Neck feels sticky

[Archie]

I have heard that polishing the neck with 0000 steel wool will reduce the stickiness. I haven’t tried it myself so please check in with someone more knowledgeable than myself before proceeding. I would think that the micromesh paper suggested by GuyBoden would have helped but perhaps the grit is too fine.

It doesn't from my experience. The problem isn't with the top of the coat, it's the coat of lacquer in general. If you take off a layer you still have the same lacquer waiting for you.

Or so rational thought would dictate and my experience, although your mileage may very.

I also don't see the need for steel wool over a fine grit sandpaper. You might end up over rubbing one spot with the wool whereas a sheet of sand paper (wet) could cover a larger area more evenly.

[Stefan Eff]

It doesn't from my experience. The problem isn't with the top of the coat, it's the coat of lacquer in general. If you take off a layer you still have the same lacquer waiting for you.

If it‘s dirt or something in the lacquer you‘ll only need to take off the contamination.

But it‘s a useless discussion as long as we don‘t know the material or at least the guitar.

[Archie]

If it‘s dirt or something in the lacquer you‘ll only need to take off the contamination.

But it‘s a useless discussion as long as we don‘t know the material or at least the guitar.

I suppose it depends on how thick the top coat is and if that coat is contaminated all the way through. In which case you're still stuck with relatively the same problem i.e refinishing a neck.

[unknownguitarplayer]

Would lighter fluid be equivalent? (it's sold in small amounts).

Over the years, quite a few people have suggested that I apply lighter fluid to my guitar. I probably should have listened.

[rpjazzguitar]

So, with gigs coming up, no response from the manufacturer and somebody on the internet claiming Naptha is safe for the guitar ... oh, I'm going to present what I did. I do NOT recommend this to others.

1. I went shopping at the local Hardware for naptha. Two salespeople had never heard of it. One checked his inventory on his phone and came up with fels naptha laundry soap and tried to get me to buy that. It's a cake of soap.

2. So, they didn't have a can labled naptha, but they did have lighter fluid. It was described, on the cans, as "petroleum distillate", not naptha. Naptha is a petroleum distillate, but so are other things. Nonetheless, I bought a small can.

3. I had googled 0000 steel wool - sandpaper equivalent. It's about 600 grit in sandpaper, give or take. The store had a display where you could feel the sandpaper. 600 felt much coarser than I felt comfortable with. 1500 was still too coarse. 2000, the maximum (smoothest) seemed about right and I might have gone higher than that, if they had any. If it exists, they don't stock it. I bought a sheet of 2000. Actually, I already had one -- I use it for polishing picks.

4. I then went home, sprayed some lighter fluid on a cotton cloth and tested it on the lower edge of the guitar. No obvious problems.
So, I wiped it onto the neck and wiped it off, a couple of times. I thought it still felt a little sticky.

5. Then I went over it with the sandpaper, gently. At that point, I didn't think it was sticky any more.

We'll see if it lasts.

I did see some subtle streaks when I was done. I would therefore recommend that nobody do what I just described. After I wrote this I went back and put that non-recommendation in at the beginning.

[Bill Eisele]

I’m so sorry to hear that happened to you, rpjazz. I believe there are finer grits of sandpaper and in particular, micromesh pads that go up to 12,000 grit. It sounds like you might have used some uneven pressure with the sandpaper creating the streaks. When you have time it would probably be best to take the guitar to your repair tech or luthier for followup. I believe what you want to see is an even, satin finish on the neck. Those finishes have the lowest drag with thumb pressure. I believe this is achievable with attention from a pro and he/she will be able to even out the finish. Best of luck to you.

[grahambop]

Over the years, quite a few people have suggested that I apply lighter fluid to my guitar. I probably should have listened.

worked for Jimi Hendrix!

