NItro: Will the neck always be sticky?

[ZMAN]

I asked this question over on the Gibson site as well but I thought I would run it by you guys.
I recently purchased a Gibson Studio. I will admit it is very new, being built on Jan 8, 2008 according to the serial number.
Before I play my guitars I always wash and dry my hands to keep the crud off the neck and strings. I am finding that the Gibson's neck gets sticky very quickly. I wipe it down and it only lasts for 10 mins. I have a 1990 ES 335 and it has a similar problem but not to the same extent.
I was wondering if you guys get the same results, and is there anything that I can do to lessen it. I try not to put wax on the back of the neck.
I don't have this issue with my Elitist Les Paul of course it is not nitro.

 

[Robert]

I rub my necks with steel wool, which takes off the glossy finish and takes away the stickiness.

 

[ZMAN]

I finally googled the issue and it seems there are several ways of looking at it. The steel wool way, or a harder wax. I have used that type of tecnique on my collector cars to take out imperfections in the paint and polish them up but I can't bring myself to put steel wool on my brand new guitar.
I am not too optomistic about it going away any time soon. My 18 year old ES335 has the same issue. There must be other solutions,(no pun intended).

 

[Bloozcat]

Finger-ease.

I always have a few cans of the stuff around. I've been using it since back when most guitar necks had a lacquer finish.

 

[Spudman]

Something else to try. It might sound wacky but I've had good luck with doing it.
If you still have hair left try running your fretting hand through it a couple of times. You will end up with your body's natural oil on your hand and it may work as a lubricant. It could be that when you wash your hands you are removing all the natural oils and it makes the nitro neck seem stickier.

 

[ZMAN]

Yea that is one thing I still have a lot of. LOL The only problem it is of the silver variety. If I do that I will just get a lot of hair gel, that is just as sticky. But I will try anything before I put anything abrasive on it.
The nitro is very new on the Studio and when I open the case I get this huge waft of vanilla smell all through the room. I kinda like it!

 

[Jimi75]

I rub my necks with steel wool, which takes off the glossy finish and takes away the stickiness.

Yep, the same do I.

Usually glossed necks stay sticky 'til the end of time.

 

[M29]

Something I have found is that the acid in your hands can eat into finishes. If you look at a piece of wood furniture where your hands rest, the finish is soft and you can dig your finger nail into it. Some finishes are worse than others. The poly stuff does not seem to be effected much but the varnish, shellac and lacquer can be softened by the acid in your hands. Another example is around most door knobs on doors that have these finishes. They chip easily and can be soft and sticky. On humid days they seem to be worse. I think something to clean the surface of the acid and then apply something to seal it might help.

Robert, When you remove the stickyness with the steel wool you may remove some finish as well and over time you may end up getting close to bare wood. Just be careful.

Just a thought.

M29

 

[just strum]

Baby powder - think cue stick.

 

[Dreadman]

From what I understand some peoples body chemistry reacts with nitrocelluose lacquer to soften it. When the back of a guitars neck and/or where the forearm rubs is dark and worn you can be sure it's a lacquer finish and someone with that chemistry played it a lot.

For the forearm area a long sleeve shirt is recommended. If the back of the neck is enough of a problem it should be refinished with polymer or cyanoacrolate. Yup, CA glue - superglue. It gives a glossy, protective finish and is super slippery.

Here's a CA finish test I did on a test lamination -

It's tough to see (on the top side) but sure enough it feels great. I've read a few times that Eric Clapton has this done to all his guitar necks (but who knows).

 

[Robert]

M29 - that's okay. I don't worry too much about it. No warped necks so far! Thanks for the concern though.

 

[Bloozcat]

A friend who I used to play guitar with, had one of those acidic systems. I hated it when he would play one of my guitars because no matter how quickly I would wipe the strings down after he played it, the corrosive effect had already started on the strings.

 

[ZMAN]

Just Strum. I recently purchased the 07 Crossroads DVD and I saw Jeff Beck grabbing a handful of powder before, and during his set. I thought he was going to do a routine on the high bar, lol. I have never seen that before.
I guess I will just have to keep wiping until the nitro is all off. I am probably one of those acidic people. I really am tough on strings. I need to wipe them down after I play or they are barbed wire the next time I pick up the guitar.

 

[Brian Krashpad]

Baby powder - think cue stick.

That was half the solution I came up with. I used to clean with water, a tiny spash of soap (very tiny), and a tiny splash of rubbing alcohol, all put on a soft cloth to rub down the neck and de-stickify it. I don't know enough about chemistry to really be able to advise the rubbing alcohol for anyone but me, but for what it's worth it didn't seem to damage the finish in the tiny amount I used.

Once I de-gunked the neck as above, and got it good and dry with another soft cloth, then I'd occasionally put on baby powder.

 

[Bloozcat]

That was half the solution I came up with. I used to clean with water, a tiny spash of soap (very tiny), and a tiny splash of rubbing alcohol, all put on a soft cloth to rub down the neck and de-stickify it. I don't know enough about chemistry to really be able to advise the rubbing alcohol for anyone but me, but for what it's worth it didn't seem to damage the finish in the tiny amount I used.

Once I de-gunked the neck as above, and got it good and dry with another soft cloth, then I'd occasionally put on baby powder.

I don't know about the effect that a 70% isopropyl alcohol diluted with water and a little soap would have on nitro lacquer, but avoid denatured alcohol like the plague! I use denatured alcohol with steel wool to strip lacquer. Makes me wonder if all alcohol has the same effect to varying degree.

Maybe that's exactly what was happening when you used your alcohol mixture, Brian. Maybe the lacquer was partially melting and somehow bonding with the soap before drying. I'm no chemist either, but it would at least seem possible to this layman.

 

[Plank_Spanker]

When my LP Standard arrived, it made my entire room smell like lacquer for the better part of a month..............I guess it was a tad fresh off the line.

The neck was a tad sticky, but I just kept it and my hands clean to play it. It's not really sticky at all now. I guess nitro might need a little time to "get right".

 

[Brian Krashpad]

When my LP Standard arrived, it made my entire room smell like lacquer for the better part of a month..............I guess it was a tad fresh off the line.

The neck was a tad sticky, but I just kept it and my hands clean to play it. It's not really sticky at all now. I guess nitro might need a little time to "get right".

It does, unless it's had some time sitting at the plant or warehoused. Nitro has to "cure."

 

[Plank_Spanker]

It does, unless it's had some time sitting at the plant or warehoused. Nitro has to "cure."

And some finishes might take longer than others to cure. Nitro is a "living, breathing" finish. While it might be cured, it still breathes, and that's a big part of it's charm.