Sticky nitro neck

[Marcus T]

I Have a '66 with a nitro vintage white finish. The neck is constantly sticky.

Is there some sort of known remedy for this that I'm not aware of? Citrus cleaner? ;)

[Old Cane]

steel wool

[BackNtheSaddle]

Alternatively, you can do pretty much the same with Scotch Brand abrasive pads. the advantage of those is, no worries about the steel wool shedding and getting into the pups.

I use this every month or so on my nitro neck, when it glosses over and gets sticky.

The permanent solution is to refinish the neck with TruOil or a satin poly.

[Old Cane]

You got to do it every month? I did mine in 1978. But I used steel wool.

[psyched]

Take the neck off before you do anything, whether steel wool or Scotchbrite pads (I use the green ones, also haven't had to do it more than once unless I wanted to knock down the glossiness a little more). Give it a once over with a little naptha on a rag no matter what you use, and no silver sheep or other gunk in yer pick-em-ups!

[Ronkirn]

'66 ya say?? A reissue or the real deal…..

what can cause sticky ness in real nitro,… "real" being key is if somewhere in it's life it was laid on some kinda synthetic material… vinyl upholstery being the most likely candidate… the "plasticizers migrate into the lacquer and will cause it to get soft… it lasts forever...

if that's the issue, there is only one remedy,,,, only one….

If it's a modern guitar, then there's no telling, because the nitro lacquers used today are similar to the real vintage blends only in that if ya spill the whole can… it's a lotta $$ down the drain.

Ron Kirn

[hailebrad]

Hi,

If it's just the back of the neck I would give it a couple swipes with some wet 600 grit sandpaper. Then buff the back of the neck REAL well with some good auto wax.

This will remove that tacky never to dry surface feeing for good.

[BackNtheSaddle]

Originally Posted by Old Cane

You got to do it every month? I did mine in 1978. But I used steel wool.

The first couple of times, I used steel wool, but it's a mess. You either have to take the neck off, with is too much trouble or, risk getting the shreds in the pups.

That's why I use the Scoth pads. They work just as well, but if you play the thing with any serious regularity, your hands will buff out the abrasions and it will get slick (and sticky) again.

Refinishing is probably the best option, but if it's a "vintage" guitar, you may not want to do that.

I've tried the car wax method, but it wears off and buffs out from playing repeatedly.

The nitro will never dry and there is no permanent solution other than removing it and using something else. You can treat the symptom, but you cannot cure the disease

[old goat]

You might try cleaning the finish with a little mineral spirits and then a little soapy water (damp not wet rag.). It might be dirt on the finish rather than the finish itself. If it's really a 66 I'm surprised it still has any finish on the neck.

[Mark Davis]

Naptha then wax it with a good old paste wax.

That worked for me you can also dust youe fretting hand with some talcum powder.

[Marcus T]

Originally Posted by old goat

You might try cleaning the finish with a little mineral spirits and then a little soapy water (damp not wet rag.). It might be dirt on the finish rather than the finish itself. If it's really a 66 I'm surprised it still has any finish on the neck.

My wife's dad bought it new. I don't know how much he actually played it. When he passed he willed it to my wife. It sat in the case in her mother's damp basement until I convinced her it was better if I fixed it up and used it than if it sat in the basement collecting mold.

When I finally got it, the switch was screwed and the pickups were dead. I replaced them (fender switch and CS '51 Nocasters) and have the originals stored in my parts chest. May get the pups rewound one day. Or dipped. Or whatever...

I love this guitar. Nothing else sounds as good, but this sticky neck business is very upsetting. I don't really want to sand the neck (obviously) and find it hard to believe that everyone goes on about the "glory of nitro" if this is the outcome. Seems a bit odd that everyone is "anti-poly" around here.

I guess I'd just better play the piss out of her until that finish wears away naturally then, huh?

Ps. The nitro finish on the body really does look spectacular...

[BackNtheSaddle]

It will take YEARS of play to wear it away! And, honestly, it will never completely go away.

I think the least invasive "treatment" is the Scotch pads. You're only scratching the surface up, removing the sheen and making it feel less sticky. You do it very lightly and honesty, it would take many, many, many times (hundreds? thousands?) to abrade all the finish off. I have done it about a dozen times, each time, after a few months, it gets shiny and sticky again... so I do it again.

I only give it about 15-20 wipes up/down, side/side... that knocks the gloss off and makes it feel almost as nice as the satin finished necks. There is no muss, no fuss and no mess from steel wool.

Short of refinishing with something other than nitro - IMHO, it's your best course of action... albeit only temporary. But, you can just do it again, when it gets sticky.

[Marcus T]

Hers a few shots I did with her recently. She's a beauty.

[Abu Twangy]

Your symptoms are pretty common with well-used vintage nitro finishes. I had similar issues with my nitro finished pre CBS Fenders (Jazzmaster, Tele and Bass VI) back in the day.

So now I have a bunch of nonsticky poly finish instruments.

But I would gladly put up with some of that sticky neck feeling if I still had my old ones

[StratBluesRock]

Yeah, steel wool to knock some of the gloss off.

[telepathetic]

Big fan of the gloss neck finish here. I use this stuff:

You have to really shake it up first. The sound it makes while shaking changes drastically when it's ready (30 seconds or so). Just a little bit on a paper towel (1/2 teaspoon or so) is plenty for any neck. Wipe it on, it dries quickly and wipe it off with a cloth. That's it, slick as can be.

I get it from Darren:
http://www.darrenriley.com/shop/cart...t_detail&p=188

I use it on all my glossy necks. I accidentally knocked it over with the cap off and lost half of it. The bottle has lasted 4 years and still has over 1/4 left.

[BigD]

I just hit the back of my EJ Strat with the Scotch Brite Green pad occasionally, but it's not a '66 Tele.

[garyk]

I usually end up sanding my necks and refinishing with Tung oil, or Danish Oil.
Will go over nitro if you don't want to strip it right back.

[Marcus T]

Originally Posted by garyk

I usually end up sanding my necks and refinishing with Tung oil, or Danish Oil.
Will go over nitro if you don't want to strip it right back.

Interesting thought. My biggest concern is affecting the resale value. Wait let me rephrase that. My biggest concern is keeping my wife happy, it is hers after all. She's a dollars and cents type of gal. I just want to play the damn thing.

What is the general consensus on neck sanding/refinishing and it's effect on value?

[ddewerd]

FWIW, I did the steel wool thing to my '63 Tele. I went all the way down to the bare wood, no more stickies for me. I only have to do it about every couple of years now.

HOWEVER - I also did a crappy refin job on it, and I'm not concerned about resale since I'd never sell it. So asthetics and value are a whole different thing in your situation.



Cheers,
Doug