Sadowsky: Sticky Neck Back

lefty007 · #1 01-30-2006, 11:43 AM

Quite often, the neck of my Sadowsky feels very sticky. And I'm using Sadowsky flatwound strings, which also can get pretty sticky (I live in Miami, 100% humidity).

I have been using Finger-Easy spray, which takes care of things, but :

1-The spray wears off pretty quick, and

2-I have heard that Finger-Easy will build up a residue film over time in the neck and fingerboard.

I don't want to fine-sand the back of the neck and I don't want to switch strings, so. . .

Any suggestions besides applying fried chicken grease to the neck before playing? (which, like Bootsy Collins would say, would make it "finger-licking good..." but that is another subject.)

klocwerk · #2 01-30-2006, 11:44 AM

not really.
You either sand it down, or use a lubricant of some kind. Them's your options.

**MAJOR METAL** · #3 01-30-2006, 11:46 AM

I have found Sadowsky necks dont stick for me and i tend to sweat a bit when i am playing, maybe you should wash your hands before playing.You can allways send the bass back to the shop for a neck sanding if you want.

Juneau · #4 01-30-2006, 11:47 AM

I dont know what the finish is like on the Sadowsky neck, but if its an oil/wax, which it sounds like, you can use some 0000 steel wool on it. You also wont have to rub hard, just run it over lightly to remove any gunk. Be careful not to get shavings in your pickups. I usually have a friend hold mine upside down with the headstock pointing at the ground. Once you remove the old residue, you can use a clean paper towel to whipe it clean. Then use a new paper towel with a tiny bit of Kiwi Natural Shoe Polish on it, and rub it in all the way till its shiney. That should last you a month or two before having to repeat the process.

lefty007 · #5 01-30-2006, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MAJOR METAL

I have found Sadowsky necks dont stick for me and i tend to sweat a bit when i am playing, maybe you should wash your hands before playing.You can allways send the bass back to the shop for a neck sanding if you want.

I usually wash my hands before playing, and even before sets - and that is some of the problem, there is no 'lubrication' in my hands. . . but obviously in satin- or oil-finished necks, this is not a problem.

My Sadowsky is a 2003. I'm not sure exactly what kind of finish is there, but it feels like a '75 Fender (although it has a low gloss, but is not quite satin either).

seventhson · #6 01-30-2006, 12:15 PM

I don't know if this is your situation (did you get the sadowsky 2nd hand?), but I have a similar situation where some genius put what appears to be furniture wax on the back of my Gibby Les Paul neck. Yes, it's sticky and it rubs off kind of like dead skin but takes more effort. So now I have patches of normal feeling clearcoat and patches of sticky wax up and down the neck. Based on a recommendation from a friend that does finish work on both cars and guitars and knows his chemicals, I'm going to try and remove it with some naphta.

lefty007 · #7 01-30-2006, 12:37 PM

I just read this at Roger's page:

"We use flat (no gloss) nitrocellulose lacquer on our necks. The hand naturally buffs the finish over time and it has a better feel than if you start with gloss lacquer."

I'm guessing that fine-sanding it will the superfine steel wool or sandpaper will accelerate the natural buffing. . .

Anybody else out there using lubricating sprays for the neck?

alembicbones · #8 01-30-2006, 01:11 PM

I use Alembic Super Polish on all of my basses (including a Sadowsky Metro). It buffs down to a real smooth, sleek finish and doesn't leave any residue.

Great stuff

Bones

kjones · #9 01-30-2006, 02:28 PM

I use the Fender Mist & Wipe (made by Meguiar's) every week or two. My sweaty hands put gunk on my Sadowsky too, and the Mist & Wipe takes it right off.

burk48237 · #10 01-30-2006, 03:24 PM

You might want to check and see if your problem is with your guitar stand, not the neck. The nitrocellulose lacquer does no react well to some rubbers used on guitar stands. The stickiness your feeling may be a chemical reaction of the bass neck to the guitar stand. On all of Rogers new basses he ships them with covers to put on the rubber neck braces on guitar stands. I had it happen once with my NYC.

Greg Clinkingbeard · #11 01-30-2006, 04:31 PM

My neck has three coats of tru oil on it and then I rubbed it out with 0000 steel wool and Johnson paste wax. Every few weeks I give it a coat of wax and it feels great.

heat@500Hz · #12 01-30-2006, 04:50 PM

looks like it's a lacquer finish, according to the info posted up above...

i've never had a lacquered neck that stayed sticky after a polish with Gibson pump polish--i'd suggest trying that, it's the best polish i've tried

**michele** · #13 01-31-2006, 02:03 AM

The neck is, of course, finished the way the man himself says on his site. The back of the neck on mine (also a 2003 model) felt sticky at the beginning but after a couple of weeks of playing the hand actually buffed it naturally. The thumb didn't stick anymore and the neck soon became one of the wonderful I've ever played!
BTW I've never used any product on it and I always wash my hands before playing.

Fuzzbass · #14 01-31-2006, 07:39 AM

The neck on my Sadowsky became stickier as the original satin finish wore down to gloss. IMO this is simply because my fingers slide better over satin than gloss. The difference isn't a big deal to me, though.

Stickiness does get worse when gunk is on the finish, so it is important to keep the neck clean... a good idea, regardless.

The same thing (satin to gloss) happened on my MusicMan Sabre. It just took a lot longer because the Sabre neck was finished in poly rather than nitro.