Author Topic: To polish or not to polish, that is the question? (Read 147 times)

rv_bass · « **on:** August 04, 2015, 04:41:35 PM »

I recently purchased a 1967 Starfire Bass, which looks as though it has not been polished in a very long time. Should I polish the body of the bass with my Alembic guitar polish and the neck with lemon oil? Should I oil the neck only (rose wood finger board) and not polish the body? Should I not polish or oil any part of the bass? I guess the experts on Antique Road Show would recommend not polishing the body, but thought I'd see what you all have to say.
Thanks,
Rob

lbpesq · « **Reply #1 on:** August 04, 2015, 05:25:31 PM »

Treat the fingerboard with lemon oil. Go ahead and polish the guitar. The Alembic polish won't hurt, and patina on a guitar is a very different story from patina on a Tiffany brass lamp. The issue with guitars is not cleaning them. Rather, it is refinishing them. You can do the best refinish in the world on a pre-CBS Strat that looks like hell, and easily devalue it by $10K! But, as a general rule, people are not interested in preserving built up crud and grime on guitars. At least that's my experience.

Bill, tgo

hieronymous · « **Reply #2 on:** August 05, 2015, 10:11:57 AM »

I might be a little careful with the polishing at first - I have an early-'70s Guild M-85, and polishing the back of the neck with Alembic polish, some of the red came off on the cloth.

mica · « **Reply #3 on:** August 05, 2015, 10:21:14 AM »

Try cleaning with a soft damp cloth first - not wet, just a little damp. Have a dry cloth nearby to dry it off immediately. That will tell you a lot right away, and it's not destructive. Use distilled water if you want to be extra careful.

rv_bass · « **Reply #4 on:** August 05, 2015, 11:07:31 AM »

Thanks everyone for the advice. I will try the damp cloth first to see what happens and then proceed (or not) from there.

Rob