[rpjazzguitar]

I’m so sorry to hear that happened to you, rpjazz. I believe there are finer grits of sandpaper and in particular, micromesh pads that go up to 12,000 grit. It sounds like you might have used some uneven pressure with the sandpaper creating the streaks. When you have time it would probably be best to take the guitar to your repair tech or luthier for followup. I believe what you want to see is an even, satin finish on the neck. Those finishes have the lowest drag with thumb pressure. I believe this is achievable with attention from a pro and he/she will be able to even out the finish. Best of luck to you.

Thank you for that. The streaks don't bother me anywhere near as much as the stickiness did. There's a ding in the neck that I'll eventually have fixed. Last time I did that, the luthier put on a coat of clear-coat, so the streaks will be taken care of eventually.

[mr. beaumont]

I was told, years ago, that Naphtha is a "brand name," and Ronsonol lighter fluid is identical. Not sure if it's true, but I have a small bottle and I have used it to get some gunk off guitars, but never on something as important as a neck. I can say it did not harm the finish on the top of the guitar.

[John A.]

I was told, years ago, that Naphtha is a "brand name," and Ronsonol lighter fluid is identical. Not sure if it's true, but I have a small bottle and I have used it to get some gunk off guitars, but never on something as important as a neck. I can say it did not harm the finish on the top of the guitar.

Naphtha is a name for a range of petroleum distillates used as solvents and fuels. Ronsonol is a brand of “light” naphtha.

[Bill Eisele]

I was told, years ago, that Naphtha is a "brand name," and Ronsonol lighter fluid is identical. Not sure if it's true, but I have a small bottle and I have used it to get some gunk off guitars, but never on something as important as a neck. I can say it did not harm the finish on the top of the guitar.

Actually, Naphtha is benign to guitar finishes and is used for general cleaning and particularly before applying finishes. Whereas alcohol will dissolve shellac finishes and acetone will dissolve lacquer finishes. Of course, best to start with a soft, slightly water dampened (lukewarm) cloth before going to Naphtha for general cleaning.

[Stefan Eff]

From my experience Naphta won‘t harm anything except plastics. It‘s especially recommended for cleaning Nitro finishes.

[TedBPhx]

Tangential to the topic

Bought a Dean, from the “real” Dean company, that had carvings on the neck of this S clone. The carvings were highly figured almost lace like and were designed to wick away sweat. Cool! After a year noticed cracks appearing in the neck. Probably hadn’t seasoned the wood enough. Traded it off to GC. Swore off Malaysian built guitars.

[Bill Eisele]

Thank you for that. The streaks don't bother me anywhere near as much as the stickiness did. There's a ding in the neck that I'll eventually have fixed. Last time I did that, the luthier put on a coat of clear-coat, so the streaks will be taken care of eventually.

Wondering if the clear coat the luthier put on the neck could have caused the stickiness. Was the neck sticky before the clear coat was applied or after? Just a thought.

[Bill Eisele]

I think I am going to try just the naptha on my classical guitar neck. I will report back to let you know if it works. That seems like a fairly non-invasive approach as a first step.

I wiped down the back of my classical guitar neck with the Naphtha a couple of times and then buffed it out with a microfiber cloth. The stickiness is gone, at least for now.

[Spook410]

Naptha is useful to clean all sorts of things. You can find it at Lowes, Home Depot, or even WalMart. Look in the paint section. What I saw online from Amazon was kind of high priced and more than you would need around the house.

[rpjazzguitar]

I’m so sorry to hear that happened to you, rpjazz. I believe there are finer grits of sandpaper and in particular, micromesh pads that go up to 12,000 grit. It sounds like you might have used some uneven pressure with the sandpaper creating the streaks. When you have time it would probably be best to take the guitar to your repair tech or luthier for followup. I believe what you want to see is an even, satin finish on the neck. Those finishes have the lowest drag with thumb pressure. I believe this is achievable with attention from a pro and he/she will be able to even out the finish. Best of luck to you.

Wondering if the clear coat the luthier put on the neck could have caused the stickiness. Was the neck sticky before the clear coat was applied or after? Just a thought.

