Vintage Fenders

[ped]

Thanks, I can't seem to find the Virtuoso in the UK - someone recommended the MusicNomad cleaner 

[casapete]

On 11/03/2025 at 16:43, miles'tone said:

My mates named it "The Bap" in "old biddy beige".

In the motor trade in the 70’s it was appropriately known as ‘hearing aid beige’….😆

[ossyrocks]

2 hours ago, ped said:

Thanks, I can't seem to find the Virtuoso in the UK - someone recommended the MusicNomad cleaner 

It seems you're right! That's disappointing! I bought mine from Steve Robinson Guitar Tech in Manchester, it might be worth contacting him to see if he has any. https://manchesterguitartech.co.uk/

[Stub Mandrel]

Pure water baby wipes.

[GuyR]

I have a couple of guitars with quite fragile nitro finishes. I only use the moisture in my breath and clean off with a soft cotton cloth. Anything wetter than that leaves the surface cloudy, having absorbed the water, for months afterwards.

I tried saliva on one of my basses and the finish came straight off, down to the yellow undercoat.

I always proceed with the utmost caution these days.

[ped]

Thanks. I’ve tried a few cleaners (on the very marked and scratched back of the bass) 

 

Ken Smith polish worked ok but didnt clean the cloudy areas as such

 

Dunlop 65 cleaned well but didn't leave a shiny finish

 

Music Nomad removes cloudy bits really well and polished up nicely too, works really well, much softer on the finish with very little colour coming off the finish

 

Breath and a clean cloth works well on clean but slightly cloudy bits. 

[Burns-bass]

I once used Pledge on a 1966 jazz bass. I do not recommend this.

[ped]

I gather it’s the silicone in many polishes which doesn’t agree with nitro finishes

[Burns-bass]

Just now, ped said:

I gather it’s the silicone in many polishes which doesn’t agree with nitro finishes

It wasn’t too bad. It started hazing but I asked my friend who’s a luthier (a proper one) and he told me to take it to him. Was all sorted with no damage.

 

I also once put a wine glass on top of the bass (we were having a glass in the studio after some recording) and that left a mark too.

 

It’s an old bass, it happens. Won’t ever sell it.

[Stub Mandrel]

49 minutes ago, GuyR said:

I tried saliva on one of my basses and the finish came straight off, down to the yellow undercoat.

 

[BlueMoon]

10 hours ago, ped said:

I gather it’s the silicone in many polishes which doesn’t agree with nitro finishes

^^ This.

The problem with many generic polishes is that if there are any silicones in them it is extremely difficult to get rid of them if used unknowingly or in error. They persist for a long time on most any surface (including fingers!!) and often require quite aggressive solvents (e.g. acetone) and repeated treatments to effectively remove. Obviously this defeats the original objective, especially with nitro coatings. A careful screening of the polish contents label should show up the main silicone components, if present. Basically anything ending in "...cone" (like dimethicone) or "siloxane" (e.g. polydimethylsiloxane - PDMS) fall in the broad silicone family.

 

 

[HeadlessBassist]

The "Destructions" that came with my American Original stated that Nitro Cellulose finishes should be gently cleaned with a soft damp cloth only. Whether that includes when it's checked and failing in places, I'm not sure.