Pimples on my Powder Cosmo knobs!

[DURBANS]

Hi

I just bought a brand new RG1527CB (2004 model, big dots, 3 piece neck).

When I got it it was brand new looking, new in box from my Ibanez dealer here in Peru, south america.

I haven't played it for about 3 weeks since I broke my finger (I got the guitar a month ago).

I keep it in the cardboard "Prestige" box which came with it and wrapped in its white plastic foamy tissue. It even has the stickers over the pickups.

I went to check on the guitar this morning and to my surprise I found that my tone and volume knobs, which are finished in Powder Cosmo (so is the rest of the hardware), had these little dark dots, like pimples on the top part of the dome. I tried cleaning them with a microfiber cloth, and nothing happened.

What is this? How do I remove them? What's wrong?

A friend of mine suggested WD40 or using a little toothpaste. But, I dunno, is this supposed to happen? I haven't even plugged in the guitar!

Oh, and on the frets there is some kind of mud forming on top, what is this?

[JTM45]

Originally Posted by DURBANS

Oh, and on the frets there is some kind of mud forming on top, what is this?

Are you being serious ?

'Mud' does not form on top of frets. Are you talking about general grime building up on the fretboard perhaps ? If so you need to clean it.

As for the pimpling (as you were told on sevenstring.org) it's oxidisation which is a common occurance on Ibanez hardware.
It cannot be cleaned off, it is corrosion of sorts.

I've got two Lo-Pro 7 trems, both cosmo and both 4 years old. One is completely covered in pimpling and the other is like new.

The more you rest your hand on the bridge the more it seems to happen but i wouldn't let it affect your playing. It happens and that's it really!

[DURBANS]

Damn, I hate this.

Can't believe this happens to Ibanez gear. What about Cosmo Black? Is that better?

I'm getting a new pair of knobs.

[DURBANS]

Oh and that thing on the frets it's kinda like rust, but it's yellow and looks like it's part of the frets. Dunno how to take it off either, it's not rust.

[sniperfrommars1]

Originally Posted by DURBANS

Oh and that thing on the frets it's kinda like rust, but it's yellow and looks like it's part of the frets. Dunno how to take it off either, it's not rust.

Its called fret tarnishing, and happens due to the metal's being exposed to environmental stuff. Sounds like you may be in a humid area, combined with heat and or sweat which is common for guitars to go through. You need to keep your guitar wiped down after you play it. The fret tarnishing is cleaned with steel wool among a few other things, its good to give a good polish on a regular basis

[DURBANS]

Thanks Sniper.

I already ordered a pair of Powder Cosmo knobs to replace the ones I have.

But I'd like to try and clean these, any possible suggestion? I mean, I know, but, maybe someone has managed to take them out?

[Drew]

As we explained over at sevenstring.org, they're impossible to "clean" because pimpling is essentially oxidation under the finish - it's a chemical reaction between the metal and oxygen in the air. The finish itself is being destroyed. It's not really something you could just wipe off, and if you tried to polish it off, all you'd accomplish is to go down to bare metal.

It's not the end of the world - it happens to guitars (all guitars, not just ibanez) when you play them a lot. Wipe it down whener you finish playing if you're worried, but, honestly, it's a guitar - it's an instrument, not a collectable.

-D

[Dylan7620]

agreeing with what drew said, it happens. it's happening on my 7620 now. its a guitar... i don't think it will be fetching UVMC prices anytime soon so i might as well just enjoy it. besides if you really absolutly love THAT guitar you can always buy another trem down the road.

[albee1952]

Best would be to wipe down the guitar after every playing session with a quality guitar cloth. Cleaning off the sweat from your hands will make those parts look good a lot longer. Its a good habit to get into.