what to do with maple neck

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prophetofthor

New member
i picked up a MIM maple neck stratocaster. this is the first maple neck i've had in a while. since its a 2008 MIM it has the "one piece neck". i like the sound and i like the fat neck. as always with a MIM i just kinda play all of them in the store and pick out the one that feels good.

all that said. . . .

i'm getting too much friction when i play the guitar. i use finger ease and that helps with the strings (i use finger ease on all my guitars anyway), but i feel i'm getting gummed down when i move up and down the neck. when i do bends i can feel the "gum" when i'm pushing up.

my assumption is the finish. i'm tempted to pull out fine sandpaper and go to town with the back and the fretboard.


any method better? is this a crazy idea?

thoughts/opionions please !
 
Re: what to do with maple neck

maple needs a finish on it otherwise it will rot, over time, from the inside out. Woods like rosewood are naturally oily enough to keep the moisture out of the wood but maple isnt. My advice, if you remove the finish then give it a few coats of tru-oil or something.
 
Re: what to do with maple neck

not tryin' to be a wiseguy, but don't use finger ease... that stuff just makes things feel funky... try some guitar polish on the neck... that might make it feel a little bit slicker... if that doesn't work, a fret dressing might be in order...
 
Re: what to do with maple neck

Hmmm..my 2007 MIM is slick as can be, and I bought it untouched.

I'd try some polish as well, all that finger ease, fast fret stuff I've always found to gunk things up after a couple of hours (at least on the strings). Might try some different strings in that regard -certain brands have a much smoother feel- DRs, Brite Wires for instance.

I wouldn't reccomend it per-se for warranty purposes, but some super fine steel wool may help too.
 
Re: what to do with maple neck

finger ease - love the stuff. but i dont spray it all over the guitar. i spray it into a guitar rag and then pinch the strings with the moist guitar rag and clean vigorously. so finger ease doesnt touch any wood (probably a few molecules here and there, but not much).

i've been googling (trust this board more though).

there is this stuff called "tru-oil" which is made for gun stocks. so i'm guessing its pretty resistant to the elements. but that is for "raw wood". i would have to go sandpaper nuts to remove the finish, then apply tru-oil.

i dont have any guitar polish laying around. guess its burried somewhere. i usually just wipe down guitars with a guitar rag and that brings out the shine. to me guitars are meant to be played and abused, but i know some ppl are "spit and polish" types. i feel sorry for any guitar i buy.

a LONG time ago at this music store i bought a gibson care package thing. it came with some picks and rags, but it also came with a 3 pack of mini bottles of chemicals. one was a guitar polish, one was a fretboard cleaner, one was a string cleaner (if i remember right). that fretboard cleaner stuff rocked. never seen those little gibson bottles in any store since.

i think my next step will be some steel wool on the back of the neck to "break up" the finish, but not remove it. then attack the neck with some slick chemicals (some kinda polish or fretboard cleaner).
 
Re: what to do with maple neck

most fretboard cleaners are designed for use on bare wood, NOT lacquered maple, so be careful with that. They are not compatible.
 
Re: what to do with maple neck

prophetofthor said:
a LONG time ago at this music store i bought a gibson care package thing. it came with some picks and rags, but it also came with a 3 pack of mini bottles of chemicals. one was a guitar polish, one was a fretboard cleaner, one was a string cleaner (if i remember right). that fretboard cleaner stuff rocked. never seen those little gibson bottles in any store since.
Click to expand...

Do a search for "Luthier's Choice" I still have some around here somewhere- and yes it was quality stuff, as good and alot less expnsive than the Dunlop stuff I bought. FWIW, I rarely clean/polish mine up either, or wipe down the stirngs for that matter. Some finishes that really show grime I will polish up on occasion. Strats? I don't think I've ever polished up/cleaned the body on my MIM . The neck face I've hit with the steel wool very lightly just enough to take off the majority of the black gunk/buildup, but I never apply any real pressure.

i think my next step will be some steel wool on the back of the neck to "break up" the finish, but not remove it. then attack the neck with some slick chemicals (some kinda polish or fretboard cleaner).
Click to expand...
Thats what I would try.

