Bass Cleaning

[CamdenRob]

Morning All.

Do you guys wipe down your strings etc after each play? I always have a quick run over each string and the fretboard when I finish playing. Does this actually make any difference? I'm guessing the strings will sound brighter for slightely longer?

Rob

[Urban Bassman]

I don't and it doesn't seem to make any difference to how long the strings last or sound. On the other hand a (6 string) guitarist friend of mine wipes down his strings every time otherwise his strings would tarnish overnight...I think much depends on how much you sweat and how acidic your sweat is.

I always clean the fretboard when I change strings though and the rest of the bass too.

As with most things it's all down to personal preference.

[Truckstop]

Likewise I give everything a once over whenever change my strings (every 6-8 months or so I guess).

Fretboard gets cleaned with lemon oil, body polished with...polish, and I quickly brush the machine heads, bridge and control plate with an old toothbrush to make sure there's no gunk or dust building up anywhere.

I don't think it makes a massive difference to the playability or wellbeing of the instrument but I just think it's nice to take care of the things you own!

Truckstop

[Coilte]

Yes I wipe down the strings after each practice session. Every now and then I will use a cloth moistened with methylated spirits,
making sure to protect the fretboard while doing this.

I would like to think it helps to remove at least some build up of oils and dirt from the strings.

Also, before I pick up the bass, I always wash my hands. This is just as important in helping to prolong string life.

[Conan]

Nope, not really. A quick wipe down with a moist E-cloth when changing strings is about it for me.

[danthevan]

I think basses are meant to look used and abused

[Dave Vader]

I destroy strings with sweat, so I dry them off after every gig with a beer towel, I also give the back of the neck a wipe at the same time, ironically I think this is what is taking the finish off.....
I have given up trying to stop the pickguard and pickup screws rusting into nothing ness, it didn't work.

[Lozz196]

[quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1368606887' post='2079013']
Likewise I give everything a once over whenever change my strings (every 6-8 months or so I guess).

Fretboard gets cleaned with lemon oil, body polished with...polish, and I quickly brush the machine heads, bridge and control plate with an old toothbrush to make sure there's no gunk or dust building up anywhere.

I don't think it makes a massive difference to the playability or wellbeing of the instrument but I just think it's nice to take care of the things you own!

Truckstop
[/quote]

Same as. Additionally, as I like the sound of old strings better than new ones, I don`t wipe strings down after prac/gigs etc.

[4 Strings]

I think strings are meant to be dirty - 'the funk is in the gunk' (or words to that effect) - James Jamerson.

I used to boil up strings in the happy, slappy 80s but nowadays I'm irritated by the first couple of months on new strings.

I clean the actual bass down to the last screw when I first receive it. It's on its own after that. Look after it like a baby, but it changes it's own nappy!

[Roger2611]

I wipe the strings after every gig, I also really hate grubby finger marks all over a pristine bass so it will get a thorough wipe down after every gig

[Painy]

My old bass teacher used to wipe his strings down with surgical spirit cos it evapourates without leaving any residue. Only problem was people at his gigs would always ask if he had a bad back cos he smelt like Ralgex!

[leroydiamond]

Use elixir strings, wipe them down immediately after every gig and it makes a difference. Use orange oil on rosewood boards

[xgsjx]

I use flatwounds & might give em a wipe down if they start to sound bright.

[BobVbass]

bass...cleaning....
bass...cleaning....
nope never heard of it - isn't that why you buy a new one?

[Hobbayne]

I,m not really a heavy sweater so I dont bother with the string wiping. I change my strings every 3 months anyway, even if they dont need changing.
My problem, is beer or some other liquid spilt down the front of the bass leaving a sticky residue.
This is usually caused by me taking a swig between numbers and the band starting the next song before I,m ready!!

[Conan]

[quote name='Hobbayne' timestamp='1368691105' post='2080135']
This is usually caused by me taking a swig between numbers and the band starting the next song before I,m ready!!
[/quote]

Oh yeah. Been there myself...

[Bolo]

Wipe down, then fast fret, and wipe again. I use a bit of old t-shirt to wipe the neck and body down. This ritual is performed after every gig and practice.

Thanks to this upkeep I change my strings about once a year, and I like them to sound fresh! Not brand spanking new but alive and singing.

[paul_5]

[quote name='bob_pickard' timestamp='1368690859' post='2080133']
bass...cleaning....
bass...cleaning....
nope never heard of it - isn't that why you buy a new one?
[/quote]

Yup. You polish furniture, you [i]play[/i] a bass.

[Ziphoblat]

Depends on the bass. My Fender has a maple board and poly finish so it's usually little more than a wipe down with a cloth, occasionally some polish on the body. The Warwick needs a bit more care, I tend to apply lemon oil to the fretboard, beeswax to the body and the back of the neck, and give it a full wipe down too.

[skankdelvar]

Pretty much any of the proprietary 'guitar cleaners' will do the job, but there are some issues surrounding this whole fingerboard cleaning thing for us to obsess over, should the fancy take us. As it has me, for years.

Thing is, we're often asking these products to clean [i]and[/i] (lubricate / finish / shine) at the same time, which is a bit ambitious. It goes without saying that finished maple boards do not require oiling, but you'd be amazed how many people, etc.

The so-called lemon oils we buy from guitar outlets are usually 99% petroleum distillates with a tiny bit of scent in there to make us think 'Oooh, lemony fresh!".

'Real' lemon oil - the pure stuff boiled down from real lemons and sold in specialist food sections contains sufficient concentrations of limonene and other stuff as would affect glues, bindings etc, and is not recommended. It will stain unfinished lightwoods a weird yellow and it's also bastard expensive.

