Sticky Nitro neck syndrome - What are your solutions?

Butch

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I have had that issue with one of my Guilds. Unfortunately, there really is nothing that you can do short of having the neck stripped and refinished. I have had this guitar since 1977. A lot of the finish has just completely worn off from being played.
 

txbumper57

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Hey Clyde, I had a similar feeling on the neck of my 2014 NH made F512 Natural. I purchased it Brand New about 2 weeks after the build date on the serial number and it seemed to me the Finish was still "Fresh", Man I love that smell in the new case after the guitar has been cooped up in there for awhile with a fresh Nitro finish! While mine was not gooey by any means it did have somewhat of a a sticky feeling to it especially on the back of the neck. I cleaned it with Virtuoso's Guitar Cleaner to get rid of any contaminants and then gave it a very light coat of Virtuoso polish which I hand buffed with a soft cloth. That helped quite a bit but I also noticed that by letting the guitar "Breathe" when not in use by not putting it back up in it's case helped a lot. I have a ceiling fan in my music room and while the guitar was not in use it was on the stand with the fan on at least the low setting. Didn't take it too long to not be sticky anymore. Your F512 has probably spent so much time in it's case before you got it that it never really had the chance to off gas properly. Just a few suggestions of course.

TX
 

ClydeTower

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Guys, I feel a little guilty here cause its like my Guild is getting all the flack... Its really an awesome guitar. I knew going in that Guilds have Glossy Nitro finish necks and that might be an issue for me since I sweat a lot. I have the same situation with my F512 but its less of an issue cause I mostly chord and do a little flat picking with it VS my D55 where I'm moving up and down the neck with more single note picking. So I notice it a lot more. Also, its not always that bad, sometimes its fine cause my hands aren't too sweaty.

I just need a way to manage it or mitigate the effects.

I will admit, it has unfortunately curbed my gas to acquire more Guilds (or any other glossy nitro neck finish guitar for that matter). I was silently looking at some F-50s, but I might have to turn my radar towards a satin neck Martin J40 (eakkk!! Did I just say that? Please don't crucify me!):neglected:
 
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txbumper57

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I will admit, it has unfortunately curbed my gas to acquire more Guilds (or any other glossy nitro neck finish guitar for that matter). I was silently looking at some F-50s, but I might have to turn my radar towards a satin neck Martin J40 (eakkk!! Did I just say that? Please don't crucify me!):neglected:

Don't feel Guilty about it Cyde. I have the same issue using uncoated Phosphor Bronze strings as no matter how much I clean them within a week of a new set they always start to discolor and begin getting some corrosion. As far a your D55 goes just make sure to keep the neck clean and I think it will work itself out with a little time.

Don't let it curb your GAS for another Guild. Especially if you are looking at a New Hartford F50 Standard. All of the Standard series Guitars from New Hartford came from the factory with a Satin Nitro Finish neck including the F50 Standard. The early 2011-2012 models had Gloss Nitro bodies with Satin Nitro necks and the later 2013 Standard series guitars had a Gloss Nitro top with the Satin Nitro back, sides, and neck. My 2011 F212XL Standard that I just posted a NGD for has the Satin Nitro Neck and as much as I am not a fan of Satin Finish guitars, the neck feels really great. The only thing I would want on that neck that is not on it would be to have a bound fretboard but the quality of the craftsmanship is so high you can hardly notice that it is not bound.

Years ago I had an issue with my forearm where it rested on one of my Non Guild Dreads and after playing four 2-3 set shows a week I would start getting a friction burn on my arm from the sticky finish. I wound up cutting the sleeves off of a few under armor Stretchy workout shirts and wearing just the sleeve while playing. It immediately remedied the issue so maybe if you find a glove made out of the same type of material it will work for your needs until the off gassing has worked itself out a bit. Hang in there man and it will all work out.

TX
 
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ClydeTower

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Don't let it curb your GAS for another Guild. Especially if you are looking at a New Hartford F50 Standard. All of the Standard series Guitars from New Hartford came from the factory with a Satin Nitro Finish neck including the F50 Standard. The early 2011-2012 models had Gloss Nitro bodies with Satin Nitro necks and the later 2013 Standard series guitars had a Gloss Nitro top with the Satin Nitro back, sides, and neck. My 2011 F212XL Standard that I just posted a NGD for has the Satin Nitro Neck and as much as I am not a fan of Satin Finish guitars, the neck feels really great. The only thing I would want on that neck that is not on it would be to have a bound fretboard but the quality of the craftsmanship is so high you can hardly notice that it is not bound.

I didn't know New Hartford F50 Standards had satin finish necks! Well now, that's re-ignited the gas!
 

adorshki

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The D55 is 2012 and my 512 is 2014. Apparently, Nitro does not "cure", it dries:
Just to corroborate a bunch of comments already made:
I have heard of this about New Hartfords.
I think Mav was using the term "cure" casually but technically the info you posted is correct, NCL dries by evaporation and continues to "outgas" for its entire life.
I've never heard of anything other than time fixing the problem, just like TMG and Walter say.
I wouldn't try baby powder or anything else for fear of causing real damage in terms of getting stuck in softened lacquer.
Heed everybody who pointed out that NCL gets drier and harder, and try letting "breathe" like TX said, even though I'm notorious for saying store 'em in a case.

So what I'm hearing is although the guitar is 5 years old, its possible the solvents in the nitro still haven't completely evaporated?
Yes.
If that's the case, I still think my body chemistry / sweat is at least part of the problem...
Yes. The acids in your sweat can break it down and make it feel "sticky".
It happened to the area where my forearm rests on my D25, as I was unaware of the need to wipe down the top after playing. So the fresh wet sweat had a chance to work on the top about once a week after my weekly day in the sun for a couple of years before I noticed it one day, when polishing.
It took about 3 months to "recover" but the area's still not as glossy as the rest of the top any more.
NO we don't hear of this problem on all Guilds but it seems as NCL formulas were being evolved towards less toxicity/environmental friendliness in the early '00's the problem became more common.
And be aware if you do store on a stand to help it dry more quickly (And that will help) make sure the neck and body aren't retsingon something made of rubber/vinyl because the same solvents used to make thse and keep 'em soft will do worse damage to nitro than your sweaty hands.

I'm trying to understand this thread - why would a manufacturer let the guitar go out for sale if the neck is not totally "dry"?
walrus
I suspect it was just a matter of "going by the numbers" or "following the recipe": you spray a coat, let dry a specified amount of time, repeat for the number of coats to be applied, and at the end it's supposed to be good to go.
Except, just like baking, sometimes it doesn't go quite right.
At least with baking you can tell when your bread didn't rise properly.
 

F312

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I have Gotoh Die-Cast tuners on my 2012 Guild D50CE STD. Does anyone no the model number and ratio that was used?

Ralph
 
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ClydeTower

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And be aware if you do store on a stand to help it dry more quickly (And that will help) make sure the neck and body aren't retsingon something made of rubber/vinyl because the same solvents used to make thse and keep 'em soft will do worse damage to nitro than your sweaty hands.

Yep, got first hand experience with that. Luckily, no lasting damage done. I've since put some felt pads on there until I get me some Hercules stands.
Maybe I should put some felt pads on my hands:distracted:
 

mike1100

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I didn't know New Hartford F50 Standards had satin finish necks! Well now, that's re-ignited the gas!

I've got extremely dry hands, but prefer satin necks. Fortunately, it's not that big of a deal for me either way. If I couldn't find a workaround and I knew this guitar will be with me for the long haul, then I'd probably look into making that neck more "satin like". Otherwise, I'd sell and move on.

Good luck!
 
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