It could be your finish has not quite settled yet- common with Lacquer (Nitro), but if it wasn't done properly/chemical balance was a bit off I'd assume poly could get a little gummy as well
 
Re: what to do with maple neck

the frets on MIM Standard strats are huge and your fingers should not even be able to touch the board... am i too assume you have one with small frets for some reason? a vintage style MIM neck? Even on some of my MIM necks with vintage wire i can't really touch the finnish of the maple board with my finger tips

If the strings are sticking and have too much friction during bends i'd suspect that the frets were not dressed well and not polished at all... they must of left the file and sanding marks in the frets crown.. my 2006 MIM Standard is like that... so far i have not got off my butt to correct that as i still play my other axes more often.. even if that 2006 one is much better then the older ones i have..

i never use any junk like finger ease... take the old strings off and use some towel and guitar polish and clean the junk off the board.. change your strings more often as well...
 
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Re: what to do with maple neck

Some 0000 steel wool will give the neck a nice satin like feel without removing the entire finish. You just want to dull it up some. Just make sure to cover up the pickups really good so no metal particles get attracted to the pole pieces. And be careful when going in between the frets.
 
Re: what to do with maple neck

WhoFan said:
the frets on MIM Standard strats are huge
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Hmm.. I'm not sure I'd agree with that. They are typical Fender med jumbos which are far from huge. The frets on the HWY1 are significantly taller than the med jumbos, and compared to Jacksons or Ibbys or (god forbid) the railroad tracks on a YJM sig or a Dean USA, the MIM frets are downright teeny :laugh2:
 
Re: what to do with maple neck

JeffB said:
Hmm.. I'm not sure I'd agree with that. They are typical Fender med jumbos which are far from huge. The frets on the HWY1 are significantly taller than the med jumbos, and compared to Jacksons or Ibbys or (god forbid) the railroad tracks on a YJM sig or a Dean USA, the MIM frets are downright teeny :laugh2:
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to me they are huge for MIM Fender.... i'm a Jackson fan so i really love 6100's and 6000's... but for Fender my 06 MIM strats frets are big!!
 
Re: what to do with maple neck

+1 for Gibson guitar polish in this case... The Gibson polish has some wax in it, making it feel more slick after its been applied when compared to other polishes like Dunlop or Meguire's (Fender) polish. A couple of coats of Gibson polish should make that fret board feel slick.

+1 for new strings. maybe its possible you're using flat wounds? I'd definetely try several new brands of strings and see if any of them feel better.
 
Re: what to do with maple neck

You could "de-gloss" the finish with some #0000 ultra fine steel wool just to get the "tack" off of the neck.

edit...duh ....Erik beat me to it.
 
Re: what to do with maple neck

WhoFan said:
the frets on MIM Standard strats are huge and your fingers should not even be able to touch the board... am i too assume you have one with small frets for some reason? a vintage style MIM neck? Even on some of my MIM necks with vintage wire i can't really touch the finnish of the maple board with my finger tips
Click to expand...

wow. have i been playing guitar wrong all these years? ?? my fingers are fat and short. i can't fathom playing the strings and NOT touching the fretboard someway (except maybe scalloped necks). i'm a blues based player and i dig in and attack strings. maybe if i had long pencil like fingers i could see "not touching the fretboard". ever see a pic of billy gibbons fingers? its sick. i cant find a pic of them on the internet but imagine a groove where your finger "meats" the string. that pic is in one of my old guitar world mags. next basement diggin i'll have to scan it.

i'm not gonna sing the praises of MIM fender fretwork, but it dont think thats the problem. i get friction at the back of the neck (no frets there).

i change strings as often as i need too and i clean them (ernie ball .010's, pretty standard), so its not the strings.

i'm still leaning toward steel wool. worse comes to worse i can "reboot" and sandpaper the whole thing and use tru-oil. that is what Musicman guitars does. they make killer stuff.

apparently most (if not all) of the "fretboard" cleaners i've seen are meant for rosewood fretboards, unless i'm reading labels wrong. i just want less friction.
 
