Dave Vader Posted March 30, 2017 Share Posted March 30, 2017 I tend to wipe off the strings and the back of the neck after every gig/rehearsal, but I am a sweaty bugger and my basses are full of fag smoke and cider sometimes as well. Resulted in my 25 year old P-bass (that has been played constantly pretty much) looking like this when I changed the pickup out a year or two ago. I don't know what the green stuff is in there... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jonnyenglish358 Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 Is there a bass guitar maintenance kit you can buy that has all the basic tools and oils, cleaning products etc? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 I hardly ever clean my basses. Don't sweat much and always wash hands before playing, so they never get in too bad a state. Just now I'm selling a couple of basses so I decided to clean them. Wow, what a difference! It made such an improvement that I decided to clean the rest! I don't know which decade they'll be cleaned next but at the moment they look very good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlloyd Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 [quote name='bazztard' timestamp='1490679913' post='3266898'] just water, wipe some on the board,apply brush, wipe off OH, don't forget to put a clean brush head on the toothbrush first [/quote] I wouldn't use water... it won't do anything to remove dirt build up, which is generally oil based. Remove any major build up of "fingerpoo" with an old credit card. Clean the rest with a cloth that has a small amount of lighter fluid on it (Americans call it naphtha, it's just the stuff we use in petrol lighters). Treat with lemon oil (the Dunlop stuff is good). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-bbb Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 [quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1491553342' post='3273848'] I wouldn't use water... it won't do anything to remove dirt build up, which is generally oil based. Remove any major build up of "fingerpoo" with an old credit card. Clean the rest with a cloth that has a small amount of lighter fluid on it (Americans call it naphtha, it's just the stuff we use in petrol lighters). Treat with lemon oil (the Dunlop stuff is good). [/quote] i just started a 'related' thread over on another board re this - do you know is the dunlop stuff neat lemon or is it diluted with a carrier oil? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Coilte Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 [quote name='jonnyenglish358' timestamp='1491549884' post='3273803'] Is there a bass guitar maintenance kit you can buy that has all the basic tools and oils, cleaning products etc? [/quote] Just received my order of this stuff : http://gorgomyte.com/Puchase4.html Tried it out last evening. IMO, this is all the "tools" you need...(at least for the fretboard). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlloyd Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 [quote name='steve-bbb' timestamp='1491553745' post='3273857'] i just started a 'related' thread over on another board re this - do you know is the dunlop stuff neat lemon or is it diluted with a carrier oil? [/quote] It's scented mineral oil from what I understand. It works fine... I've been using it for decades. Spot it on a cloth and wipe it on the fretboard. It may take a few applications, but leave it a while before reapplying. Once the fretboard retains the vibrant, freshly oiled look, stop. Easy as that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twincam Posted April 7, 2017 Author Share Posted April 7, 2017 [quote name='dlloyd' timestamp='1491565761' post='3274000'] It's scented mineral oil from what I understand. It works fine... I've been using it for decades. Spot it on a cloth and wipe it on the fretboard. It may take a few applications, but leave it a while before reapplying. Once the fretboard retains the vibrant, freshly oiled look, stop. Easy as that. [/quote] Mineral oils smell nice and don't do a bad job. But boiled linseed oil gives a little more protection especially after its been treated a few times (sparingly) but it does smell a bit for the first few days. Too much of either oil is a bad thing though. Once or twice a year is sufficient. And lighter fluid is good to remove crap but I wouldn't use it too often. I hear jimmy Hendrix was once using it on stage to clean his guitar with disastrous results lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dlloyd Posted April 7, 2017 Share Posted April 7, 2017 [quote name='Twincam' timestamp='1491576249' post='3274098'] Mineral oils smell nice and don't do a bad job. But boiled linseed oil gives a little more protection especially after its been treated a few times (sparingly) but it does smell a bit for the first few days. Too much of either oil is a bad thing though. Once or twice a year is sufficient. And lighter fluid is good to remove crap but I wouldn't use it too often. I hear jimmy Hendrix was once using it on stage to clean his guitar with disastrous results lol. [/quote] Lighter fluid is okay... but yeah, don't pour it on! Put it on a cloth and wipe the fingerboard with it... gets most of the dirt off. I clean guitars maybe once a year, if that. My main acoustic needs cleaned and my zippo needs filled, so I might kill two birds with one stone... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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