Bass Care

[Jeffrey P. Aurigemma (jaurigemma)]

I have a few of questions concerning my two Alembic basses:
 
What is the best product to use on the brass fixtures to polish them?  I live in FL, and they tend to tarnish rather quickly.  Will not polishing them hurt them?
 
My Epic and Excel appear to have a similar finish, what can I use to clean the basses?  I know the alembic cleaner is preferred, but rather hard to find.....
 
And finally, my Epic is approaching seven years old, and I have worn through the finish between the pickups, especially right above the E string.  What can be done to protect this exposed wood?

[Valentino Villevieille (valvil)]

Alembic recommends using Flitz polish for the brass parts; I don't believe lack of polish will hurt them,  it will just make them darker, and you'll always be able to polish them to the original brightness anyway.  I use either Alembic or Martin polish for my basses. I'm sure you can easily order Alembic polish & Flitz polish through your dealer or through the Alembic store.
 
Without looking at it I 'm not sure about  what can be done for your Epic at this time; if you can post some pictures of the trouble spot, I'm sure Mica will be able to make better suggestions; if the wood has already been somewhat tarnished by the playing, then refinishing might be the only way to get rid of that.  
 
In terms of protecting the wood, cleaning the bass (even if lightly) after each session will definitely prolong the life of the finish; the best thing to save the look of the wood, is, obviously,  not to play on it, meaning not anchoring your thumb on the body , but on one of the pickup covers; of course not everybody is comfortable with that, and some folks need to anchor themselves in a position where there is no pickup.  If that is your case, then I'd say keep your hands as clean and dry as you can when you play and clean the bass at least in that spot when you're done.  Sweat is probably the #1 enemy of finishes (possibly after belt buckles, but at least those are on the back).

[Jonathan Johnstone (stoney)]

I agree with Valentino. Years ago Alembic used to send some Flitz along with their new instrunemts. I use it on the bridge, nut, tailpiece & frets as well a on many things around the house.  I bought a tube of it about 5 years ago and still have plenty left. The tube is 18.00 but well worth it.
 
Here's a link for ya.
http://www.flitz.com/metalpolish.htm
 
Stoney

[jaurigemma]

Here is a picture of my 95 Epic 4-string which shows the wear between my pickups.  Is there a way to have this repaired?

[jet_powers]

Just my two cents... but why would you want to repair that? Assuming you put those marks there yourself, in my mind's eye those are character and personality marks that make that instrument yours more than engraving your name in a brass cover plate ever could.
 
Please don't get me wrong. There are few things more beautiful than a pristine Alembic. I suppose it boils down to if you bought it for an instrument or an investment.
 
John

[palembic]

My friend drummer says that those scratches are giving street credibility to a guitar. Athough well taken care of is my Bonnie not without bruises and I'm even proud of it.
This said of course with all my respect for anybodies opnion. When it bothers you ...it has to be fixed!
 
Paul (The Bad One)

[dean_m]

Who was it that recommended VO5 hair treatment on your brass parts???  Supposedly it protects and prevents the brass from tarnishing prematurely.  You would apply this after polishing the brass.
 
Good Luck

[mikedm]

Dean,
 
Back in my stariving art student days we used VO5 as a fixitive to seal artwork. It did prevent surface smugding (sp?) and some protection against ambient moisture. I lived in Houston at the time where humidity was a killer. How would you get rid of the build up on the brass? Plus it tended to be a little tacky to the touch, dust would colect over time. My 2 cents.
 
peace,
Mike

[mica]

You could have the bass refinished and restored to its original condition, but that will be temporary since it's likely you're playing style will produce a similar result on the refin. you might want to consider adding a thumbrest to this bass.  
 
Here's an example of one thumbrest:
 

 
He had his installed higher, but we've made many where was almost a continuous ramp between the top edges of the pickups. It would cover the existing damage without any additional work.
 
To fix or not to fix is a personal choice. There are many reasons to decide one way or the other, and ultimately you'll have to determine what is a priority.  
 
Joey recommended VO5 in this archived thread.

[bigredbass]

juarigemma:
 
YES INDEED . . . I was 'born and raised', as we say in the South, just outside of Houston on the Gulf coast, where anything and everything rusts, rots, and drives plated metals crazy.  And in my younger, harder-playing days I sweated quite a lot which made things even worse.  I later lived in Pensacola and Jacksonville which was more of the same: 100 degree days + 100% humidity + ocean salt in the air.
 
As Mica mentioned (thanks for remembering me), you can read in the mentioned archived thread above that VO5(for protecting polished or plated brightwork) and BreakFree CLP (for threaded parts like saddle or bridge screws, etc.) are the best protection that I've torture-tested in these environments.  They're both harmless to finishes and electronics. Just use them sparingly where the parts feel just-waxed smooth to the touch . . if they feel greasy or oily, wipe a little more off, and use less next time.    
 
I'll defer to Mica and the guys about your finish questions.
 
Best of Luck,
 
J o e y