Sticky neck on open air gigs

rsvmark

I have played 2 festivals on the bounce over the last 2 weekends and have struggled a little bit with a really sticky feeling on the neck. Yes I have washed my hands, and it’s not just 1 guitar…. It’s all of the 4 I have taken out live. But it really is a pain and stops sliding into and out of notes.  Wondering if humidity (yes there was rain in the air on both nights) and then when I go to the guitars inside a few nights later….. no issues at all. They are all nitro finish (May or May not be the issue) but it’s bloody annoying and spoils my enjoyment. I can now see why snails pace slim used to use wd40! What am I doing wrong and any tips to resolve/minimise this phenomenon?

Sharky77

I had this last night aswell. Outdoor festival in Romania - got the guitar out to warm up and it was really sticky on the strings and frets aswell - really difficult to slide. I presumed it was due to the soundcheck being in the hot sun earlier in the day as when I got the guitar out of the case it was still really warm. I played it for about 10-15 mins and then washed my hands. Luckily I didn't notice it too badly during the actual performance. Would be very interested to hear if anyone has any solutions!

mrkb

Are those Nitro finished necks?

Roland

Sharky77 said:

Would be very interested to hear if anyone has any solutions!

Talcum powder. I learned about it from Jeff Beck.

rsvmark

@Sharky77 ;
Glad it’s not just me. Was there much difference between soundcheck and performance? We have had very short change overs so maybe I need to get them out of the cases a lot earlier?

rsvmark

mrkb said:

Are those Nitro finished necks?

Yes

mrkb

rsvmark said:

mrkb said:

Are those Nitro finished necks?

Yes

Ah, then it’s “authentic” (poly finishes don’t tend to get sticky). Rolands talc suggestion seems to be the best solution, as nitro does tend to soften with heat and humidity. On a poly neck a light rub with a  fine wire wool takes the edge off the hard gloss finish and usually slickens up a neck nicely.

ICBM

This is one of the main reasons I dislike nitro. Unfortunately one of my favourite guitars has a nitro-finished neck - although not the body - which suffers badly from this, even when it’s not hot. I should probably get around to just sanding it off…

Dontgiveupyourdayjob

Weird, I actually noticed this on Saturday when I played an outdoor gig and wondered if it was just me. I just put it down to it being a humid, thunderstormy kinda day and me being a sweaty bugger, even though I was wiping my fingers constantly and didn't actually feel sweaty!

Good to know that that it's actually 'a thing' and it's not just me!

davros

I had sticky neck syndrome in 2 outdoor gigs this weekend, but it was my sweaty hands, not the nitro as it was on the fingerboard/fingers side too. Horribly humid this weekend, but rainstorms helped on Saturday as it packed the marquee for our set!

EricTheWeary

I looked at the title of this Discussion and thought the answer was going to be 'lightweight scarf.' Doh! 

The classic hand towel on stage, give it a rub when you can? 

[The guitar neck]

rsvmark

Roland said:

Sharky77 said:

Would be very interested to hear if anyone has any solutions!

Talcum powder. I learned about it from Jeff Beck.

@roland just a bit on the back of the neck then? Hands as well?

flying_pie

rsvmark said:

Roland said:

Sharky77 said:

Would be very interested to hear if anyone has any solutions!

Talcum powder. I learned about it from Jeff Beck.

@roland just a bit on the back of the neck then? Hands as well?

Balls too. You don't want any potential restrictions to your rock star moves repertoire 

Roland

@rsvmark I put a little on my left hand. It spreads with use. If it’s a really sweaty gig I might also dust the underside of my right forearm to stop it sticking to the guitar body. 

p90fool

I've just started using talc this year and it's totally cured grippy strings or neck problems. 

You don't need much at all, but boy it makes a difference. 

relic245

p90fool said:

I've just started using talc this year and it's totally cured grippy strings or neck problems. 

You don't need much at all, but boy it makes a difference. 

Does the wire wool thing affect the look or feel of the neck in any way?

My 335 has a sticky neck so tempted to the this. I don't think I'll ever sell it but cautious.

Maybe @Roland's suggestion of  talk maybe be better first try.

Roland

You can’t undo wire wool unless you refinish the neck. Talc can be wiped off if you don’t like it, although it does tend to get on your pedals, and I’m not sure what it does to string life.

The main reason I use talc isn’t sticky neck, it’s sticky fingers. Our keyboard player has started using it for that reason.

flying_pie

relic245 said

Does the wire wool thing affect the look or feel of the neck in any way?

My 335 has a sticky neck so tempted to the this. I don't think I'll ever sell it but cautious.

Maybe @Roland's suggestion of  talk maybe be better first try.

I use car scouring pads on my poly necks starting with a right grit and then finishing off with the higher ones but it's basically the same. Just a light scuff to take away the stickiness on my Teles and you wouldn't really know it had been done to look at. It feels a thousand times better. You don't notice any roughness - it simply feels less sticky. If you don't like it then just play for long enough and you'll get the glossy feel back.

On my Tremonti SE the matte finish from scouring is more obvious on the neck but it's easy to use a bit of electrical tape while slices of so that there's a neat edge between the goods on the headstock and the hell. Of course nobody will ever notice that when you're on stage

Devil#20

Cotton jewellers glove with the fingers cut off. 

stratman3142

Roland said:

Sharky77 said:

Would be very interested to hear if anyone has any solutions!

Talcum powder. I learned about it from Jeff Beck.

Yes. It works for me as well.

thebreeze

So is it just a bit rubbed on to your fingers?  Does it last for the whole gig after that?