JapanAxe]

A small wire brush is useful for cleaning up corroded battery terminals.

[bertbass]

A bit of wet & dry wrapped round a screw driver and sand it off.

[Cybergimp109]

cool thanks for the ideas ive just never had to deal with it before.
ill do that during the week i think ill have to leave it in its current state held together with stripped wires till after this gig though.
cheers

[MiltyG565]

You're absolutely certain the batter hasn't leaked? My first action would be the change the battery, and in the process of doing that, do all of the above. I wouldn't take the chance which a preamp, especially if i was relying on it for a gig.