The clear coat was on a different guitar and wasn't sticky. The one that's sticky is all original.

Today, I spoke to my luthier, John Jordan (highly recommended, in Concord CA). He said that what I did with the naptha and 2000 grit sandpaper was similar (he uses microfiber not sandpaper) to what he could do. Regulations prevent him from doing spraying in his shop, so he wasn't in a position to do that. His suggestion was to wait to hear back from the manufacturer.

[Bill Eisele]

The clear coat was on a different guitar and wasn't sticky. The one that's sticky is all original.

Today, I spoke to my luthier, John Jordan (highly recommended, in Concord CA). He said that what I did with the naptha and 2000 grit sandpaper was similar (he uses microfiber not sandpaper) to what he could do. Regulations prevent him from doing spraying in his shop, so he wasn't in a position to do that. His suggestion was to wait to hear back from the manufacturer.

Ah, okay. Yes, John is referring to micromesh pads and paper. You can get it through StewMac or Amazon. Goes up to 12,000 grit. It’s great for buffing out finishes. I hope you do hear back but you indicated earlier that they didn’t respond. You could spray the neck yourself with a rattle can and buff it out but without knowing what the original finish is it could create problems for you. If it’s poly not a problem.

[rpjazzguitar]

Ah, okay. Yes, John is referring to micromesh pads and paper. You can get it through StewMac or Amazon. Goes up to 12,000 grit. It’s great for buffing out finishes. I hope you do hear back but you indicated earlier that they didn’t respond. You could spray the neck yourself with a rattle can and buff it out but without knowing what the original finish is it could create problems for you. If it’s poly not a problem.

I just watched a video on spraying. There are a lot of ways to screw it up. I think I'll leave that to a pro.

[rpjazzguitar]

Heard back from the guy whose name is on the guitar.

It's a poly finish and he said he hasn't heard about problems with it.

He did know about the problem with the color coat on the plastic tuners getting sticky. He thought that might be the problem, with sticky stuff being transferred to the neck. He thought the Dunlop 65 ($10 for 4 oz at Amazon) would work. He recommending wiping the neck down with it after playing.

He offered to sell a set of metal tuning buttons, which doesn't have the problem, for $25. Seems fair, since it was my idea to use alcohol, which dissolved the finish. He said that the metal ones weren't available for a while and he used plastic, which can develop this problem.

I'll report back after I've tried it.

[AaronMColeman]

Ok, this is going to sound like the kind of crazy stuff that turns me off to most internet guitar groups...

As I've gotten older my guitars have gotten stickier. I think it's me. I never used to wash my hands or wipe down the guitars and they were fine. I'd play months of shows and maybe wipe off the fretboard when I put on new strings. I noticed my necks getting sticky a few years ago (I'm 44 right now). Now I wash my hands and wipe down the fretboard and back of neck when I'm done playing...no more sticky. The guitars I play the most are a mix of poly(Ibanez) and nitro. Is my body chemistry changing so much so that it can make the guitar sticky?

[rpjazzguitar]

Ok, this is going to sound like the kind of crazy stuff that turns me off to most internet guitar groups...

As I've gotten older my guitars have gotten stickier. I think it's me. I never used to wash my hands or wipe down the guitars and they were fine. I'd play months of shows and maybe wipe off the fretboard when I put on new strings. I noticed my necks getting sticky a few years ago (I'm 44 right now). Now I wash my hands and wipe down the fretboard and back of neck when I'm done playing...no more sticky. The guitars I play the most are a mix of poly(Ibanez) and nitro. Is my body chemistry changing so much so that it can make the guitar sticky?

I wondered the same thing. But I regularly play 2 guitars and only one has the problem. So, is it the interaction between a change in body chemistry and the type of finish?

I did get the Dunlop 65, the product recommended by the manufacturer of the guitar. Seemed to help but, after a few hours my hands felt sticky again. Washing them with detergent helped. I've been wiping the guitar down often, but I'm not clear that the wiping actually helps.