In our collection, we have a very low serial number Fender Harley Davidson Anniversary.

We took it out of storage with the goal of putting it on the market.

We found that the aluminum body (and gold p/u's) had become tarnished, not something that can be dusted away.

Can anyone recommend something with which the body can be cleaned?

I am going to assume that as we take out our Marilyn Monroe, Tree of Life, and other Custom Shop guitars, they will have the same problem (the best laid plans of mice and men) as well as our PRS Dragons.

So the input would be appreciated.

If the aluminum is shiny... I'm not familiar with that instrument... Mother's Mag Polish might be the ticket. It works beautifully on the billet parts on my bike. The pups... I don't know.

Pictures would help.

_________________
You're only as strong as
the drinks you pour,
the tables you dance on,
and the friends you roll with.

In the early 90s, there were a series of Diamond Dealer Custom Shop Strats. They included the Marilyn Monroe, the Harley Davidson etc.

The Harley was an all aluminum body with engraving, gold p/u's etc, It came with a flight case, regular case, strap, documentation, etc.

The problem with Simichrome, wheel cleaner, etc is the risk of abrasion. I had hoped that someone had (there were several) aluminum bodied guitars and/or the Custom Shop had recommendations.

Travis Tritt played his Harley Davidson Strat in concert.

You should post your question to the "Ask Mike Eldred" part of the forum. Also look for a member by the name of Alainlafrance. He should have a good idea.

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"Who says I can't get stoned..." - John Mayer

- "Honey" 09 HWY 1 Tele (Honey Blonde w/Maple)
- 08 MIM Standard Strat (Burst w/Rosewood,SCN,DeltaTone)
- Super Champ XD
- Marshall Class 5 Head
- Norman Acoustic (MICan)

Pics?

Thank you, was not aware of the forum, and I have posted the question there as well.

If it is the guitar shown at the bottom of this page http://www.pamelina.com/pamelina_080.htm then I would suggest taking it to a reputable jeweler for polishing. IMHO... A very fine rouge would be your best bet.

_________________
You're only as strong as
the drinks you pour,
the tables you dance on,
and the friends you roll with.

Get yourself some polish made for sterling silver. You know, for things like tea sets and such. It's the least abrasive that I know off and I use it on one of my trumpets with great results.

I had one of the aluminum bodies that had been sold as an extra body blank from the original run and it was chromed over the aluminum. I have another that I purchased some time ago that I have not completed that is bare aluminum and is dull as you have suggested. It appears to never have been polished.

The chrome was really nice because of the prospect of it never tarnishing. Hard as hell to photograph and a bit of a touch me not because it amplified fingerprints, etc.

On the bare aluminum body, I've tried a few general car related aluminum products without any reasonable success. I'm not looking for something that I would need to hand polish one square inch at a time. I'd like something that is a little more expeditious or at least something that won't take weeks. It would seem that the suggestion of something that can be machine buffed would provide the best alternative. But if your body has only isolated tarnish then you may be able to get away with some of the products already mentioned.