Sticky neck?

geetaruke · #1 01-31-2017, 10:50 AM

Hello all. I'm a total electric noob and was checking out an Epiphone Les Paul Special II. A budy of mine has one given to him as a gift a while back that literally has less than 1/2 hr playing time on it (28 min, me, this morning. Lol).

Anyhow, as a complete electric noob, I noticed the neck was sticky. Extremely sticky.

Is this something specific to brand? A characteristic of all electrics? Something that goes away?

Any input would be appreciated as I can get this guitar from him for almost free but if this is a persistent issue, I wonder if it would be worth it at all.

Thanks in advance.

Steely Glen · #2 01-31-2017, 11:07 AM

Clean the neck with naphtha and it should help. The problem is probably just grime and oil gunking up the poly finish.

Steve DeRosa · #3 01-31-2017, 11:26 AM

I'd just use a damp rag followed by a soft dry cloth - always worked on all of my non-shellac finished instruments...

Paleolith54 · #4 01-31-2017, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by geetaruke

Hello all. I'm a total electric noob and was checking out an Epiphone Les Paul Special II. A budy of mine has one given to him as a gift a while back that literally has less than 1/2 hr playing time on it (28 min, me, this morning. Lol).

Anyhow, as a complete electric noob, I noticed the neck was sticky. Extremely sticky.

Is this something specific to brand? A characteristic of all electrics? Something that goes away?

Any input would be appreciated as I can get this guitar from him for almost free but if this is a persistent issue, I wonder if it would be worth it at all.

Thanks in advance.

In case the other ideas don't work and it really bothers you...I had a strat neck like this that drove me nuts. GENTLE use of 0000 steel wool took care of the problem. Not sandpaper (I've seen internet discussions of "sanding down" the neck), but very fine steel wool.

Steely Glen · #5 01-31-2017, 05:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Paleolith54

In case the other ideas don't work and it really bothers you...I had a strat neck like this that drove me nuts. GENTLE use of 0000 steel wool took care of the problem. Not sandpaper (I've seen internet discussions of "sanding down" the neck), but very fine steel wool.

Great advice here ^^^^ just be sure to tape your pickups with masking tape/painter's tape to prevent the little steel wool fibers from wrecking your pickups, which are magnetic. Ideal would be to remove the neck (a la Fender), but your Epi likely has a glued in neck, so that's not a viable option.

Steve DeRosa · #6 01-31-2017, 06:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steely Glen

...Ideal would be to remove the neck (a la Fender), but your Epi likely has a glued in neck, so that's not a viable option.

The Special II has a bolt-on neck which, although easier to remove/replace than a set neck, comes with its own set of problems in so doing - none of which a newbie would be equipped to handle...

Back to the damp rag and soft dry cloth...

Steel and wood · #7 02-01-2017, 03:02 AM

No rule that says you have to remove the neck to sand it down/rub with steel wool.

It's the back of the neck we are talking about.

moon · #8 02-01-2017, 09:42 AM

If cleaning doesn't work don't be afraid to strip the finish back to the wood then rub in several thin coats Tru Oil until you reach the desired gloss/feel. Much nicer than poly.

Steely Glen · #9 02-01-2017, 10:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Steel and wood

No rule that says you have to remove the neck to sand it down/rub with steel wool.

It's the back of the neck we are talking about.

No one said it was a "rule" to remove the neck, only that it was "ideal" to remove the neck. Cleaning the neck (fretboard or the back of the neck) can certainly be done with the neck on the body, but the chance of having steel wool fibers in your pickups is much higher that way.

maxtheaxe · #10 02-01-2017, 10:57 AM

I think you might have best luck with VERY fine sandpaper...2000 grit wet/dry paper would give a nice buttery polish to the surface. Soak the paper (or just use spit) and polish it along the direction of the grain. I personally wouldn't go anywhere near a guitar, especially an electric one, with steel wool, although there is some very fine grade bronze wool that would be safer.

MC5C · #11 02-01-2017, 02:51 PM

That is a dead cheap Les Paul, and the poly finish is applied thick and not polished. It's not going to feel good until it either gets polished in by hand, or you take the next steps. I would wet-sand the back of the neck with 1500 to 2000 grit paper until it is dead flat (no glossy spots) and then rub it with polishing compound ( the Meguire's stuff you can buy at the car parts store is great) until you like it. Lots of people just stop after the wet-sanding, and put a little wax on it.

Otterhound · #12 02-01-2017, 05:37 PM

They do make stainless steel steel wool .

geetaruke · #13 02-01-2017, 05:40 PM

Thanks for the replies. The info here has been helpful for and I will look further into these suggestions.

BTF · #14 02-01-2017, 06:48 PM

If it's any help, during the hair metal days when satin necks were de rigueur, we used a simple sheet of Scotchbrite. You can usually get it in the household cleaning section of your grocery store or Walmart. It's a green nylon pad used to scour pots.

We used to put the pad into our curved hand, then put the pad gently against the neck as if we were about to play. Rub it back and forth parallel to the strings, and voila, satin-finished neck. No threat of steel fibers to mar your flawless metal technique.

Scotchbrite doesn't eat into the finish when used with care, it just smooths the sticky gloss.

Here's a video of a technique similar to what we did:

If you try any of these methods, use with care!