Bearing this in mind, for myself I avoid anything with claims of lemony-ness. It's considerably cheaper and more effective (if slightly more dangerous) to use naptha (lighter fuel) to clean rosewood boards. Not too much or it soaks in and dries the board out over time.

Then a smidge of an organic oil like teak oil, olive oil, almond oil just to give it a sheen. Thing about teak oil is (i) too much can seal the board, inhibiting moisture transfer and (ii) teak-oil soaked rags can spontaneously combust, yikes.

Olive oil and almond oil contain a fair amount of water. Apply too much of these oils and the board beneath can get soggy while the oil will seal the top surface inhibiting moisture egress. Bad.

Dan Erlewine likes raw linseed oil (not boiled - forms a hard surface) for rw boards. He also recommends spit to clean nitro bodies - ymmv. Personally I'd not want to handle someone else's spitty bass. My own spit, fine.

Don't like fast-fret and similar string-lube products because they're usually silicone-based. If you want to get 'difficult to shift' fingerprints over everything it's considerably cheaper to buy a can of silicone lubricant from Halford's for £3.99 and very lightly spray a bit of kitchen roll to apply. Not WD40 because it contains petroleum distillates which dry the board over time.

Best and cheapest string lube is the oils in the skin of your nose. Outside of a shark's liver, nose oil has the highest concentration of squalene (the base for watchmakers' oil). It's organic, it's free and you've always got a supply within reach.

Edited May 16, 2013 by skankdelvar

[Coilte]

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1368710827' post='2080487']
Pretty much any of the proprietary 'guitar cleaners' will do the job, but there are some issues surrounding this whole fingerboard cleaning thing for us to obsess over, should the fancy take us. As it has me, for years.

Thing is, we're often asking these products to clean [i]and[/i] (lubricate / finish / shine) at the same time, which is a bit ambitious. It goes without saying that finished maple boards do not require oiling, but you'd be amazed how many people, etc.

The so-called lemon oils we buy from guitar outlets are usually 99% petroleum distillates with a tiny bit of scent in there to make us think 'Oooh, lemony fresh!".

'Real' lemon oil - the pure stuff boiled down from real lemons and sold in specialist food sections contains sufficient concentrations of limonene and other stuff as would affect glues, bindings etc, and is not recommended. It will stain unfinished lightwoods a weird yellow and it's also bastard expensive.

Bearing this in mind, for myself I avoid anything with claims of lemony-ness. It's considerably cheaper and more effective (if slightly more dangerous) to use naptha (lighter fuel) to clean rosewood boards. Not too much or it soaks in and dries the board out over time.

Then a smidge of an organic oil like teak oil, olive oil, almond oil just to give it a sheen. Thing about teak oil is (i) too much can seal the board, inhibiting moisture transfer and (ii) teak-oil soaked rags can spontaneously combust, yikes.

Olive oil and almond oil contain a fair amount of water. Apply too much of these oils and the board beneath can get soggy while the oil will seal the top surface inhibiting moisture egress. Bad.

Dan Erlewine likes raw linseed oil (not boiled - forms a hard surface) for rw boards. He also recommends spit to clean nitro bodies - ymmv. Personally I'd not want to handle someone else's spitty bass. My own spit, fine.

Don't like fast-fret and similar string-lube products because they're usually silicone-based. If you want to get 'difficult to shift' fingerprints over everything it's considerably cheaper to buy a can of silicone lubricant from Halford's for £3.99 and very lightly spray a bit of kitchen roll to apply. Not WD40 because it contains petroleum distillates which dry the board over time.

Best and cheapest string lube is the oils in the skin of your nose. Outside of a shark's liver, nose oil has the highest concentration of squalene (the base for watchmakers' oil). It's organic, it's free and you've always got a supply within reach.
[/quote]


Good post. It always amazes me how big is the diversion of opinions when it comes to oiling the fret board (how often, and what to use).

IMO if it is to be one extreme or the other, I'd choose not oiling it at all, as over oiling can cause frets to loosen. The idea of oiling a FB, is a comparatively new phenomenon AFAIK. I am sure there are lots of original basses out there from the 60's and 70's whose fret boards never saw a drop of oil, because it was not the done thing back then. I am also sure that those same fret boards are none the worse off for it.

Having said the above, I do oil my FB, but only once every two years or so, and even then, I go very sparingly with the oil.

Edited May 16, 2013 by Coilte

[Dave Vader]

The board on my no 1 green P-bass is now 25 years old, has seen no oil ever. Did get caught up with a load of strippers (not the fun kind) when i was taking the finish off the neck, also got dried out by the white spirit I was using to clean off the crappy old bits of finish.
It is fine, frets still in, frets still fine.
The only oil that gets to it is sweaty gunk from my hands (and there's a lot of that) that has only ever been cleaned off while I was stripping the finish off the neck that time.
Strings get the odd WD-40 wipe when they are starting to sound crap. That's it really.

[skankdelvar]

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1368713802' post='2080554']
That's it really.
[/quote]

Exactly. This cleaning malarkey shouldn't be about absolutes or chemical formulas or 'Wow, everyone kno shold put goblin jizz on a RW Percisn bord, yu NAZI+'

If it's cleaner than it was before, job done.

[Dave Vader]

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1368714659' post='2080575']
Exactly. This cleaning malarkey shouldn't be about absolutes or chemical formulas or 'Wow, everyone kno shold put goblin jizz on a RW Percisn bord, yu NAZI+'

If it's cleaner than it was before, job done.
[/quote]

can i get a link for that goblin jizz please?

[Coilte]

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1368714979' post='2080584']
can i get a link for that goblin jizz please?
[/quote]

Be aware, it is only to be used on rosewood boards !