Back of Martin Dread Jr neck ruined

sam1314 · #1 10-25-2021, 04:14 AM

I have a friend who has one of those Martin Junior dreadnoughts. It's a nice little guitar. Yesterday, he brought it over for me to adjust the action. As soon as I picked it up I noticed the back of the neck felt grainy and rough. This rough grainy feeling runs along the entire back of the neck. The guitar is only 2 months old. I purchased the same guitar for my daughter at the same time he got his, and her neck is as smooth as butter in the back, just like the day I got it. His neck felt like this when brand new as well... I was with him when he got it.
I believe it's all sepele, and has a satin finish.
Any ideas on what could have caused this? Does he just have a weird pH balance on his hands or something?

Jim Comeaux · #2 10-25-2021, 06:04 AM

It sounds as if “someone” has done “something” to the neck, (sandpaper, scotchbrite, steel wool?). Guitar necks do not generally suffer from acne. In this case, the cure may well be the same as the cause.

JERZEY · #3 10-25-2021, 06:25 AM

Hand sanitizer is absolutely terrible for instruments. The use of hand sanitizer should be followed with a proper washing with soap and water before you dream of touching any instrument.

UncleJesse · #4 10-25-2021, 06:31 AM

I got a 2018 Djr recently and thought the back of the neck felt rough and scratchy. I think it goes with the cheaper finishing. What I did is use micromesh pads from 3600-12000 grit and then took some automotive polish and buffed it on with a buffer pad on my drill. Then I took those micro mesh pads to the back of the neck again and now it's awesome. Smooth like a gloss neck but closer to feel to a long-played Martin satin neck.

sinistral · #5 10-25-2021, 07:02 AM

It sounds like a reaction or buildup from sweat/oils/dirt/hand-sanitizer/peanut butter/some or all of the above. I’m no expert, but I suspect that while satin finishes feel great when brand new, they are more susceptible to buildup than high-gloss finishes since satin finishes are more porous.

There are lots of websites and videos showing how to remedy a sticky neck (naphtha, 0000 steel wool, etc.—I’ve always preferred bronze wool to steel wool from my old brightwork days).

To avoid the problem going forward, washing hands before playing and wiping the neck down afterwards will go a long way to keeping the neck feeling smooth.

Fwiw, there is a “new” GS Mini on the wall in a local shop that has a sticky neck from too many people playing it with dirty, sweaty, oily hands. The satin finish on the Minis is similar to the one on a D-Jr., and imo not as fine as the satin finishes on either of their (Martin and Taylor) higher end guitars.

sam1314 · #6 10-25-2021, 08:14 AM

Good info, everyone. Thanks!
Makes me also wonder about the 15 series Martin I got a few weeks back. Should I expect the same with it? I've been playing a 16 series for 20 years, and that neck is still in awesome condition. Smooth as silk. The 16 series has a satin finish as well.

jdinco · #7 10-25-2021, 08:35 AM

I've had my Djr since they first were released, 6 or 7 years, no neck issues at all. I don't think you have much to worry about...something weird going on with your friends though.

Laughingboy68 · #8 10-25-2021, 09:27 AM

Some people's sweat composition makes their guitar necks feel sticky. One of my son's friends had the problem. All of his guitars felt gross. He had a great sounding Custom Les Paul that no one would touch because it just felt awful.

If he played your guitar, you'd have to clean it afterwards.

He was a nice kid. Clean. Just unfortunate body chemistry.

stephenT · #9 10-25-2021, 10:19 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sam1314

Good info, everyone. Thanks!
Makes me also wonder about the 15 series Martin I got a few weeks back. Should I expect the same with it? I've been playing a 16 series for 20 years, and that neck is still in awesome condition. Smooth as silk. The 16 series has a satin finish as well.

completely different finish

Brent Hahn · #10 10-25-2021, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sam1314

I have a friend who has one of those Martin Junior dreadnoughts. It's a nice little guitar. Yesterday, he brought it over for me to adjust the action. As soon as I picked it up I noticed the back of the neck felt grainy and rough. This rough grainy feeling runs along the entire back of the neck. The guitar is only 2 months old. I purchased the same guitar for my daughter at the same time he got his, and her neck is as smooth as butter in the back, just like the day I got it. His neck felt like this when brand new as well... I was with him when he got it.
I believe it's all sepele, and has a satin finish.
Any ideas on what could have caused this? Does he just have a weird pH balance on his hands or something?

High heat can do that. Like, say, the trunk of a car on a summer day. But it will likely happen everywhere, not just on the neck.

Goat Mick · #11 10-25-2021, 12:52 PM

The satin necks on my 000-15 and my 000-17 have gotten shiny and slicker as I have played them over the last year or three. I have had other satin guitars that I didn't like the rough feel of the neck finish and I just hit those a few times with a green Scotchbrite pad and they felt great. I doubt very seriously that anything was "ruined" on your buddy's guitar.

619TF · #12 10-25-2021, 01:49 PM

Does he keep it in a hard case? Is it the one the guitar came with? My friend has an old Guild that was in great shape for years. His case was pretty beat up so he bought a new, aftermarket (but name branded) one and now, about a year or so later, we're noticing a tacky feeling wherever the guitar was in contact with the case. Especially the neck rest area. Not good but to me it seemed like some kind of chemical reaction with the finish. Unfortunately that was all I could tell him.

ljguitar · #13 10-25-2021, 03:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sam1314

…Any ideas on what could have caused this? Does he just have a weird pH balance on his hands or something?

Hi Sam
Who knows. That's certainly a viable option.

Another practice that's destructive to the finish on the backs of necks is people who work in the mechanical trades, but don't wash their hands before/after playing their instruments.

And then there are the 'speed-in-a-spray-can' guys who lubricate the fingerboard of their guitars to improve their fingering speed (as well as anything within ten feet of them).

I have a guitar which has a very shiny underside neck which grabs my thumb and squeaks when I move. So I grab a piece of 1600 grit sandpaper about every other year and buff the shine off it so it will not squeak while I'm playing it.

sam1314 · #14 10-25-2021, 05:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 619TF

Does he keep it in a hard case? Is it the one the guitar came with? My friend has an old Guild that was in great shape for years. His case was pretty beat up so he bought a new, aftermarket (but name branded) one and now, about a year or so later, we're noticing a tacky feeling wherever the guitar was in contact with the case. Especially the neck rest area. Not good but to me it seemed like some kind of chemical reaction with the finish. Unfortunately that was all I could tell him.

Interesting. He actually bought the Martin hard case that's sized for it.

dnf777 · #15 10-26-2021, 09:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdinaz

I've had my Djr since they first were released, 6 or 7 years, no neck issues at all. I don't think you have much to worry about...something weird going on with your friends though.

Same experience here with my first-gen Dred-jr. If anything, its gotten better over time and use.

If theres any question of dirty hands, I wash with regular hand soap and water before playing. Generally avoid sanitizers and lotions. Quick wipe down anywhere I contact guitar after each use. For the most part…