Cleaning Tambure

[Naj_Jaci_Chachie]

What is the best way to clean a tambura??? I need something to give this old bass new life, but I am afraid to use chemicals... WHAT DO YOU GUYS USE?

[Pavle]

#12 sandpaper, or ask your DJEDO!!!

[Marko_z]

Furniture cleaner/polish works pretty well.

[Pavle]

#12 sandpaper, or ask your DJEDO!!!

[Djuroslav]

Hey, Djedo Pavle. What the hell is #12 sandpaper?!! :rolleyes:

[ThE pHaNtOm]

I suggest against furniture polish. The face becomes very very slippery. I had a bad experience when I was like 12. I took off all the strings and the bridge, and polished it. The bridge was sliding all over the place when i put it back on.

[Pavle]

djuro, look in a hardware store. it might help your rhythm......might as well get two i can use the help!

[Djuroslav]

Knowing the way that you take care of your ax, Pavle - the only thing that MIGHT help clean it would be the following...


http://www.msnusers.com/_Secure/0RwDcGMwVOhuJKndimlTc6V9QiJILN8t481cXHBSk*C9fP6rBj eRn000CNYDAPLiiTu4IF!VtoU950v5X6*CVDaV5diFlvNUPqsj Etg8VIyI/guitar%20repair.jpg?dc=4675539124560304949

[Clive]

i've seen people use Pledge (furniture cleaner) seems to work fine. I've tried it, but i havn't taken off the bridge or strings. I clean with a dry cloth underneath the strings. Everything else was furniture cleaner. It gets rid of all the fingerprint marks nicely

[morovich]

DON'T USE PLEDGE!
That stuff is not good for any finish...not even your furniture.

Go to a music store or a fine furniture store and get some cleaner and polish with natural oils.

jm

[horsovec]

i use sljivo - it has mixed results

[frenchyz]

What about Murphy's Oil Soap?

[mbecar1]

hey chachie,
i strongly recommend following Pavle's suggestion. if you want something to use to bring out the finish use Martin's guitar polish. that is what i started using. it does a tremendous job of bringing out the finish and Martin designed it to be used on their guitars.

[Tarboon]

Dunlop, Formula 65, Guitar Polish and Cleaner. It's made specifically for this type of instrument. I can't tell you how much it costs, I got it a couple of years ago at a music shop run by a husband and team who are both musicians and music teachers. They sell the finest guitars and the members of the Detroit Tamburitza Orchestra have done business with them. The stuff will not film or leave a coat on your instrument.

[Tarboon]

Djuro! No.12 sandpaper, I sawr it at Home Depot, another name for it is: brick.

[Snajper]

To clean off beer and slivo stains plus crust of saliva and spittle from groupies and guys trying to sing louder than you load a 12% solution of muriatic acid into a 6000PSI pressure washer. Hold nozzle @ 6 inches from tambura surface and clean with sweeping motion. Keep hands away from stream to avoid loss of fingers.

Seriously, nothing works better than a high-quality car paste wax. The basic idea is to have a hard finish to protect the instrument and improve resonnance. Buying that foo-foo crap in the music store is just P***ing your money away.

[Tarboon]

Snayper: How could you say that I'm pinging my money away. I tried the power washer and it didn't work, got my fingers in the way and now play the bug, well, you'll see me in the DTO, the guy doing the F minor chord with the left foot! I don't do too bad. It's hell on the keyboard of this PC however. With all due respect (seriously, though I'm seldom so), car wax: it seems ain't too good for the wood of a high quality instrument to breathe, to age and to thereby improve as it ages. Heck, I don't know, but I do trust my instrument people. Actually, I'd like to hear on this subject from somebody, who has spent a lifetime building these things, and followed an instrument for years. Truthfully, they might not even know. They might suggest lard! The finish of the instrument is one thing, some look like crap to start, the wood and quality of sound is another. For that reason, I guess I'd spend a couple of bucks. The only thing about waxes in general is that it seems like they build up coats and unlike on cars where they wear off naturally, I wouldn't want to strip wax off my bug, like my kitchen floor, and they yellow over time, and they may crack or peal, and then you have to find a cleaning solution. The chemicals in the latest great car "waxes" is another thing to be careful of. And a lot of them are or have petroleum distillates (whatever that is). I ain't washin my bug with 93 octane. Iligitimi non carborundum. Just an unscientific opinion.

the boon

[Djuroslav]

Good points, moj brat. Snajper?

[Tarboon]

Djuro, Morovich, You da men, man, person,,,I would listen to first. Heard you both, but not the other guys, gals. So, you people out there ----CHOOSE --- MOROVICH, DJURO, or da Man (BooN) on da Bike, facing death, dismemberment, disfigurement, disembowelment, disd---ment, appendage! Who would you follow on polishink your thing? Prim, Brac, Cello, Bugarija, Bass, Beglite, Thing. Your treasured instrument of pleasure! Top guys or amateur?

[mbecar1]

i happen to know a tremendous Beglite player, who has one of the best beglites ever built, who uses New Finish 2000 car wax with absolutely no detrimental effect on look, feel, or sound of his beglite!!! and he is definately some one whose opinion on tambura i would trust!!!

[Tarboon]

Snajper! Snajper. I'll tell you what. I been on all these web sites checkin it out. I got to tell you, many professionals and guitar makers recommend "car wax". So... I bow my head, and say, I learned something from this...However, not a total apology because I didn't say bad things, I just disagreed. But,,,it does depend if your instrument has deep scratches, is varnish or laquer finished and other fine distinctions or if it is vintage (that means an old grape). See what I mean, disagree and agree to disagree. Anyway I also have 3 guitars, one vintage (an old grape), one Korean (newer rice), and a Manuel Rodriguez (check out the web site because it belongs in a safe, I didn't get the cheap one, but not the most expensive which runs $20K) so there, but they say DO NOT use wax which has silicone. Snajper, I learned something and apologize for having taken exception, without being informed. However, now, I will studiously pursue which wax is best for my instruments. Yes! A car wax can be used, and better yet, get this, for cleaning before waxing, you can use lighter fluid! YES! Screw my statement about 93 octane! However, be careful, no smoking allowed signs should be up! And, you have to know if you have Varnish or Laquer finish. yadayada yada. Check out some sites on the web. There is a lot of info on this and I've printed it out for home use. Ma man...Snajper you done good by bringing this up as a post. Thank you :cool:

[Djuroslav]

Becar,

Can you identify this "tremendous Beglite player"? And what kind of ax is he playing? Hvala.

[Pavle]

djuro, there you go again! you know him!!

[Djuroslav]

Billy Topolski?

[mbecar1]

the beglite was built by Grosel!! that should be a good clue!!

[Marija]

How do you recommend to clean the frets, anyone??

[jokirinaround]

By playing the instrument, your frets stay fresh and clean like an Irish spring day.


jka

[Pavle]

djuro, always the comic!

[Momak]

I too use the product Tarboon reccomends. Though if you have a lot of build up (Dust, beer. sljivo spots) wipe it down with a soft cloth moistened (not sopping wet)with warm water. Stay away from any areas where the finish was worn off exposing wood. Then follow it up with the Dunlap 65, or perhaps a carnaba based car wax. If the finish is still not satisfactory, a visit to Earl Sheib or Maaco may be in order.
Peace,
Dan