help! sticky gloss on the neck of sadowsky

[drewhrt2]

lately i've been in the market for a new bass. after months of deliberation i've decided sadowsky is the brand for me. i found a beautiful used sadowsky nyc for a great price and it feels, sounds, and looks great... except for one thing, the back of the neck has a glossy coating that makes my thumb drag and feels almost sticky when my hands sweat.
should i buy the bass and hope that i get used to the neck?
or wait until the next bass bass of my dreams comes along without this problem (which may be unlikely)?
i've also considered buying it and sanding down the neck to recoat it in a less glossy finish.

any thoughts/suggestions/stories are much apprectiated!

 

[80'sRocker]

I assume this is a used bass? Try cleaning this 1st w/ some solution, possibly alcohol based (denatured alcohol). Then try some black emery cloth (a very light sandpaper, possibly 600 grit) then wipe. It might work well enough as to require no refinishing of the neck at all. I've done this on some painted necks and it worked well.

 

[MarkusBass]

A little steel wool, and you're good to go.

 

[Tommygunn]

Wow, more and more it seems I'm the only one who prefers high gloss necks.

 

[Doug Parent]

I bought a used Metro that had the back of the neck sanded or de-glossed / given a "worn in" treatment from the guys at Sadowsky. Not sure how they did it, I assume perhaps steel wool as previously suggested. It's smooth as silk and very slick feeling to the hand, no resistance whatsoever. Hope that helps.

 

[Slax]

I second the steel wool idea. Also, if you're not comfortable doing it yourself, you could bring it into a shop and have them do it.

Wow, more and more it seems I'm the only one who prefers high gloss necks.

I prefer gloss necks too.

 

[drewhrt2]

huh, thats interesting. perhalps i should call sadowsky and ask what he suggests.

thanks for the responses!

 

[drewhrt2]

also, i asked a bass repair guy ( very reputable), and he recomended the steel wool idea also. but when i asked him if he could do it for me he said he wood be afraid to because hes seen alot of people do it that end up with roten necks and frets popping out etc.

 

[MarkusBass]

From steel wool? I don't think so...I'm not talking about sanding through the clear coat, just a light scrub to take the shine off.

 

[drewhrt2]

oh that makes sense. i guess i would just have to be sure not to sand too deep into the neck.
thanks!

 

[MarkusBass]

No problem! You'd have to do some serious scrubbing with light steel wool. Once you start, you'll see what I mean. Just enough to dull the shine.

 

[nato101010]

Steel wool, or 400 grit wetsanding worked for me really really well.

 

[darthplagis]

i took the top coat off an affinty squire tele i have with a scouring pad (see link below), all i did was rub it a few times till the shine was gone if you use a standard guitar cleaner as a lube too just in case you get a little rub happy

http://www.zzrising.com/products/images/d003-kitchen-sponge-scourers.jpg

 

[JAGGL3S]

Steal wool or 1,000 grit sandpaper?

 

[Xray66]

There's also synthetic pads made in various levels, such as 0000. They're made of nylon. That way you don't have to deal with metal shavings. 3M makes them and others. They're good for creating a brushed finish.

 

[Kipaste]

Wow, more and more it seems I'm the only one who prefers high gloss necks.

Nah, me too. To me they feel really sleek and not sticky at all, but my hands don't really sweat either.

 

[darthplagis]

i love gloss too just not on my squire body hehe. i even custom ordered gloss neck on my sandberg

 

[Doug Parent]

also, i asked a bass repair guy ( very reputable), and he recomended the steel wool idea also. but when i asked him if he could do it for me he said he wood be afraid to because hes seen alot of people do it that end up with roten necks and frets popping out etc.

Yeah I think when you start to see frets and fretboards etc you've rubbed a little too long.

 

[Relayer71]

he said he wood be afraid to because hes seen alot of people do it that end up with roten necks and frets popping out etc.

You would have to rub very vigorously and for a loooong time to affect the frets if you start with the BACK OF THE NECK. Lol.

You DO mean the back right and not the fretboard, right? Because I hate that sticky feeling too and had to do it to the back of a guitar once but I would never touch the fretboard, I'd leave that to an experienced repair person for the same reason your friend mentioned.

Just do it very lightly and make sure you're not taking shards of wood off, hehe.

I actually like glossy necks but they don't all feel sticky like that.

 

[johnk_10]

i prefer gloss necks too, but if you must dull the finish, i wouldn't recommend steel wool at all. it will get tiny metal threads all over your pickups (that you'll have to remove with masking tape). i'd recommend either the synthetic pads or 600-1500 grit wet/dry sandpaper paper, sanding it a little wet with a litte dish soap added to the water. try not to get any water on the fingerboard.