how do you remove 40 + yrs of gunk?

[DEMENTED]

from the back of the neck, the fingerboard and body of an early 50's Gibson ES 125 ? I mean thick, black sticky hand geeb from many years of constant playing....ewwwww. Naptha? Murphy's oil soap?

[dewman]

Dan Alewine in his book recommends spit first...seriously. Then light naptha.

[paintguy]

Wax and grease remover is a great start. Solvent based, but doesn't hurt finishes. May dull them a bit.

Kind of like a very strong naptha. You can buy it at any automotive paint supply. Many different brands and names, but the store should know what to recommend.

[HipKitty]

Naptha

[gayler]

goo be gone

[walterw]

you may find that the gunk has actually softened the nitro over the decades, and some of that gunk may be finish, in which case you could have a problem.

haven't tried the intensive spit method, but often naptha will dissolve what water won't, and vice versa, so try both. (i've even mixed the two with pretty good results.)

[1bender]

Get some Virtuoso Cleaner and Polish....only 10 bucks a bottle and the best I have ever used. I am not affiliated with them in any way....just tried their product....it's amazing.

http://www.virtuosopolish.com/

[Steve Foley]

military surgical strike, street-sweeper, steam cleaner, sand-blaster and belt sander

.... probably really not worth cleaning up; send it on over to me, I'll take it, as long as you'll split shipping.

El Steve-0

[DEMENTED]

Originally Posted by Steve Foley

military surgical strike, street-sweeper, steam cleaner, sand-blaster and belt sander

.... probably really not worth cleaning up; send it on over to me, I'll take it, as long as you'll split shipping.

El Steve-0

Probably for sale after I clean some of the gunk of it.....

[Steve Foley]

Demented,
You clean like I do, you probably won't get much for it - save yourself some time, and I'll send you ten-bucks. All you have to do is cover the balance in shipping costs, and you'll be rid of that old piece of plywood. It'll be out of the bedroom, and you'll have saved yourself a load of time trying to clean it up. It's a win-win deal. I'll make the most of it, and try to learn how to play a dirty old guitar, somehow.....
Seriously, though - sounds like a great piece of gear to have. I'm afraid I'd better leave the specific advice to others with more experience. I do a lot of backyard fixing up for myself and friends, but none of it is really a piece of history, like this one. Don't get me wrong, I've worked on some pretty nice rigs, but materials used to construct then are drastically different than used now; materials have aged - some may be brittle, gummy, or just falling apart, and such, so you have to have some knowledge and experience to know how to work with things this age. For my money, I probably wouldn't even take it to a "local" shop, unless he'd already proven his expertise in working on vintage instruments. Instruments of this vintage are a whole 'nother realm, and may, or may not, require precautions we may not have considered. Sometimes a fix may be worse than the original problem. All that grunge may just be mojo dripping off the fingerboard - you've got to be careful not to lose your mojo....
Sorry I don't have any specific advice - just had to get a jab in at you.

El Steve-0