Removing Old Velcro Adhesive

[Sixstringplayr]

I am working on a pickup swap from the older Dual Source system to a new Anthem and am finding that the old adhesive used for the Velcro under the battery bag and preamp on the old system is not coming off cleanly at all. Granted the Velcro has been in there for about 8 years...

Is Naptha an effective solvent for removing the adhesive layer under the Velcro without staining the rosewood underneath? Any other tips for getting that goo out of there cleanly?

Any and all responses appreciated !!

[Caleb_Elling]

I highly recommend Naphtha. That's what we use here in the shop if we ever need to remove old adhesive. The best part is that it doesn't stain or eat away any material.

Be careful using it on guitar finishes though. It can damage certain types of lacquer.

[Sixstringplayr]

I highly recommend Naphtha. That's what we use here in the shop if we ever need to remove old adhesive. The best part is that it doesn't stain or eat away any material.

Naptha worked like a charm on the adhesive, but discovered that the installer of the old pickup elected to augment the standard Velcro adhesive with a few spots of cyanoacrylate (aka superglue) under each pad. AUGHH!!! Naptha ain't touchin' that stuff - I had to resort to sanding it off with a little 220 grit.

To anyone reading this - please do NOT use cyanoacrylate when installing electronics in a premium guitar. Pickup technology changes and when it's time to do an upgrade, the installer of the new gear will curse your name.