capmaster Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 OPEN LETTER TO THE GIBSON COMPANY: PLEASE STOP USING STYROFOAM FOR INSTRUMENT CASES. Dear Ladies And Gentlemen, as I experience myself with two Custom Shop guitars made in 2012, and the Master Luthier of Musikhaus Thomann, Burgebrach, Germany, confirmed, the neck rests made of styrofoam make nitro finishes sticky. The styrene evaporation is a slow process, so the problem persists for years. None of the Gibson USA cases made between 1973 and 2013 did anything to the nitro finish. Sadly, the both of my 2012 Custom cases do. To avoid this in the future, PLEASE STOP USING STYROFOAM FOR GUITAR AND BASS CASES. THIS WILL SOLVE THE STICKY NECK PROBLEM FOREVER. In my opinion, prestige and quality should be reasons enough for this innovation. With best regards, capmaster, seasoned Gibson player and multiple Gibson owner Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rct Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 I applaud your enthusiasm as indicated by your font choices, and I applaud your effort. I had sticky neck'd Gibsons long before there was an internet for us to carp about it on, that lived in non-Gibson cases, and were usually resolved in pretty short time just by playing them. I really think it is just residual whatever from the new paint, and you need to wear it away a bit. Not all were sticky, but not all were not sticky. Same for the other company. rct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kaiser Bill Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 AHA!!!! Is that why my LPDC and my Midtown Kalamazoo are so dadgum sticky?? I've been throwing polish at the problem and it doesn't help much after an hour of playing. I actually get black "gunk" off of the necks STILL, and its NOT the polish. I've done everything I know to do except start sanding with 2000 grit or steel wool. Thanks for the alert. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 One of my gibbys is almost 20 years old, my newest arrival is a 2012 SG Standard. The SG gets pretty sticky in the muggy weather, not so noticeable in the winter months. the 95 LP Standard used to feel like there was glue on the neck in the hot / humid climate times here in New England. had to wipe it down all the time. Now, not so much. I think as Rich mentions the nitro finish is soft and takes a real long time to fully cure. Eventually it improves. play it. I don't know why Cap is thinking it's the case materials that are totally covered with felt anyway. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
capmaster Posted September 4, 2014 Author Share Posted September 4, 2014 ... I don't know why Cap is thinking it's the case materials that are totally covered with felt anyway. It only appears where the necks of both of my Custom Shop Les Paul guitars sit on the neck supports to both sides of the accessory compartments in their cases. According to the Thomann Master Luthier, these are made of styrofoam containing some amounts of monomeric styrene which is gassing out slowly over time. It is a fluid with a vapour pressure slightly below that of water. Like air humidity, there is something like air "styrenity" so to say. The gas migrates through the lining and transgresses into the nitro finish. Other than for the lining, it is a solvent for the nitro finish, so it gets attracted by it and will make respectively keep it soft. This is definitely only about my Alex Lifeson Les Paul Axcess' and my Custom Shop Les Paul Standard's neck areas supported by the neck rests made of styrofoam. No other areas of these two guitars of mine are affected, and none of the fifteen Gibson guitars and basses of mine residing in Gibson USA cases with no styrofoam in them. Reliable reports say that lots of the Gibson USA 2014 cases cause these troubles, too. I think this is about the brown ones with pink lining like one of my 2012 Custom Shop cases. The other 2012 Custom Shop case of mine is black with Alex Lifeson facsimile autograph silkscreened in gold and crimson lining. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 I use an old tee shirt for that area - it seems to do the trick. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Riffster Posted September 4, 2014 Share Posted September 4, 2014 That's the good thing about being a complete hack, this would not make a difference in my playing. Every sticky neck I've had went away simply by playing the guitar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bender 4 Life Posted September 5, 2014 Share Posted September 5, 2014 That's the good thing about being a complete hack, this would not make a difference in my playing. Every sticky neck I've had went away simply by playing the guitar. i've got a couple old guitars w/literal bare spots on the necks.......I play 'em..... but I didn't pay C/S type money for them either, .........were this the case (no pun intended) i'd be pissed! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jimi Mac Posted September 6, 2014 Share Posted September 6, 2014 I suspect it's simply a potential issue with any neck finished with Nitro-Cellulose finish. I also suspect that on any given day in the factory that the conditions could constitute a finish that didn't cure or dry completely within itself that seems to result in sticky necks. I just couldn't get along with the neck on my 2000 Gibson Les Paul Deluxe Limited Edition and I tried modifying with the scotch-brite trick making it a satiny finish instead and that just doesn't work well on Nitro so I finally caved-in and re-finished over the neck with Poly-Urethane. Now it feels great and I have zero issues with it... Other than I didn't do the greatest job and need to touch it up just a tiny bit. For some reason I chose to not refinish over the binding on the edge of the fretboard on the outside edge on the neck and there's a tiny ridge where the Poly-Urethane stops that is noticeable under certain circumstances that can annoy a bit. I've decided to do 1 more set of coats to finish right to the very corner of the binding at the fretboard surface and I think that will eliminate the line/ridge. Usually when I play it I don't even notice, but my OCD knows it's there and I feel it and it's slightly visible and that annoys me too... If anyone other than myself plays it they'll probably notice it right off and wonder WTF, so I think I should do this final step to satisfy my own need to make it better... I was pleasantly surprised at how much better it felt to me after refinishing with the Poly-Urethane. I know it makes most folks cringe, but my guitars are for playing not looking-at or resale value... It's my very first Les Paul and I'm not going to sell it during my lifetime! The same guitar is my only guitar and the only 1 of my 2 real Gibson Les Pauls that has an issue the the Nitro. Where my arm comes across the "top" face of the body when playing is marring from reacting my my sweat and skin oils too. Much like a number of the old Goldtops that start wearing and reacting blue/green after years of use... The finish is clouding very slightly in that area and it's no longer coming out with a good polishing. I suspect it's an indication that on any given moment on any given day the Nitro finish process can be touchy and go awry at the factory... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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