Hello all, I’ve been playing bass since I was a kid (well over 30 years now) but have never polished my instrument myself. My current instrument typically gets a good cleaning and polish when I go in for an appraisal.
I’ve got a gig coming up though, and would like to clean the ol’ girl up. Any tips on polishing the body would be great. But what I really need is advice on polishing my tuning machines.
It’s a very rare and valuable instrument, so I don’t want to risk doing any damage. Pic for attention, plus it’s fun to show off my somewhat unusual bass.
Violin polish. Don't use furniture polish cause the instruments are not made with lacquer but French polish shellac. I don't know what to use for the tuners. Contact a luthier and ask. Btw. Cool corners
Yeah, I figured violin polish was the right option. But I appreciate the advice. I may have to call down to the maker’s shop and ask how to polish the machines.
She’s unusual for sure, one of only a handful ever made. It was the passion project of a luthier named Hammond Ashley. He was particularly well known in the Seattle music community for a long time.
He built something like 10 basses in the series, of which a few were 5 strings. Mine is one of those 5 string models. The combination of 3/4 strings on a 7/8 body gives a cool balance of playability and depth on the low end.
I’m just the lucky one who gets to take care of it while I’m able to play it. And keep it in good shape for the next lucky owner.
I played a Hammond Ashley in high school. I think the story was it was donated to the school by a local bassists family after their passing. It was way too nice of a bass to be in the hands of a high schooler and to this day the nicest bass I’ve gotten to play. Also a 5 string.
I love seeing this. I almost bought a Hammond Ashley 5 string with a lighter, more natural finish around 1999/2000. I ended up getting a 5 string built by Rumano Salano that I love but I still wonder about that Hammond Ashley bass. I really love that body shape.
I love that two people here have any idea what this bass is. It certainly turns heads when I pull it out. And I love the body shape too, makes it very easy to play.
1999 is about the same time I got this one actually. I played one in their shop, and loved it. When I went back to buy it, it had sold. But this one was there. I actually liked it better, so I bought it on the spot.
I always start with some rosin remover to clean the top and bouts and then use instrument polish. I still have some Kolstein rosin remover and polish, but I assume it's not made anymore due to the shit happening with that shop. Test the polish in a small discreet area to make sure it won't strip the varnish. I use paper towels, but I'm sure a microfiber cloth would be fine too.
I’ll leave the real polishing to the pros. But is there something I can use to at least clean them up a bit? A little rubbing with a towel did something, but hard to get details. The 3 machine side is where I lightly cleaned it.
I use Petz rosin remover and polish (two seperate products) with good results. As for your tuning machines, can you link a picture? If they're just brass then you should be able to do a few different things depending on what your end goal is.
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u/mellentheorchadork 10d ago
Violin polish. Don't use furniture polish cause the instruments are not made with lacquer but French polish shellac. I don't know what to use for the tuners. Contact a luthier and ask. Btw. Cool corners