Dave1963 Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 Hi everyone. I have been getting used to my rather stunning ES335 '63 and really enjoying it. However, one slight niggle.....The neck keeps feeling rather gritty and there is a deposit of some sort. My hands are clean and not particularly sweaty. I went over the neck with some 000 wire wool and then a dry microfibre, which polished it up beautifully, but I am still getting this grittiness occasionally, which does clean off really quickly with a dry cloth. It this a trait of a Nitro finish? My HW1 Tele has a nitro neck, but that is a matte finish, which has polished up to a gorgeous gloss over time and use and it doesn't have this gritty feel to it. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 Is there any chance that anyone used mineral oil on the fretboard? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 Freshly painted necks can take quite a while to fully cure and lose that sticky feeling. I had my Lucille redone and it was a good six months, maybe a year for it to feel normal. I just aired it out a lot and wiped it down with an old t-shirt after playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChristopherJ Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 Nitro can take a while to fully cure and harden up. Try some talc powder on you hand/neck before playing and see if that helps. I keep a small bottle of baby powder in my case/bag. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1963 Posted February 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 Thanks guys, much appreciated! A cloth has been added to the case..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1963 Posted February 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 Is there any chance that anyone used mineral oil on the fretboard? I put a tiddy bit of lemon oil on it when I changed strings, but nothing else. I bought the guitar new, so I would have hoped the shop haven't done anything with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ksdaddy Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 Most stuff labeled lemon oil is actually lemon scented mineral oil. I've found any mineral oil leaves a gritty residue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1963 Posted February 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 Most stuff labeled lemon oil is actually lemon scented mineral oil. I've found any mineral oil leaves a gritty residue. The grittiness is on the neck and not the fretboard. The fretboard is brilliant.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pitfall Posted February 10, 2018 Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 I had the same thing happen with my '06 es335DD. When it was new, I would get a sticky residue on the back of the neck whenever I played it. It took 18 months to 2 years before the finish hardened up fully, at which point it developed quite a lot of lacquer checking - but it hasn't got any worse over the last 10 years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1963 Posted February 10, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 10, 2018 I had the same thing happen with my '06 es335DD. When it was new, I would get a sticky residue on the back of the neck whenever I played it. It took 18 months to 2 years before the finish hardened up fully, at which point it developed quite a lot of lacquer checking - but it hasn't got any worse over the last 10 years. Thanks Pitfall. I guess I just have to get used to it for a bit.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveFord Posted February 11, 2018 Report Share Posted February 11, 2018 Sometimes it can also be caused from polish on the back of the head stock. My Martin developed that sticky feel recently so I wiped it down with a damp washrag and buffed it smooth and all is good. If it's just new nitro the only cure is wiping it down, airing it out and lots of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted February 11, 2018 Report Share Posted February 11, 2018 Not to worry, sometime the nitro just takes a while to cure. I had the same issue on a 356 I bought new last June and it lasted about 3 months or so. Gibson literature states that they put "at least" eight coats of nitrocellulose lacquer and it may take some time for it to fully harden and feel smooth. I always wipe the back of the neck off after playing before it goes back in the case and the neck is very smooth and fast now. Just play it a LOT, your hand moving up and down the neck will help it too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1963 Posted February 12, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2018 ........Just play it a LOT, your hand moving up and down the neck will help it too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted February 12, 2018 Report Share Posted February 12, 2018 nitro can be a bit of a nuisance till it 100% cures keep a clean rag handy, and just keep wiping it down until you don't notice any more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave1963 Posted February 12, 2018 Author Report Share Posted February 12, 2018 Cheers my man Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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