The Steel Guitar Forum

Hi... I've read several posts in the past about cleaning the changer on various steel guitars and one of the methods was spraying it down with carberator cleaner. How in the world do you do that? Do you have to take the changer off the Guitar? Would that cleaner be harmful to the finish if there were some overspray? I'm trying to avoid taking the changer off my old ZB but there may be no other. Thanks in advance. Lee

I'm afraid it would have to be cold day in hell before I would take carburetor cleaner to my changer! Do you realize how caustic that stuff is? I'm sure it would even eat into the aluminum. I'd try some WD40 before I'd use carburetor cleaner. And even this is too drastic for my notion. I've played pedal steel for 35 years and have yet to do anything to a changer except oil it up once in a while.
Uff-Da!
<FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Erv Niehaus on 19 April 2002 at 08:29 AM.]</p></FONT>

I wouldn't try using carburetor cleaner while the changer is still on the guitar. That stuff is harmful to just about anything other than metal. As for aluminum, I think many carburetor bodies are made out of aluminum.

I removed the changer of my Marrs guitar several years ago, took it apart and cleaned it using Naptha. It really wasn't that big of a job. I think removal is the only way to really thoroughly clean it without risking any damage to your guitar's finish.

I also recently saw an article on an Internet computer forum where carburetor cleaner was recommended for cleaning heat sink thermal compound from the cpu die. (Using Q-Tips - NOT SPRAYING!) Now, I haven't done it myself, but if it's safe for your Pentium 4, I would think it would be safe for your changer!

Hi Lee,
I read somewhere that lighter fuel was good for this job and it dries quick.

If you really want to be safe, just use rubbing alcohol. It will clean and not damage anything.

No matter what you use, you´ll always get the most thorough cleaning if you take the changer apart and clean all the fingers seperately instead of just spraying something onto it. Of course, that´s quite easy to do on a ShoBud like mine, I know next to nothing about a ZB´s changer...

Well Thanks guys. Guess I'll begin the "tear Down", because this thing is really nasty. Thanks for your comments. Lee

I used carburator cleaner on my old ShoBud wood body guitar for over 15 years and never experience ANY harmful effects at all. I'd just set it up on the driveway on some newspapers with just the legs on (no pedal board) and spray the changer and the gunk would drop right off down to the bare metal and then I'd lubricate it with good old WD40. It stayed in tune great never any problems with anything hanging up, etc. I think you guys are listening to much to the environmental wacko's or something. The stuff does the trick.......JH

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Livin' in the Past and the Future with a 12 string Mooney tuning.

Lighter fluid is naptha. Acetone and MEK really clean, but they are toxic, wear gloves. Another lube worth looking into is the stuff for pneumatic tools.

I wouldn't use WD40 as a lubricant.
Uff'Da!

Are there any more carburetors around?

i have plenty up here

wayne brown

As long as there are old gas tractors and antique cars, there will be lots of carburators to clean and hence a market for carb cleaner. The stuff with acetone in it really cuts gasoline gum in a hurry and won't hurt aluminum. I would sure be AWFUL careful with it around a steel guitar though!

IMHO, forget about using WD-40 on your changer. You think you've got problems now, WD-40 will probably make the problem worse or at least as bad. WD-40 is a great product but was not designed to be used on pedal steel guitars as it leaves a definite residue which tends to gum up the works of a steel.

Tim R.

I spray canned air to clean the changer,and if really dirty some electronic's cleaner then canned air.There are electronic cleaners that are material friendly.

Man I used to practically bathe in MEK. Great stuff. What's my name again?

Bear in mind that your (beautiful, I assume) ZB with its lacquer wants no part of alcohol products.

Electronics cleaner from the auto parts store. It cleans like carb clean and is absolutely safe on aluminum. I wouldn't worry
to much about carb cleaner though. WD 40 is a no no.