Warwick neck question

[AndrewMagrini]

Has anyone ever put a finish on their Warwicks neck? I gotta say that even with waxing a couple times a week, it still tends to get sticky during long practices and/or gigs

I'm thinking of lightly sanding the neck and applying a think finish to keep this from happening. Does anyone (Warwick owner or not) have a suggestion for how to do this?

 

[flipper_gv]

you don't wax the neck, you oil it. Sure it will be a bit sticky with wax. Use lemon oil next time.

 

[bassteban]

I used to wax mine but would then buff it for days, likely removing the majority of the wax. It always felt sweet & smooth to me.

 

[flea claypool]

you don't wax the neck, you oil it. Sure it will be a bit sticky with wax. Use lemon oil next time.

nope... you can oil it but

you wax it..

warwicks come with beewax...

and straight away the problem is your over waxing.. its not a surf board.. you basically building a monster layer from what your saying..

try waxing every 2-3 weeks

 

[dystopiate]

Not sure where I got this from, but I don't wax the necks on my Warwicks. I thought I read in Warwick's literature that the necks shouldn't be waxed and that the natural oils from your hands should be adequate, but I could easily be mistaken. FWIW, my $$ has an oil finish on the body that you're not supposed to wax, so it doesn't come with wax even though the neck is just like those on standard 'vettes -- the implication being that you're not supposed to wax the neck. Neither of my Warwicks have any neck stickiness issues, though whether you attribute that to the lack of wax is up to you.

 

[Kael]

No you don't wax the necks on warwicks. At least you aren't intended to. You wax the bodies. No wonder your neck is sticky if you are waxing it. Stop waxing it. The woods warwick uses for their necks do not need such treatment.

I don't have any literature from warwick regarding this issue handy, but I've also read this in the past.

 

[msiner]

From the Warwick manualInvalid Link Removed:

Tips for Neck Care
You can use our Warwick Beeswax for all necks treated with Natural Oil Finish. Apply the beeswax with a polishing cloth using circular movements. After applying wait 2 to 3 minutes and then remove the excess with a dry polishing cloth.

EDIT:
Two things to point out here:
1) It says "you can", not "you should" or "you must" (take that with a grain of salt though because Warwick is German and things can get lost in translation).
2) The last step would be crucial. That is, you need to "remove" the excess.

 

[IngerAlb]

Has anyone ever put a finish on their Warwicks neck? I gotta say that even with waxing a couple times a week, it still tends to get sticky during long practices and/or gigs

The neck is getting sticky precisely because you're waxing it; the more wax, the stickier. IMO you have 2 choices: leave it as it is and let your own body sweat & oil smooth the neck, or (my option) use lemon oil instead of wax (and also on the fretboard.

 

[elpezpr]

Warwick FAQ # 023

Q: Can I use the Warwick Surface Finisher Wax even for Colored Oil Finishes?

A: No, you should not do this. The Surface Finisher Wax is only recommended for instruments with Natural Oil Finish. For Instruments with Coloured Oil Finish you can use the wax only for the backside of the neck and the frontside of the headstock. To clean the Colored Oil Finishes we recommend the "Formula No. 65 Guitar Polish" by Dunlop and for the cleaning of the fingerboard the Dunlop "01 Fingerboard Cleaner".

 

[IngerAlb]

Unless you have a matching heastock it's pointless to use wax on it And take note of the "can" use the wax for the backside of the neck: you can do it, but with the cost of ending up with a sticky neck.

 

[bassteban]

...wax for the backside of the neck: you can do it, but with the cost of ending up with a sticky neck.

Sure- if you overdo it.

 

[nrssab]

I never dared to wax, lemon oil does great for me. It really brings out some 3d sights on some parts of the Ovankol.

I'm shure you can get a finish on the neck.

 

[IngerAlb]

Sure- if you overdo it.

Not quite...I waxed mine just once and it still gets sticky after a longer practice. Even a very thin coat of wax will react with your sweat and the result is a sticky neck (and yeah, I wipe it every single time).

 

[bassteban]

Not quite...I waxed mine just once and it still gets sticky after a longer practice. Even a very thin coat of wax will react with your sweat and the result is a sticky neck (and yeah, I wipe it every single time).

Well, I half-wish I lived next door to you; it sounds like you're missing a key step here or something.

 

[Grank]

I have a corvette with natural finish on neck and body that I use the wax on with no problem at all (I actually have problems if I don't wax as the feel changes after a few weeks), but then I got a thumb and was having the problem you describe ... it came with wax so I waxed ...but sticky neck! So I studied teh neck more closely and then I realised that although the body of the thumb was natural, the neck was finished (wasn't that obvious to look at, but the feel after waxing ... )

 

[bassteban]

Grank, what kind of neck did your Thumb have? The old wenge ones were unfinished, or so I thought.

 

[humpy thumb]

It's ok the wax the back of the neck,but it's not critical,.
It's ok the use lemon oil on the back of the neck &/or fingerboard.
There is no right or wrong way here guys.
If you wax the back of the neck & it becomes sticky during gigs/rehearsals,stop.
The neck gets plenty of oil from your hand.
To remove the wax that's built up,use a Scotchrite scouring pad to remove it,then a coat of lemon oil,then buff.

 

[rogerbmiller]

Tjhe folks at Warwick say the oil from your hands should suffice for the neck. If you are playing it a lot I would say try doing nohting other than playing it.

 

[Grank]

Grank, what kind of neck did your Thumb have? The old wenge ones were unfinished, or so I thought.

Hi bassteban, it's a 2007 LTD Flamin Blonde - it has a multi layered wenge / yellowheart neck.

 

[IngerAlb]

I got a thumb and was having the problem you describe ... it came with wax so I waxed ...but sticky neck!

Yeah, mine's also a Thumb, a 2009 BO with ovankol neck.