Has anyone 'deglossed' their thick poly CF guitar necks?

[Methos1979]

I have noticed that I develop a thick callus on the inside knuckle of my left (fretting hand) thumb when I play my CF guitars (RainSong and Emerald). This callus eventually cracks and becomes painful if I don't sand it down quickly enough. I only have noticed this issue with the carbon fiber gigging guitars I've owned, notably the RainSong's and Emeralds. I don't have an issue with my wood guitars with thinner nitro or satin finishes.

I'm wondering if anyone has 'deglossed' their CF guitar necks to create a 'speed neck'. If you have done this, please chime in with what you used and how it worked out. Also, if you have photos of the finished product or links to a thread where you discussed this, please send that along with your reply.

Thanks.

[Earl49]

Scott, I get some of this on my thumb too, and I use a lot of thumb-over technique. What you are experiencing may be more a factor of the shoulder of the fretboard. Rainsong is noted for having a fairly sharp corner. I have not noticed the edge on my Emeralds as a big factor. I have to keep sanding down my fingertip calluses to keep them under control, especially when playing a lot. I also use Eucerin Intensive Repair lotion daily on my feet to keep my heels from cracking. Since starting that, I no longer get cracks in the corners of my thumbs in the winter. Hope this helps.

As for deglossing, Emerald shoots everything in gloss and will "satin" the neck upon request. They use Scotch Brite pads and masking tape to do this. I think it might be the finer grade (gray) of the pads, not the common household green ones. An email to Kevin or Davy could verify that.

[kanefsky]

Here's an Emerald with a satin neck from one of the shipping videos:

https://youtu.be/jqKkuBpNI1w?t=329

The satin neck is one of my favorite features of the McPherson CF guitars. Theirs seems much more like a "natural" satin vs. a glossy finish that's been sanded down.

[btbliatout]

Scott,

I have an Emerald X20 Nylon as one of my main practice instruments (hours of classical type practice a week), and I have a Rainsong WS1000 steel string. I haven't had any thumb callous issues, but I also play in a traditional classical or flamenco way. Because I have no issues, if I were to make a guess, your issue may be related to thumb-over-the-top techniques.

I second the idea of keeping your skin hydrated. I recommend using simple, pure, organic jojoba oil. I'm sure there's skincare people who can recommend the most premium, bestest, greatest, mostest awesome-o stuff, but what I KNOW is that jojoba oil is very similar to what our own bodies make (sebum), and it's a very simple/basic product. I like to start with the simple stuff and only dig into more complicated solutions/chemicals if needed. Also, jojoba oil is great for your nails if you play with your nails. It's molecular size is small enough to penetrate the nail plate (since it's similar to sebum), so it actually moisturizes your nails and keeps them more flexible and less likely to crack; I believe there's no other available product that can molecularly slip in between the cells of your nails.

And also consider getting an e-file (or a Dremel tool?). I have an e-file that I use to work on my nails or grind down a callous that need tending to. It saves me loads of time.

[jricc]

Hey Scott. I use these 3m Scotch Pads, the Grey one on my Rainsong.
https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tool...tch-brite-pads

I lightly grip the neck with these and they bring it to a satin like feel. Lasts about 15 gigs, then I do it again.

[OnTheFidele]

Originally Posted by jricc

Hey Scott. I use these 3m Scotch Pads, the Grey one on my Rainsong.
https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tool...tch-brite-pads

I lightly grip the neck with these and they bring it to a satin like feel. Lasts about 15 gigs, then I do it again.

Thank you for this tip! I haven't had any issues with my gloss Rainsong neck going up and down the fretboard, but I've been looking for options in case I want a more satin feel.

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by Earl49

Scott, I get some of this on my thumb too, and I use a lot of thumb-over technique. What you are experiencing may be more a factor of the shoulder of the fretboard. Rainsong is noted for having a fairly sharp corner. I have not noticed the edge on my Emeralds as a big factor. I have to keep sanding down my fingertip calluses to keep them under control, especially when playing a lot. I also use Eucerin Intensive Repair lotion daily on my feet to keep my heels from cracking. Since starting that, I no longer get cracks in the corners of my thumbs in the winter. Hope this helps.

As for deglossing, Emerald shoots everything in gloss and will "satin" the neck upon request. They use Scotch Brite pads and masking tape to do this. I think it might be the finer grade (gray) of the pads, not the common household green ones. An email to Kevin or Davy could verify that.

Originally Posted by jricc

Hey Scott. I use these 3m Scotch Pads, the Grey one on my Rainsong.
https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tool...tch-brite-pads

I lightly grip the neck with these and they bring it to a satin like feel. Lasts about 15 gigs, then I do it again.

Thanks for the tips, guys. I finally got around to picking up a couple of these pads today at Home Depot (3M, grey) and they worked awesome! The neck is super-slick right now. It will be interesting to see if this helps alleviate the thumb callus. I'll be sure to report back on that for posterity's sake and full continuity for those that stumble upon this during future searches on the subject.