sticky neck syndrome--"satinize" it?

[JES]

Hi Folks,

I'm a bassist who bought a tribute fallout for my first electric guitar. I'm loving it but am noticing an issue: it's been humid the last couple days and my thumb is really sticking to the neck. I have some older basses with gloss neck finishes and it's not too much of a problem. So I'm wondering if it's that it's a brand new (now one year old) guitar, or whether it's the interaction of my hands and whatever chemicals they use in the high gloss finish.

I am considering "satinizing" it. Has anyone done this with the Fallouts and how did it turn out?

Thanks.

--JES

[Boogie Bill]

Try a couple of applications of Virtuoso CLEANER. Wipe the neck off with a damp rag and buff dry. Use a nickel-size squirt of the Virtuoso and rub it in good, and then let it sit for 30 minutes before buffing it off with a polishing cloth. Repeat.

Go over it again a third time with the Virtuoso POLISH.

My Gibson guitars gave me all kinds of problems with sticky necks and their full gloss NCL finishes. I have had GREAT results with this Virtuoso routine, and it seems to make a permanent change to the finish, seemingly making it harder. I also have done this to a couple of my gloss neck G&Ls and it seems to help, though I'd say it's perhaps less effective on these poly finishes.

Still, it's worth a try, and it's not irreversible. A sanded neck could be a turn-off to some buyers, should you ever sell.

Good luck.

Bill

[NickHorne]

Yes, Virtuoso cleaner and polish are best I've ever known. No tricky substances in them and they won't jeopardise glue joints etc in the future for repairs and such. Really super-nice result. I absolutely agree with Bill's experience re sticky Gibsons! Well worth a try for your issue.
Also magic on old / nitrocellulose finishes.
But I have heard that the polish will make a satin finish go more glossy, although I imagine pretty much any polish will do that anyhow. But I haven't tried it on satin. I like the way satin gradually glosses-up with use, and don't feel any need to polish it.

[Fumble fingers]

if you do sand the neck use 1500 to 2000 grit sand paper and go very lightly .... if you use a light pass with the sand paper you usually can't tell you sanded it ..... after a couple weeks of playing and you really can't tell it's been sanded , but I would clean and polish first like already mentioned

[CSVeteran]

After years of playing necks finished in nitro (mostly Gibson), I have found that sanding the neck down so the nitro is a thin base coat then refinishing it with "French polish" is the way to go, since shellac has a beautiful feel and dries hard, thus avoiding the sticky syndrome found on nitro and thick poly neck finishes.

[Scrench]

Just my 2 cents, but I've played and owned just about every guitar worth having in 45 years of pro playing, and by far, for me, sanded bare wood maple necks are the fastest and easiest to play. They feel more precise and natural, like any natural wooden object feels, from baseball bats to shovels, and it gives you the opportunity to shape the neck exactly like you want it. Just find one and try it to see what you think. You can grease up any neck with many different products, but I hate that slippery, greasy, imprecise feeling.

I've never tried the remedy recommended above, so maybe you should try that first, because sanding a neck is a commitment hard to go back on, and as pointed out, it may diminish the resale value of the instrument should you decide to sell it. But, you can also really customize the shape of the neck to fit you, not be limited to what the factory produced, and that can have a tremendous impact on every facet of how you feel about the guitar. Just imagine a neck shaped perfectly for your hands, and the ramifications, from how it feels to how well you can play it, which ultimately affects how you sound. Many people go nuts changing pickups, tuners, you-name-it, and then eventually get rid of it anyway. I think part of that is because they never addressed the fundamental problem with the instrument, it didn't fit them well. It's just like wearing the wrong size clothes or riding a bike too big or too small. You can do it, but you'd be much better off with the right size. I also race bicycles and I routinely beat people because the bike doesn't fit them, they can't get the proper leverage to release all of their power. And many people just can't commit to that drastic step of pulling out the sandpaper, because that's sometimes irreversible. Believe me, I was scared to death the first time I did it. But after getting that layer of synthetic goop off the neck, I began sliding my hand up and down the bare wood, and I could feel exactly what I didn't like about it and what needed shaping. It's weird, but it's as though the wood "talks" to you when you really get into it. And now that I sound like a New Age wacko, I'll leave that issue. But particularly, some Strats benefit from a deeper sanding above the 10-12th fret or so when they get too fat in that region.

I've never had trouble selling a sanded neck guitar because most people who have tried them know how superior they are over regular finishes. That's why you see a lot of companies putting as little finish as possible on necks nowadays (note: one of the reasons Gibson Les Paul Studio guitars have become popular is because some of them come with a maple neck/rosewood fingerboard, and you can sand them down making them far, far easier to play (have one) than a Paul with a gloss finish, and the jr. or LP series of Pauls and SG's have maple necks).

Please keep in mind I'm only talking about maple-backed necks, not rosewood or mahogany which have a more open grain. The idea that exposing the bare wood weakens a maple neck and makes it vulnerable to decay is a myth in my opinion. Your natural body oils will soak into it over time protecting it, although it can become dirty looking. A little furniture polish for natural woods cleans it up nicely. My 55' (sanded the neck to bare wood in the late 70's, my first attempt!) and 70's Strats are still going strong, bare wood and all, and the Korean G&L Tribute Legacy I just got, even though the satin finish is nicely done, will soon be a little lighter, and play a lot better.

Good Luck,

Scrench

[JES]

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all the replies. I was up to my neck in DIY stuff between refurbing an old laptop and trying out pickups in a new bass body, so I decided that rather than have a new challenge, I took this around the corner to a luthier (by dumb luck my wife and I bought a place around the corner from a world class bass luthier who also does other instruments). I asked them to sand the neck down for me, figuring an experienced hand would get it done and faster. They also replaced the tone pot which was giving me troubles.

Well, I got it back yesterday, on a humid rainy day (perfect!) and it is a LOT easier to play. Wow. They wound up sanding it down all the way to the stain and then applying a satin finish (can't complain that they did more than I asked for--I told them to just rough up the poly). The grain on the neck is also more visible so it looks cool, and they left the headstock glossy. I am definitely a convert for any future instruments.

As for resale, I'm not concerned. It's a Tribute so resale isn't going to be that much anyway, and the money I just put into the guitar is something I will enjoy every time I pick it up. I also doubt I'll ever sell this particular instrument. It's a good-playing Fallout that's under 7# in weight. If I am inclined I could swap the pickups and I'd basically have a US Fallout.

So if anyone else has the same question as me and finds this thread, all I can say is DO IT! I am certain it is the single best upgrade I could have made to this guitar--but then I always think the neck is the most important and intimate part of the instrument.

--JES