Sticky Nitro neck syndrome - What are your solutions?

ClydeTower

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Hi all!

I admit it, I suffer from sweaty hands when I play... which makes the back of the nitro necks on my Guilds very sticky and sometimes difficult to play. I don't have this issue with my other guitars which either have a satin or poly finish on the neck.

I've tried washing my hands before playing and talcum powder but the neck still becomes sticky after playing for a while which is a drag... literally! Aside from affecting playability, I'm afraid it will eventually damage the finish even if I'm careful to wipe down the neck after playing.

I've read that some people with Gibsons regularly wipe the neck with nafta (lighter fluid). Is this a good idea or can it damage the finish?

Others use 0000 steel wool or Scotch Brite pads to dull the nitro finish. This seems extreme... I can't imagine doing that!

I've even tried wearing a cotton glove on my left hand with the fingers cut off. I've had more or less success with that cause the glove is not tight enough and the material interferes with the strings, muting the high e string. Maybe if I tried a spandex type glove...

Any LTGers have this issue with their nitrocellulose neck finish and if so, have you found a solution?
 
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JohnW63

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How old is the Guitar with nitro ? I've heard it can get sticky if it has not yet fully cured.

You might try a wipe down with Naptha , once , and see what it does. I know it's used to remove sticky stuff from all sorts of finishes.
 

mavuser

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not looking to get into a major debate here (or a minor one), try just a touch of coconut oil, it works for me.

just a touch, applied with your skin/fingers just lightly rubbing it in. do not use a cloth, use your finger. i actually cover the entire guitar with it. a very little goes a very long way!

you need to use the real stuff, not the cheapo garbaagge. i use Dr. Bronners whole kernel organic virgin coconut oil. same suff i use in cooking/eating, and on my skin to hydrate/lubricate.

works for me, have not purchased any guitar polish or cleaning products in years (other than the lemon oil for rw fretboard with no finish on it- that is different- but coconut oil will not hurt your fretboard either).

just try a little spot first.
 

ClydeTower

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How old is the Guitar with nitro ? I've heard it can get sticky if it has not yet fully cured.

The D55 is 2012 and my 512 is 2014. Apparently, Nitro does not "cure", it dries:

Nitrocellulose lacquers do not "cure", Curing is a chemical induced reaction (caused by a "catalyst") with a set beginning, an open time and an end ... "Cured" finishes can ever be redissolved in their original solvents.
Nitrocellulose finishes are evaporative finishes, and CAN be redissolved in their original solvents.
if you wish to test this, splash some lacquer thinner on your friend's mint 1957 Stratocaster. ( NO! DO NOT TRY THIS)
Lacquers dry to the touch relatively quickly, but then it can take weeks, or even months to dry completely, leading to the misconception that they "cure".


http://www.luthiertalk.com/threads/the-plain-truth-about-nitrocellulose-finishes.239/
 

ClydeTower

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Try just a touch of coconut oil, it works for me.

just a touch, applied with your skin/fingers just lightly rubbing it in. do not use a cloth, use your finger. i actually cover the entire guitar with it. a very little goes a very long way!

Wow, that almost sounds erotic :biggrin-new:
I'll have to look into that, thanks Mav
 

merlin6666

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I have the same issue where neck gets sticky after about 3 or 4 hours and I don't think it can be prevented. However I find that a microfiber cloth with some spit goes a long way to restore the shine after each play. Spit actually contains the right enzymes to dissolve the grunge and of course is all natural.
 

swiveltung

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Never heard of that on a Guild. Too bad. I had a 2004 Gibson Howard Roberts bought new that would never "cure". Hated it. Nothing worked, not Naptha either. Baby Powder helped only for a few minutes. I'm not sure wet sanding or steel wool will help as it's in the lacquer, not the surface. I even left it with the neck exposed to the summer sun for a number of hours.
I would probably try recoating the neck with Nitro, If it's a nitro issue the new nitro should cure hard and bond with the old. Lacquer remelts itself when coated. There is a chemical used to remelt lacquer. It is used to restore a flaky headstock without harming the logo etc. I have used it, but it's an art for sure, you could end up making the lacquer lump up if you brush too much once it softens....

Maybe you could recoat with poly? IIRC poly is OK over Nitro right?
 

txbumper57

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[h=2]Sticky Nitro neck syndrome - What are your solutions?[/h]
You know if you keep doing that you'll go Blind right?:biggrin-new:

TX
 

ClydeTower

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Never heard of that on a Guild. Too bad. I had a 2004 Gibson Howard Roberts bought new that would never "cure". Hated it. Nothing worked, not Naptha either. Baby Powder helped only for a few minutes. I'm not sure wet sanding or steel wool will help as it's in the lacquer, not the surface. I even left it with the neck exposed to the summer sun for a number of hours.
I would probably try recoating the neck with Nitro, If it's a nitro issue the new nitro should cure hard and bond with the old. Lacquer remelts itself when coated. There is a chemical used to remelt lacquer. It is used to restore a flaky headstock without harming the logo etc. I have used it, but it's an art for sure, you could end up making the lacquer lump up if you brush too much once it softens....

