sanding question

[Shawman]

hello

was looking for some advice really, my main player these days is my schecter hellraiser V, love the bass but i find the neck to be very "grippy" on the back (heavy gloss finish)

i would love to sand it a bit to lose the stickyness but i'm not wanting to wreck what i think is a gorgeous finish

what would you do?

cheers

[bassbenj]

Originally Posted by Shawman

hello

was looking for some advice really, my main player these days is my schecter hellraiser V, love the bass but i find the neck to be very "grippy" on the back (heavy gloss finish)

i would love to sand it a bit to lose the stickyness but i'm not wanting to wreck what i think is a gorgeous finish

what would you do?

cheers

Cry?

You don't say what kind of finish, but I've had the same problem for quite some time on my Robot Les Paul with a nitro finish. Been round and round the block with no solutions. Talk to all the guitar forums and you get all kinds of "solutions": Baby powder, Pledge wax, sand paper, to just waiting the 5 or 6 years it takes for the surface to not be so sticky.

Well, I"m with you. Cripes after forking over a grand for a beautiful instrument, I really, really, don't want to start taking the sand paper to it! And yeah, all the other "answers" do help a little bit. So right now I'm still waiting for the "age" solution.

On the other hand, my Alembic 6 string Fretless bass, with a poly finish was a tad sticky and because the workmanship was far from perfect to begin with, I was much less disinclined to get out the sandpaper. Well, it wasn't sandpaper, actually. It was 0000 steel wool. What it does is sort of turn the neck finish from gloss to a satin look and gets rid of the sticky. Worked fine on that instrument. I'm not sure if the same thing would totally get rid of the "sticky" on nitro. A thread here a bet back concluded that the sticky thing is kind of genetic or something where some people have it and some don't.

So just ask yourself the question: Do I want to play this instrument or just stare at it and admire it? Both seem valid answers. Only you can decide.

[snyderz]

I use a 3M pad on my sticky necks.

[Ric5]

Originally Posted by snyderz

I use a 3M pad on my sticky necks.

+1

[Diogenes]

Originally Posted by snyderz

I use a 3M pad on my sticky necks.

+2... or very fine steel wool. If I know a coat of poly was used then after the steel wool I'll use a good automotive wax/polish to really make it slick.

[MrTAteMyBalls]

i've used steel wool in the past and it worked fine.

[Shawman]

thanks for the advice guys, still a bit unsure of hat i'm going to do. will probably go with the steel wool idea first, if it needs done any more then i might look into rougher stuff

any further ideas are appreciated though

[bassman10096]

Ultra fine steel wools and 3M scratchies will take the gloss and the ick off. But if you use steel wool: Be really careful to keep the steel wool away from your pickups. Steel wool sheds tiny clippings every time use press on it. They are instantly attracted to the strong magnets in your pickups. Once they get on the mags, you can't remove them without risking harm to the magnets. If your pickups aren't sealed in epoxy or something else, there's a chance the filings will work their way into the coils - Not what you want to have happen. I don't use steel wool to avoid the worry. 3M pads work fine.

[JustDavid]

I use ultra-fine sandpaper; 800 grit or finer. Gets me past the worry of steel wool crumbs getting into/around the pickups.