Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I know there has been tons of talk on how to clean chrome pieces that need some upkeep.My chrome is ok.I just need something to help take off finger prints and smudges.Using a cotton cloth seems to just move the smudge around.Anyone got some beautifying tips?

I use Powerchord to remove fingerprints.It works really well:

http://www.powerchord-usa.com/index.htm

Nope--Pat--never chrome cleaner. Too scratchy. I use 3M Perfect-It III Rubbing compound on a soft cotton cloth. It's the best on old chrome.

Thanks Paul for the info.Now where can I buy it at?Is it available at any familiar stores that might be in my area?

Pat, I didn't read your post too closely--I just skimmed it.

Smudges are easy, too. Go into a Pep Boys or Trak Auto store and pick up some Meguiar's Quik Detailer Mist 'n' Wipe spray. It's about $6.00.

This stuff is terrific for removing fingerprints and smudges from chrome and paint. Mist a bit over your entire guitar. Don't soak it--just a light mist. Now wipe with a soft cotton cloth or microfiber wiper.

The compound I mentioned above is good for heavy cleaning of chrome and frets, plastic pickguards too. It's available at auto body shop supply stores. Also good on cars, of course. A quart is about $15.00, and will last about a century.

Hey Paul while we are on this topic can you remind me how to get that stickiness off a Ric neck. I know you posted it somewhere else and I have been looking for hours. What causes that again? That stickiness does not occur on any of my other 15 or so guitars just the Rics. Thanks.

Well, Brian, it's a bit unorthodox, but I came on it be accident and it works a treat.

Dr. Stringfellow fretboard conditioner. It is a blend of citrus oils and naphtha. It removes the stickiness and leaves a slick surface. Spray it onto a soft cotton cloth and wipe away!

Uh would that be a diaper?


Many thanks Paul. Hopefully I can find that stuff up here in Canada.

But why does that stickiness only occur with Rics?

Sweaty palms, Brian. Like holding the crown jewels!!

I'll have you know my crown jewels are not sweaty!!!! Oh........... you're talking about queenies. Never touched em!! It wasn't me!!!

They aren't missing again are they Howard? Why does everyone blame me when they can't find them. I live in Canada now, haven't done a job like that in 35 years. Touched a bit of a raw nerve there you did. LOL

No. No sweaty palms here mate. that only happens to people who sweat. My place is air conditioned and my guitar room is a temperature and humidity controlled environment.

It doesn't only occur with Ricks. It occurs with any guitar with a highly-finished varnish neck. Nitro necks or satin-finished necks do not develop this "stiction", and oil-finished necks won't either, providing they are kept fairly clean.

BTW, Ricks do not require fretboard conditioner (except perhaps a C58), but I use Dr. Stringfellow anyway on the fretboards--lightly--of all my Ricks , to keep the strings lubed and corrosion-free. Just a light spray onto a clean cotton cloth, and a quick wipe does it. Again, no need to overdo it.

Same here. I use a tiny amount of lemon oil on the back of the neck and the strings. My new Ibanez has a sticky neck, too.

I didn't say 'family jewels', Brian!! LOL.

Speaking of the above, sometimes over here people with large beer guts are referred to as having 'an extended roof over the tool shed'!!

Thanks Paul for the info.The Maguires worked really well.I think I'll work on getting some Dr. Stringfellow also.It's always fasinating to me to listen to all the super recommendations that you come up with to improve the look and performance of everyones Rics.You help keep me and I'm sure many others glued to this forum waiting for something new to try out on our Rics.Always a pleasure to read your messages.

You are very welcome, Pat.

I just wrote Dale Fortune last week, and we were talking about how good it is that all of us on the Forum can benefit from each other's experiences with Ricks.

Dale, as you know, worked at Rickenbacker for several years in the seventies, and ran a guitar repair business near the Rick factory in Orange County after his employment at Electro String, which was Rick's manufacturing division before John Hall consolidated all the divisions into RIC in the mid '80s.

Dale is a very good source of information, as you also know, and the thrust of our e-mail conversation was that in the old days, craftsmen were not too eager to share their knowledge and trade secrets with anyone, even with each other, except in a journeyman-apprentice relationship. Things are different, and instead of keeping this stuff to ourselves, we enjoy sharing and discussing our work with interested parties on this Forum.

So it's very gratifying to be heard and appreciated.