Ric Cases and the Green Rash

[RIC_FACTORY]

Just received a 330 FG back with the so-called green rash. A dab of Menzerna polish and about 15 seconds of wiping with cheesecloth took it right out.

Dye in the case lining chemically interacting with the conversion varnish is not the culprit in this particular instance. You simply would not be able to wipe away with polish something that was the result of a chemical reaction like that.

[jingle_jangle]

Just to avoid confusion, since Menzerna is not something most musicians have in their gear bag, using any fine liquid or paste polishing compound (like the 3M Perfect-IT 3000 that I've been touting, or its equivalent) will work just fine. Menzerna do make a really good line of gloss-enhancers, and their Intensive Polish and Nano Polish are good substitutes for Scratch-X to remove light scratching and swirl marks. I don't push it too hard because of limited availability in most parts of this country.


Note that whatever you use, it should be a liquid or paste, and straw, beige, or light tan in color. Under no circumstances should you ever use DuPont #44 (commonly available everywhere, deep red and really scratchy; known to stain lighter colors) or coarse T-Cut (for our friends in the UK).

[fretbuzzard]

So mildew it is! Huh! Thanks for all the good information, folks! One quick question, though. I'm expecting a Jetglo 360 from a supplier who is likely to have had the guitar sitting in its case in inventory for some time. Would there be any potential long-term consequences if there is in fact mildew in the case and I do not catch it because it does not stain the darker Jetglo finish? Any thoughts on whether I should disinfect the case as a preemptive or preventative measure? Would the mildew have any long-term effect on the finish were it to get a foothold?

Sorry to be such a nag on this note, but reading these forums one gets the impression that Rickenbacker finishes are a bit on the touchy side. I know that CV is a tough finish in a lot of ways, but here I am looking at hand soap and antiperspirant labels, and stocking up on lysol! I don't demand perfection--I'm a player not a collector--but the other side of that coin is that I don't want to have to treat my instruments like faberge eggs for fear of doing something irreversibly awful to them! Any reassurances out there?

[jingle_jangle]

Lysol's all you need, and if there is a fungal presence, you'll still see it on the guitar in certain lights.

[BuddyDog]

Menzerna is great stuff!

I have their intensive polish, regular polish, mirror glaze and FMJ I use on my car.

[jingle_jangle]

Mail order, Steve?

Or available in a store?

[RIC_FACTORY]

What we used to remove the "green rash" from the 330 I mentioned above.

http://www.tastefullydriven.com/Menzern ... um=organic

We polished it with Turtle Wax afterward.

[BuddyDog]

Mail order, Steve?

Or available in a store?

Hi Paul,

I order it from Classic Motoring Accessories out of FL. I think you can google them also as Proper Auto Care.

Their new formulation for FMJ is CA VOC limit friendly, so it can be sold here. The Menzerna was initially for woodworking and they branched out into automotive.

BTW, gorgeous guitars you brought to SCARF!

[fretbuzzard]

Well, I received my Jetglo 360 (born in March '09) and sure enough green rash abounds. I think I can make it out on the back of the body, but it is really striking on the binding around the upper horn and near the tailpiece, as well as the binding in the soundhole. I'll try to get some pictures tomorrow when I have some sun to work with. I'd steeled myself for this eventuality, but it's still a bit disappointing. Everything else with the guitar seems great, so rather that a) sending it back to the retailer and crossing my fingers that the next one is better; or b) turning right around and shipping it off to Ric and waiting for warranty work; I've chosen instead to c) give it the jingle_jangle treatment (that is, unless our friends at the factory recommend otherwise). I don't have any of the required unguents on hand, so a trip to the store is in order (will Target do?). I figure I'll start with a less aggressive treatment, working with swirl-x or something similar (scratch doctor) and seeing if that takes it off. The "rash" is pretty extensive, so I'll probably do the majority of the body of the guitar, and the back of the neck, following up with some zymol. If that's a no-go I'll get more aggressive. Any tips or pointers for working around the hard edges of the binding and the soft radius on the front edge of the body? Should my rubbing be perpendicular to or parallel with the binding? Does it matter? Then it's off to lysol the hell out of the case. Not how I wanted to spend my first weekend with the guitar I'm afraid.

Any thoughts? Is this the approach you guys would take, or would you leave it to RIC to remedy? Hopefully I'll get some pics to come out, so you all can judge the severity for yourselves.

[RIC_FACTORY]

Green rash on a JG guitar is something I have never seen. Also, it appearing on the soundhole binding is unusual. My gut feeling is that perhaps some Turtle Wax residue was left on the instrument, in which case, it will rub off very easily, with little or no polish. However, pics of said instrument would definitely help with a diagnosis.

I wouldn't worry about rubbing it the wrong way, although small circular patterns are advised. Pretend like you're polishing your car or something like that. Either way, keep the Zymol handy to get it nice and shiny again.

[jingle_jangle]

...and don't worry about rubbing through on the binding edges...rub parallel with the binding, and unless you use a very aggressive polishing compound, the binding edge is safe, considering that very little rubbing will remove the green.

Oh, and don't forget--soft cotton cloth. Synthetics and microfibers will etch the CV over the JG.

[fretbuzzard]

OK, here are links to a few pics of the binding. I'm pretty sure Ben is right about the soundhole binding--it looks to be dried turtle wax. I'm not so sure about the back binding. In any case, the green on the back binding is resistant to dry polishing, so something more aggressive is in order. Any thoughts on a diagnosis? Green rash or something else? Should I still be worried about fungal growth in the case? Thanks for any and all advice!

http://i713.photobucket.com/albums/ww13 ... -31-51.jpg

http://i713.photobucket.com/albums/ww13 ... -36-23.jpg

http://i713.photobucket.com/albums/ww13 ... -33-28.jpg

http://i713.photobucket.com/albums/ww13 ... -35-18.jpg

[fretbuzzard]

OK guys, status report: I've been scrubbing like heck with the Scratch doctor for an hour or so and I've got the binding on the upper horn MOSTLY clean. There are still some persistent pinpoints of green, though, particularly where the binding abuts the jetglo on the side of the body. I still have about 30-40% of the binding to work on and I haven't even touched the back yet. I'm honestly a bit discouraged. I realize that it will be slow going with scratch doctor and that something like Perfect It would probably go faster, but I'm not sure how comfortable I am being that aggressive with a guitar fresh out of the case. I'm starting to think that the best course of action may be to let Rickenbacker handle it. In that case at least I can be sure that it will be done right and that whatever caused the problem (dye transfer? case fungus? wax residue?) will be properly diagnosed and taken care of. Any thoughts?

[RIC_FACTORY]

If you have totally lost heart, we can most definitely take care of it in a flash and have it back to you.

Keep at it for a while longer though, it will probably all come off.

[fretbuzzard]

If you have totally lost heart, we can most definitely take care of it in a flash and have it back to you.

Keep at it for a while longer though, it will probably all come off.

Email sent. Thanks, Ben!