how do you fix a sticky neck guitar?

[gibsonman]

I have a 1976 guitar that developes a sticky neck as i play particularly outside, in florida. I have had many guitars and never had this problem. Can anyone suggest a "fix"? I see on youtube people suggesting sanding the neck w/ scotchbrite red or gray pads. This scares me a bit but it is a recurring problem. HELP

Thanks for you responses

[brentrocks]

0000 steel wool works good

[golferwave]

0000 steel wool works good

 

 

Brent knows his stuff.

[GuitArtMan]

0000 steel wool works great to de-gloss the neck. It's the gloss that makes it sticky. The reason some people recommend Scotch Bright pads is they don't want to have to worry about the steel wool bits. Anyway the trick is to just remove the gloss from the finish, not the finish itself. YOu only need to do the playing area on the back of the neck. I've done this to numerous necks. Overtime just the normal action of playing will polish the neck back to a gloss, simply repeat the procedure.

[chico]

or just keep a rag handy with a bit of lemon oil dabbed into it. run it up and down the back of the neck as part of your warm up. smells good, doesn't remove any finish.

[big bob]

Where are you in Florida, I'm in Gainesville.

[tbonesullivan]

have you tried the usual Gibson pump polish and/or virtuoso polish? Do you play outdoors? Do you wash your hands before you play?

[skydog52]

I've used Scotch-brite than a thin coat of Virtuoso cleaner and polish.

Worked very well for me.

[gibsonman]

thanks everyone for your input.. I got a scotchgard green scrubber that is used for cleaning glass top stoves and worked on the neck for about 10 minutes and ..wow what a difference. I then took a less corse red pad and finished it off. No scratching of the surface just dulled it up a bit.. This is a 1976 es335 and i guess from a lot of years playing and build up of dirt and oils causes a sticky problem over time. anyway an easy fix to a problem child!

[yoslate]

Another thing you can do is get some of that big sidewalk chalk, used by kids. Just lightly chalk the palm of your left hand (assuming you're right handed, of course), before you play.

[davesultra]

I've head that you can wipe the back with Naptha.

[tdrommond]

It's humid in Oklahoma, too. I have the sweaty palms when in front of people playing, even at an open jam. I keep a small tin of talc in my guitar case. I found an old Mennen tin from the 70s at an antique show that's small enough to fit in the storage compartment. I've found that washing my hands just before play or practice helps a bunch. I know that sounds like common sense, but it's so easy to reach out grab the guitar and start playing without thinking about it. I also wipe the neck and fretboard down when I finish. Just a soft dry cloth with nothing on it.

 

All my guitars have been softened with a gray scotchbright pad, too.