Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi! I have a white 4001... well, it used to be white! Now it's very dirty and mottled yellow/light brown. I managed to uncover the original white in some places but I was using acetone (nail polish remover) and I recently read that acetone is actually a terrible option! What do you recommend for cleaning (and later polishing) my bass? I might be able to find a generic cleaner where I live but I want something powerful enough to remove the layers of dirt, but that won't damage the finish. I'd love to see it restored to it's original white!

Welcome to the Forum Marlayna. Unfortunately, you can't "clean" the yellow/brown off the white finish. Under some conditions, the clear coats over most any guitar finish yellows over time. On some colors, this is barely detectible and even desirable. Not so much on White (although some folks here like the aged look). You can't just clean or polish the yellowing off of the clear coat without removing the clear coat, sorry to say. The only way to restore it to pristine White is to have a professional repaint job done with a non-yellowing white and non-yellowing clear coat (they make them now), but you're looking at a fairly expensive process ($500 - $1,000). Wish I had better news.

I do know of someone who made his green Blueboy turn into blueboy after a good scratchx/zymol job. Just search for Zymol and ScratchX on this forum Marlayna. No promises, but it can't turn worse if you follow correct cleaning procedures.

berth wrote:I do know of someone who made his green Blueboy turn into blueboy after a good scratchx/zymol job. Just search for Zymol and ScratchX on this forum Marlayna. No promises, but it can't turn worse if you follow correct cleaning procedures.

I was going to suggest this also. Being a little more diligent with the Swirl-X (Scratch-x no longer is available) might get it a lot more white than it is. Be VERY careful of edges as they are thinner clear coats and you could rub through pretty easy.

Welcome to the RRF!