Dirty mojo or clean mojo?

[EssentialTension]

My son has an Epiphone Casino which has been his main gigging guitar for about ten years. It has seen some wild gigs and much spillage of K cider and, in a related incident, a broken and repaired headstock. Son was staying with us for a few days before going off to play at Boomtown so, noticing the bedraggled state of the Casino, I offered to clean it and set it up. There was some resistance to this offer due to a fear of a loss of mojo.

Anyway, a couple of hours later, some cleaning and polishing fluids and some lemon oil, several cloths, some graphite bridge saddles, re-attached pickguard, fixed straplocks, a new set of strings, and set the intonation ... and it seems that under the dirt was where we found the real mojo which could now show through in all its clean glory.

Do you like dirty mojo or clean mojo?

Edited August 13, 2015 by EssentialTension

[Subbeh]

Clean mojo every time, dirt, grime and human detritus on a guitar is just nasty, be it my own or someone elses. Don't mind wear and tear on a used instrument but I will really take my time removing all traces of the previous owners skin and dirt, euughhh

Puts me in mind of that blog by the tech who cleaned up Lemmy's touring Rick, that thing looked like a bio hazard!

Edited August 13, 2015 by Subbeh

[gary mac]

I love proper wear/mojo but it has to be clean.

I clean my gigging bass after each and every gig.

[scalpy]

Got guitars with blood spots on them from years ago. Mine, of course!

[Twincam]

Yuck no "dirty mojo" for me. My gf just bought herself a used bass and I spent ages cleaning the fretboard I actually had to scrape it with a razor. It was like someone taken a dump on the fretboard. Although oddly enough after cleaning I honestly didn't think it sounded as good.

I don't know how people let there basses get in such a state. It's a pet hate of mine. Dust etc only needs a little going over with a cloth. Fretboards can be wiped quickly with a damp cloth or when changing strings a bit of oil. Takes all of five mins. Strings I can appreciate they get dirty and are a pain to clean.

[casapete]

Always have to thoroughly clean a used bass before I feel I can bond with it. My crap is okay, but
not someone else's. I keep my basses fairly clean generally, not keen on finger marks and greasy
patches which can look bad under stage lighting. Usually give them a good tidy up when I restring.

[Coilte]

I was never a believer in Jamerson's concept of.."the funk is in the gunk...".

[CamdenRob]

I keep all my gear immaculate.. wipe everything down after every gig, rehearsal or practice session... can't stand gunk...

[KevB]

I'm amazed at the state of some of the secondhand gear I've looked at it the past. I'm not particularly overboard on cleaning but, as another poster has said, a reasonable going over during restringing (where you can get a the fretboard, bridge etc much easier) keeps them looking clean and tidy most of the time.

Edited August 14, 2015 by KevB

[lowhand_mike]

gotta be clean, i dont spend a load of money on a bass for it to look like a dogs dinner, wear and tear is fine (well just a little bit) but goop is just lazy and rank

[Telebass]

Clean. I'd clean Jamerson's bass if I found it, the hell with the 'funk'.

[CHW]

I have a yamaha pacifica 812 that was my main gigging guitar for about 10 years, I bought it as a workhorse, and work it is exactly what I did, it is pretty beaten up these days and I never really cleaned it up or did anything to it other than a quick wipe over with a duster when changing strings. I recently sent it off to a local luthier to fit a new bridge and set it up, he also redressed the frets and gave it a thorough valet.

It feels great, and sounds great but there is something strange about it, it doesn't feel like my guitar anymore, I used to know it inside and out, no-one else had ever played it and I could probably tell you where and when most of the major dings and wear happened.

So in answer- dirty mojo, if it's my own.

[JapanAxe]

[quote name='Coilte' timestamp='1439540190' post='2843618']
I was never a believer in Jamerson's concept of.."the funk is in the gunk...".
[/quote]

Apparently that gunk eventually reached the point where Jamerson's bass would no longer intonate properly and he stopped getting studio calls.

I have a black Gibson semi that seem to attract dried sweat to its top. I'm forever having to clean the thing.

So: clean mojo for me, thanks.

[Leonard Smalls]

A band I used to play in in the early 90s had an on-stage painter who'd paint a back-drop and our white boiler suits while we played.
So I'd give the Wal a wipe if there were any really obvious paint spatters.
Other than that it gets an occasional dust when I change strings, and sometimes (every 10 years or so) I clean the ook off the fretboard.
Last time I changed the battery I discovered orange fluorescent paint in the battery compartment, and some on the corner of a pick-up. Still glows after 20+ years!

[Guest MoJo]

Depends if it's bath night or not

[Maude]

When a fretted bass starts to sound and feel like a fretless then it's time to clean the fretboard

[M@23]

Mojo is cool, grime isn't.

[Number6]

I'm off to give the basses a bit of a tidy up.....

[Marvin]

Wear is fine, and to be expected. Gunk and general detritus is a completely different matter, basically NO!

A lot of these 'aged' basses with grime on the chrome hardware, eeewwww, I'd be getting the brasso and a rag out.

[Number6]

The reason i don't buy a relic bass is i would want to polish it all up.....

[Cameronj279]

I cant say I clean my bass after every rehearsal and gig but I do like to keep it clean, give it a wipe down every time it's looking like it needs it. Back when I had a Warwick which could be waxed I generally done that once every fortnight or so but it was mainly just because I enjoyed doing it.

[tauzero]

[quote name='Cameronj279' timestamp='1439738571' post='2845349']
Back when I had a Warwick which could be waxed I generally done that once every fortnight or so but it was mainly just because I enjoyed doing it.
[/quote]

It's that lemony smell, isn't it?

[jezzaboy]

Don`t mind wear and tear but dirt, no thanks. What amazes me even more, is when someone put a bass up for sale and it`s dusty or dirty. Puts me right off.

[Cameronj279]

[quote name='tauzero' timestamp='1439751710' post='2845495']


It's that lemony smell, isn't it?
[/quote]

I only done the fretboard every 2 months or so (unless it looked like it needed it) but it was partly the lemony smell and the fact that I liked to pretend to myself I was doing something productive those days!

[jonnythenotes]

A friend of mine had a top end Dingwall, and dropped a Fender tuning pedal on it while it was in the case. It put a large dent on the top horn, which looked really naff. A week later he sold the bass and took a real knock on what he sold for it for due to this damage. He said there is 'wear' which increases the value of some guitars, and then there is 'damage' which can ruin the resale....wear comes from use, damage comes from being a careless nob... The Words of a very cheesed off man !!!! I love a genuinely worn looking guitar, but it has to be clean, and not 'shabby chic' ...deliberately and obviously aged... Those scuzzy looking basses that look like they have been pulled out of a wheely bin do nothing for me..

Edited August 18, 2015 by jonnythenotes