Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I thought I'd share my results with you all. My 6000 Bantar was looking tired......after the Scratch X and Zymol treatment - it's like new! The scratch X worked wonders on the chrome work as well - I'm really impressed! You can see the brownish tinge to the inlays is now gone and they are once again sparkling new!

Before.................




And after..............

It seems to have polished the dog up well too!!!

WOW!

BOW WOW!

I want one of those Real Bad.

When my bantars got dirty like that I always just gave them away. I wish I would have know this before!

LOL!!

Enough of this bantar!

Wow, it really did do the trick, it looks brand new! I won't deny that it does a wonderful job, and I have the stuff in my cabinet at home and use it too.

I have to wonder though how many collectors feel about taking the 'patina' off of a great old instrument, many that I have spoken with over the years have a particular thing about keeping an instrument that is old 'looking' old as well...To some it won't matter, but I'd be interested in what others think about this.

In John's case of the Bantar, everything is still factory original and certainly looks much newer than it did before the treatment.

Interesting point John. I do tend to clean guitars when I get them. Keep them original - but clean. I guess it's a question of how clean?

Great result, Graham! I don't have a problem with the treatment at all, John - clean and shiny is my preference.

I mean if it was Kurt Cobain's vomit or something, let's have an Ebarf auction. Otherwise shine 'em up!

LOL!!

Nicely done, Graham. I'm also of the philosophy that a clean guitar is a better guitar (or bantar, in your case!).

It's a subject that draws strangely strong emotions in both directions. Personally I think patina is fine on antique furniture, but a guitar is not a piece of furniture. I've had a few bitter arguments with musical friends over decisions to spot fix or re-finish instruments that are are (to me) badly scarred and unattractive looking. The arguments generally go somewhat like this:

[1] You are destroying 40/50/60% of the instrument's value by refinishing it.
- "Well if 50% of its value is because of the finish, it's not much of a guitar, is it"

[2] It will no longer be original if you clean/repair/refinish
- "Originally it was clean and shiny and had all its paint on it. I am returning it to original condition."

[3] You'll destroy it's character.
- " what you admire as "character" is a personal thing. The guy down the block who never bathes and hangs out on the street shouting nonsense and obscenities at passing cars is definitely a "character," and if he went back on his medication he'd be less of one - but is that a bad thing?"