Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

Hi all. A question on maintenance if I may. The Ric manual says to use the cleaning cloth for removing fingerprints, dust & grime, etc. but I find that some won't budge (gotta stop eatin' them soy chicken wings beforehand!!).

I've noticed a couple of swirls where I may have been a bit over-aggressive with the cloth.

The manual says to use a carnuba-based auto wax - will that actually clean the guitar as well as polish it?

I'm tempted to use Planet Waves polish, which cleans well and is OK for my acoustic, St**t, etc. but I'm nervous about using it on the Rics.

Any advice greatly appreciated.

Cheers

Howard,
You can use carnuba auto wax but make sure it has no silicone. And dilute it 50% water. Stew Mac makes a great guitar polish which I use with all my instruments.
http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Accessories/Guitar_polish,_polishing_cloth/Preservation_Polish.html

Meguiars "Final Inspection" spray detailer for cars is a FABULOUS general purpose cleaner/polish for guitars. It is very similar to the late, lamented original formula Martin Guitar Polish (which has since been replaced by an oily, greasy, generally ****** product disturbingly similar to furniture polish).

I just bought a big bottle of Final Inspection and use it to refill my old Martin polish bottle. If your guitar is generally well cared for it is the best thing to use (no silicones). If not, use carnauba first, then F.I. to go over after.

Final Inspection is great stuff and ought to get rid of that chicken wing grease right away. Try a microfiber polishing cloth (available at a car paint factors) or COTTON diaper or t-shirt.

The scratchy swirls you are seeing are due to the cloth you are using being dirty or of synthetic fiber like polyester. Some t-shirts are cotton poly. Use 100% cotton.

Rick says to use Turtle Wax #123, cut with water 50%. This stuff is fine but has a petrochemical solvent base. I've mentioned this a few times but will say again: my preference is for Zymol Cleaner Wax (light blue bottle), which is water-based so you can build up layers for max protection and gloss.

To remove scratches (even light belt rash in the conversion varnish) try Meguiar's Scratch-X (black tube). This stuff is miraculous especially on Jetglo to get it looking factory new again. I also recommend Scratch-X for removing those light swirls left from the Rick factory buffing wheel process.

Following using this stuff, you should wax with Zymol to seal the pores of the paint.

I noticed this past weekend that both these products are now available at Target in the Automotive Dept. I don't imagine there are any Targets in Oz, but there are auto parts stores. That's where I'd try first.

I'll second Paul's Zymol recommendation. I've been using it for a couple of years with great results.

We've got Targets coming out of our butts over here but they wouldn't know what was half decent and what wasn't. Ask the shop assistants for advice and they would more than likely tell you to try Kmart!!

I'd thought about Meguires - I use their stuff exclusively on the Vectra ('what the hell's that?' I hear you say) and was going to drop down to my local auto shop today but demurred pending possible suggestions from the learned Ric devotees assembled within.

OK - some 'Scratch-X' and 'Final Inspection' it will be. Is Zymol an automotive product?

The 'Great Zymol Safari' commences tomorrow.

Thanks for your advice and suggestions, guys. This time I wasn't overly confident that the 'RTFM' guidance would point me in the right direction.

You can get Zymol at Target, Aitch. Forget the shop assistants. Over 'ere, Tarjay is self-serve.

My brother-in-law has a Vectra in Brasil. But down there, it's badged as a Chevrolet. It flat blows away any American Chevy except a Corvette. Fabulous car.

Do you have to dilute the Zymol at all or just put it on as is?

Just following up on Paul's comments Howard, he gave me the "good oil" on Zymol - wonderful stuff, not cheap but the results are excellent. You get this stuff direct from the new supplier in Melbourne. I can give you an email or phone number if you like, send me an email if you're interested. Ron

Very much appreciated, all.

Ron: I'll email you shortly. Even if I can call the supplier and locate a convenient outlet that would be great.

Stan, either way works. I use it full-strength, just a dime-sized dab at a time applied in Zappa's "hitherto unknown circular motion, destined to take the place of the mudshark in your mythology..."

Er, sorry, I got carried away there.

A bit at a time. Don't wait for it to "dry" as it doesn't do that like other waxes. Just put a little on with a soft cotton cloth. Gently rubbing it in allows it to work its way into the pores of the paint and into those tiny hazy scratches. Then buff it off, again gently, with a second dry cotton cloth.

A bit off topic but.....just want to rant about one thing: the new Pontiac GTO. I think it s a nice car. The car mags are blaming the poor sales on this Aussie import because it doesn't resemble a '69 GTO Judge. I say "thank goodness!" For '06, it gets a 50 hp boost to 400. Bring back the p.o.s. Camaros and Firebirds for these morons............ok I'm through now.

JW:

There's more to it than that. It seems like Lutz misJudged (pun intended) the market for this car when he demanded it be brought Stateside to fill a perceived gap in the GM line for a mid-priced supercar to do the discontinued Firebird and Camaro one better.

The general consensus seems to be that the car is good on the spec sheet, but lacking in charisma, which the original ('64, not the overweight and overbeered '69) had in spades.

Also, the Aussie market is quite different from the US one, and Bob L. thought it might work over here. But it is a blandly-styled car for its level of specification, by American standards. And there are a good number of competitors now. The increase to 400 hp is a numbers game intended to be a conversation-topper, but buyers are smarter than that these days--they want total performance. When you can get a Subaru WRX that does 0-60 in 5.2 seconds, has AWD and handles like it was on rails, for less than the 400 hp GTO, the GTO seems lke a cynical attempt at grasping at consumers' long-lost memory cells.

Rickenbacker. Wax. Chicken grease.

One needs to post an auto rant every now and then, doesn't one, John? Maintains the balance!!

I'd rather a thumpin' Aussie V8 smokin' into the distance than a WRX of any specification (mainly because of that wonderful sound). But you'd expect me to be biased, wouldn't you?

The Monaro (as it is here) sells extremely well and is not too expensive (around $50,000 AUD). You guys are just wary over there after those rotten Aussie Ford Capris got dumped into your market some years ago.

Rickenbacker. Wax. Chicken grease. Subaru. Pontiac. Holden Monaro. It's all good, mate!!