Just got a 360/6 back from a setup, tons of swirl marks

[tenthstreet]

Hi all,

So, I just got my Rickenbacker 360/6 back from a setup, and I gave them Zymol to polish up a guitar very much in need of it.

The guitar sounds great, but after I left and got home, I held it up to the light, and I can see tons and tons of swirl marks from whatever they decided to use as a polish cloth/applicator. I am now very, very sad.

What does a panicked Rickenbacker owner do in this situation? Is this something that the board-famous SwirlX can take care of? Something else that others recommend? If so, what's your procedure for taking care of this?

Thanks!

[teb]

Scratch-X by hand with a soft cotton cloth or diaper (not synthetic microfiber) should do the job. The more you rub, the finer the abrasive in the Scratch-X gets and the more it polishes the surface, so the task just takes some time and elbow grease. Once that part is done, wax it to seal it up. Amazon sells Scratch-X (version #2 I believe) if you can't find it locally.

[jdogric12]

Isn't it called Swirl-X now, and the new Scratch-X should be avoided?

[tenthstreet]

Thanks, both! Since I posted, I found out that there's a variant of SwirlX/ScratchX from Meguiar's called M09 Mirror Glaze Swirl Remover - apparently it doesn't contain silicone. I'm not sure how different it is from Swirl-X/Scratch-X beyond that.

Has anyone ever had an issue with Zymol leaving swirl marks? I know it's highly recommended on this board, so I'm not sure if the guitar shop just applied it incorrectly. Is this worth going back and talking to the shop about, is this normal, etc?

I've never had an issue before with this guitar's finish, but this is the first time using Zymol/any car polish. I also reached out the Rickenbacker, and they said they recommend Turtle Wax T-123, 50/50 with water, or any "non-abrasive" pure carnauba auto wax. As I looked into it, I saw that Zymol might have abrasives, which made me wonder if I somehow set this chain of events up.

Thanks!

[teb]

Swirl marks are generally caused by a different type of buffer than the buffers used by most luthiers. There is no telling what they have or how serious they are about keeping the pads clean and free of other grits.

Jdog, I'm still using my original tube of Scratch X, so I haven't heard about any problems. Any current info on the subject?

What I do know is that there are very few folks on this planet that I would consider allowing near any of my guitars with a power buffer. It's either done right, or you screw up the guitar. I also know for a fact that you can go from a wet-sanded varnish surface all the way up to mirror finish without ever using a buffer at all. Just a polishing compound like Scratch X or some of the 3M polishes, a diaper and some Zymol.

[Tommy]

...this is the first time using Zymol/any car polish. I also reached out the Rickenbacker, and they said they recommend Turtle Wax T-123, 50/50 with water...As I looked into it, I saw that Zymol might have abrasives...

I have used both the Turtle Wax and Zymol. For me, the Zymol leaves the guitar with a more mirror like shine than the Turtle Wax does. You worry about abrasives in the Zymol...I've never come across that and I haven't heard from anybody here who has had problems like that with it.

[jdogric12]

Scratch X was changed to what's been called Scratch X 2.0 - not good for Ricks. Lots of threads here. They came out with a "Swirl X" that's like X 1.0 but 1/2 the strength. Around 2009, I think.