cleaning dusty old synths? soak in tub?

I tried that with this old 'jopiter 8' that I found. didn't work.

ok, terrible joke, I know.

anyways... I picked up a few old synths yesterday (juno 106, polysix, and korg delta... for a VERY decent price ) and wanted to make sure I didn't do anything too stupid in cleaning them up. (they're dusty as f***)

so, any reason not to do a little disassembling and give the plastic bits a light scrub with lightly soaped cloth?'

would something like diluted rubbing alchohol or glasses cleaner potentially damage the lettering or anything?

what about those little compressed air dealies?

thanks dudes. these may seem like stupid questions, but better to ask and look foolish than other potential outcomes. (like the jupiter in the tub fiasco)

I use compressed air to blow them out and Lemon Pledge to clean and shine surfaces. If there is really tough stuff (sticker residue or something) I will use lemon oil, but not near any lettering. I used this method on the SQ1 in my avatar. You can see it came out very well.

I usually do a complete dis-assemble, can-o-air for the PCBs and interior, soft wash plastics in soapy water, and Rubbing Alcohol for the PCBs.

Also, taking the keys off, giving them a nice bath, and inspecting/repairing the contacts and keybed PCB will do wonders for the synths playability.

If you really wanna restore 'em, go ahead and re-cap the power supplies and replace the internal battery. Also, if they have a backlight, replace that too.

Recently found out that you can diassemble the keybed and soak the keys in bleach overnight to remove the yellowing and make them white again. Really.

It depends.

My Quadrasyth Plus Piano keys were yellowed. I tried bleach, DSP, Ammonia, and Acetone. The Acetone worked, but only because it removed the top layer of varnish.

I finally gave in and sanded and spray painted them with plastic hobby paint. 2 coats, with a sanding in between and wet sand at the end.

Results are here:

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/showthread.php?t=2467289

right on!

i'm nearly done the polysix. disassembled, light vacuuming (light, so as not to knock anything out of place), keys removed and cleaned, faceplate lightly cleaned with warm soapy water.

unfortunatly the wooden ends are pretty torn up, and it doesn't look like they come off easily.

Bleaching worked on the keys for an Ensoniq KS-32 (Fatar keybed). We just put the keys in a bucket of bleach overnight.

That's wierd, cuz the QS+ uses a Fatar keybed, too (as far as I know). You know what though ? I never tried it overnite. I did let one key soak in bleach for maybe an hour, with no noticable difference whatsoever. maybe I just jumped the gun and got impatient....

Scottron, nice score !!!! All 3 of those synths are way cool.

i may try that bleach trick on the delta.. it's keys are pretty worn.

oh get this too.... I just had a guy come and pick up the juno 6 that the 106 is replacing. anyways, I mentioned I had the polysix open for cleaning, so he took a peek inside. the battery has already been replaced!!! OHHH YEAH!

sad to the the juno 6 go, but I decided I'd rather have the midi, patch storage and portamento of the 106. (and less weight)

While touring in Japan I bought some Yamaha key cleaner a long time ago.

Fast forward 22 years, in Toronto I met the Yamaha keys rep and asked him what was it that worked so well in the little tube with keys on it that said "YAMAHA".

"UNFLAVORED TOOTHPASTE"

I get great results from spray used to clean LCD screens.

Richard

oh get this too.... I just had a guy come and pick up the juno 6 that the 106 is replacing. anyways, I mentioned I had the polysix open for cleaning, so he took a peek inside. the battery has already been replaced!!! OHHH YEAH!

I've now seen what happens if you don't change the batteries in a keyboard - the battery acid leaks out and corrodes the circuit boards. This is death to the instrument - the damage is often irreparable. I recommend battery changes in all keyboards over eight years old.

Also FYI: I currently work in a pro audio repair shop and the leading cause of death in keyboards is hidden liquid spills. People often spill things and they clean up the exterior and then hope for the best. Once we get inside the keyboards we can see the short-circuits, which can sometimes be minor and not noticeable until you need a certain function to work. But they can often start corrosion which eventually kills something major down the road. It's like cancer to an electronic instrument. This is worth noting when buying used and especially classic keyboards... unless you can open it up and see the interior there's no telling what you're getting into.

So be very careful when cleaning also to insure no liquids get into the keyboard.