Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi all,

Does anyone here use any specific cleaning products on their Mapleglo basses? All I've used to date on mine is the Ric polishing cloth that came with my 4003 and it seems to be just fine, but all I'm doing is buffing out finger marks and the odd bit of dust/dead skin.

All I use is the same cloth, and occasionally when necessary, naphtha and a clean cotton rag.

I use the regular Turtle Wax (what the factory uses in the finishing process) occasionally to give a nice polish to the finish.

jps wrote:All I use is the same cloth, and occasionally when necessary, naphtha and a clean cotton rag.

Isn't naphtha a solvent and wouldn't that damage the finish?

Not sure that's available here in the UK.

Baker69 wrote:Isn't naphtha a solvent and wouldn't that damage the finish?

No worries, it does not harm the finish.

Naphtha is a mixture of light hydrocarbons and is nonpolar, so it doesn't attack the finish.

(Sorry, but I am a chemist! And by the U.S. definition! )

If you let it get dirty long enough to become Jetglo it will look cooler!

rickenbrother wrote:If you let it get dirty long enough to become Jetglo it will look cooler!

I concur!!

Sepp

doctorwho wrote:Naphtha is a mixture of light hydrocarbons and is nonpolar, so it doesn't attack the finish.

Like this?
It could attack you, though!

rickenbrother wrote:If you let it get dirty long enough to become Jetglo it will look cooler!

I used to have a Jetglo 4001 and it used to show up every mark and finger print, it was a bugger to keep clean, I used car polish on that one. My Mapleglo 4003 seems to have a sort of high gloss polyurethane or similar coating, do you know exactly what it is?

Baker69 wrote:My Mapleglo 4003 seems to have a sort of high gloss polyurethane or similar coating, do you know exactly what it is?

What's the build date? RIC changed finishes at some point so this would be helpful info.

jps wrote:

Baker69 wrote:My Mapleglo 4003 seems to have a sort of high gloss polyurethane or similar coating, do you know exactly what it is?

What's the build date? RIC changed finishes at some point so this would be helpful info.

It's a 2012 4003.

The finish is a UV cure polyester.

Cheers.

So if it's just a polyester finish it shouldn't need any special cleaning agents then, just a damp cloth to wipe it down and a cloth to buff it up.

Most of the time, yes. Whenever I buy a new used instrument I do the naphtha cleanup, who knows what might be on the instrument!