[penserosa]

Hi - New here with questions about my husband's 1979 Gibson Grabber. It has not been played in at least 16 years and has never been out of the case in all that time, maybe longer. It seems to have been stored where there was moisture, as the case smells dank and the pickguard is covered with white stuff that might be mold. (The wood looks fine though.) The headstock is coming away from the neck a little bit - I thought it was a crack at first, then realized that's where the two pieces are glued together. And there is no hand rest.

Do you have any ideas what we can do to clean up the pickguard, or should we buy a new one? We would like to sell it but imagine the price will be much better if we fix it up first. I welcome all ideas!

I was going to add a pic but can't figure out the html code.

Thanks,
Pat

[jules]

Hi Pat, and welcome to the forum

The pickguard may well wipe clean. You should leave the case open to air, and maybe spray it with fabric cleaner. It does sound like it has had some moisture in there.

It will get better with time and fresh air.

The guitar will obviously sell for more in perfect condition, but it may be a minor hassle to get fixed. The neck can be glued quite easily, perhaps best left to a pro, depending on your own experience. If you don't get it fixed, you can still get a decent return on just the parts. If you email me the pics I will post them here, in case anyone wants to make you an offer as is

(email info@vintageguitars.org.uk)

[anyfour]

Yes, please post the pics. I am definitly interested in seeing it :-)

[penserosa]

Hey, I figured it out. Here's the pic I took yesterday, showing the white stuff. Above the pickup you can see a zig-zag line made with my fingernail.



I'll take more pictures and post them. Thank you for your replies!

[anyfour]

Nice looking bass, but yeah, alot of moisture in there. You can see the rust on the allen screws of the bridge and pickguard screws.

Have you plugged it in? It's possible the pots may be corroded as well, which would be a shame.

Be sure to be careful in cleaning and lake sure you get good protectant (oil, WD-40) on any screw before you try to remove or adjust them. Hopefully that rust is only skin deep.

[hieronymous]

RE: the case - I read recently that you can put a stinky case out in the direct sunlight for a little while and that may get rid of the odor. It might not work too well if you are in an area with high humidity.

[Bobsaget]

im interested in it.
/Robin

[jules]

well that has gone white hasn't it! Does it rub of with a bit of elbow grease?

Certainly surprised at the level of it, but I doubt it would be permanent

[penserosa]

Thank you for all your input and interest in our lil Grabber. I'm going to work on it tomorrow and see what I find. I'll keep you posted!

Pat

[donnervogel]

I'm afraid I have bad news. I have had the exact same symptom on my 1973 Ripper that had an original black tort/celluloid pick guard. It has plagued me for years. Yes, you can wipe it clean, but it will fog again in a few days time and be opaquely covered with "mold" in a few weeks. You can rinse it, it will come back. Your bass has verdigris (there apparently is some mineral content in that pickguard which is not in the plastic of the pup, hence it has stayed unscathed) and it will eventually even dull the chrome of the strings , eat away at the electronics and attack bridge, varitone and even the tuners.

If there is a cure, then the pickguard will have to go and be replaced by a new one. More than likely you will also have to remove the fin which is contaminated with verdigris as well too. I even had the bridge on my Ripper rechromed - not sure if it will be verdigris-free now. As I write this, my luthier is on the way to me with my hopefully verdigris-free-for-good Ripper which has been with him for more than a year:

1. It will be completely refinned,
2. electronics exchanged (they were only about three years old, ie a new replacement, but the verdigris crept from the original pickguard into them and ate them away),
3. a rechromed bridge and
4. a new pickguard.

When I initially bough the bass years ago (it had been stored in a damp cellar - sound familiar?), I thought of the verdigris as a vintage effect, I actually liked it and thought it added something. Little did I know that this stuff is a lot more agressive and destructive than rust. Now I dread it.

Uwe