Maybe you could recoat with poly? IIRC poly is OK over Nitro right?

I don't think the issue is the guitars, but rather my body chemistry in relation to nitrocellulose. I know a fair amount of people complain about nitro finishes getting sticky with sweaty hands, mostly people who play electric cause they need a fast neck. Some people go as far as sanding down their necks and fishing them in tung oil or similar. I would never ever do that.

Sometimes I play and its tolerable, other times I get frustrated cause it feels like I'm playing a goopy stick of glue.

The best solution I have right now is to do my Michael Jackson impersonation:

IMG_3135.jpg
 

idealassets

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I hope I get only positive responses to my comments so here goes:

1) Does every guitar that you play get sticky like that?

2) If not: When the problem is the guitar (and not my fudgy palms), and a guitar neck became that sticky on me, and never dried adequately from the manufacturer- I would just face the music and refinish that neck. I have done that very thing on at least 2 guitars. The new finish was nitro and the problem was solved permanently. To me it was worth the cost, and what is paramount in the long run is that I am happy with the guitar and how it plays.
 
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swiveltung

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I don't think the issue is the guitars, but rather my body chemistry in relation to nitrocellulose. I know a fair amount of people complain about nitro finishes getting sticky with sweaty hands, mostly people who play electric cause they need a fast neck. Some people go as far as sanding down their necks and fishing them in tung oil or similar. I would never ever do that.

Sometimes I play and its tolerable, other times I get frustrated cause it feels like I'm playing a goopy stick of glue.

The best solution I have right now is to do my Michael Jackson impersonation:

If that's the case then you are onto a good fix. I have to say, there have been times, not often, but when my hands just get sticky playing. Usually a string change and clean up solves it, but sometimes it seems to occur for a week or so and drives me crazy. Often it is outdoor gigs when it occurs. If it is YOU, then a light wet sanding of the neck surface may help actually. There are cotton "morticians gloves", thinner than a thin Tshirt by maybe half. I think they are a few cents each bought in bulk. You could cut the fingers off.
https://www.uline.com/Product/Detai...KEIubesgUi9KSjLmoG4aAgGxEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds
 
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Rayk

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Wonder if you can just use a soft band aid on the thumb . My biggest issue is the squeaking but it’s only on a few guitars not sure what the deal is myself . I was afraid my custom build was going end up the same and was asking for a sanded neck no finish but I was assured that I would not have this issue and he was right . I guess I can ask my luthier to find out what he know about it .
 

Taylor Martin Guild

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I had the same problem with my 2005 Tacoma D-55.
I got it used in 2009.
The guitar was almost unplayed by the original owner.
When I got it, the neck felt like the finish was moving under my hand.
This went on for a few more years until it finally stabilized a few years ago.

Getting it out of the case and into the open air seemed to help.
 

Walter Broes

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IIRC poly is OK over Nitro right?
nope, the only thing that works over nitro is nitro. But I wouldn't coat sticky lacquer with more lacquer, that's only going to make it worse. What càn be a cause of nitro being sticky for a long time is too many wet coats with not enough drying time in between - that takes forever to harden, for the solvents to evaporate.
 

ClydeTower

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I had the same problem with my 2005 Tacoma D-55.
I got it used in 2009.
The guitar was almost unplayed by the original owner.
When I got it, the neck felt like the finish was moving under my hand.
This went on for a few more years until it finally stabilized a few years ago.
Getting it out of the case and into the open air seemed to help.

Judging by its pristine condition, this particular guitar also has not seen a lot of play. Coincidence?

nope, the only thing that works over nitro is nitro. But I wouldn't coat sticky lacquer with more lacquer, that's only going to make it worse. What càn be a cause of nitro being sticky for a long time is too many wet coats with not enough drying time in between - that takes forever to harden, for the solvents to evaporate.

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? If that's the case, I still think my body chemistry / sweat is at least part of the problem...
Aside from leaving it out in the open on a stand, any other things I can do do accelerate the "drying" process?

Or maybe I could just dump an ice bucket in my pants before I start playing :tongue-new:
 
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walrus

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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
 

Walter Broes

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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? If that's the case, I still think my body chemistry / sweat is at least part of the problem...
It is possible, yes. Also : Nitro keeps evaporating solvents for a very, very long time (decades) -even properly done "cured" (so to speakk) nitro - that's why nitro gets progressively thinner over the years.
 

Bill Ashton

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I had a Gibson J-30 that was a wonderful guitar, but the upper bout where your arm comes across the body rather quickly became cloudy and sticky, could not clean it off. Eventually, at a partial refret, I had the luthier buff out the whole guitar, she looked wonderful...of course, first time I played her just a t-shirt on, same thing. Guitar was 16 years old when I traded her in on my Huss & Dalton, looked pretty much mint except for that. Sometime later I had heard Gibson had some "soft finishes." Wonder if your Guild is an anomoly like that as well. My thought, if she's a keeper for you, have the work done!
 
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