Re: what to do with maple neck

Musicman uses Birchwood-Casey Tru-Oil and then Birchwood-Casey Gunstock Wax after that. Those necks feel great. Definitely the best feeling necks out there, IMO.
 
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Re: what to do with maple neck

prophetofthor said:
wow. have i been playing guitar wrong all these years? ?? my fingers are fat and short. i can't fathom playing the strings and NOT touching the fretboard someway (except maybe scalloped necks). i'm a blues based player and i dig in and attack strings. maybe if i had long pencil like fingers i could see "not touching the fretboard". ever see a pic of billy gibbons fingers? its sick. i cant find a pic of them on the internet but imagine a groove where your finger "meats" the string. that pic is in one of my old guitar world mags. next basement diggin i'll have to scan it.

i'm not gonna sing the praises of MIM fender fretwork, but it dont think thats the problem. i get friction at the back of the neck (no frets there).

i change strings as often as i need too and i clean them (ernie ball .010's, pretty standard), so its not the strings.

i'm still leaning toward steel wool. worse comes to worse i can "reboot" and sandpaper the whole thing and use tru-oil. that is what Musicman guitars does. they make killer stuff.

apparently most (if not all) of the "fretboard" cleaners i've seen are meant for rosewood fretboards, unless i'm reading labels wrong. i just want less friction.
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you really must be Digging IN... over the years i have been forced to use a very light touch because of hand issues... i'm a huge man with large hands and i still can't imagine touching wood on a new MIM Standard without bending the notes sharp trying... but i guess anything is possible

i hear ya about the back of some necks feeling sticky... i used to steelwood and fine sandpaper my strat necks years ago on the back.. i was not to worried about the look... i just roughed it up.. be carefull with steel wool... not only is really bad for the lungs it can stick to your PU's like mad!!!
 
Re: what to do with maple neck

lex666 said:
not tryin' to be a wiseguy, but don't use finger ease... that stuff just makes things feel funky... try some guitar polish on the neck... that might make it feel a little bit slicker... if that doesn't work, a fret dressing might be in order...
Click to expand...

How would a fret dress make the neck not feel as sticky? Dressing the frets won't make it feel any different (froma gummy/stickiness pint of view). I think Scottish has it right. Remove the finish that feels sticky and replace it something that will protect the wood, but still feel smooth when you play it. I have French polished necks which feels nice under my hands. Tung oil & tru oil also work. I also play a Clapton Strat and this has a satin finish neck. Never had an issue with a sticky or gummy neck with this guitar. My 57RI neck which has a high gloss nitro finish is sticky. especially when the humidity is high. Just the nature of the lacquer. If you are inpatient you can strip it down and replace it, but I have played a lot of vintage Strats that have been played for 40+ years, and the finish has been worn off. These guitars feel great under my fingers. So if you want just keep playing it and eventually the gummy/stickiness will go away. besides as the laquer wears away, it looks cool as heck!
 
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Re: what to do with maple neck

Bludave said:
How would a fret dress make the neck not feel as sticky? Dressing the frets won't make it feel any different (froma gummy/stickiness pint of view).
Click to expand...

My bad, the OP mentioned he also had a "friction" problem. I thought we were addressing 2 different problems... sticky necks, and rough or bad frets...



prophetofthor said:
i picked up a MIM maple neck stratocaster. this is the first maple neck i've had in a while. since its a 2008 MIM it has the "one piece neck". i like the sound and i like the fat neck. as always with a MIM i just kinda play all of them in the store and pick out the one that feels good.

all that said. . . .

i'm getting too much friction when i play the guitar. i use finger ease and that helps with the strings (i use finger ease on all my guitars anyway), but i feel i'm getting gummed down when i move up and down the neck. when i do bends i can feel the "gum" when i'm pushing up.

my assumption is the finish. i'm tempted to pull out fine sandpaper and go to town with the back and the fretboard.


any method better? is this a crazy idea?

thoughts/opionions please !
Click to expand...
 
Re: what to do with maple neck

Bludave said:
I think Scottish has it right. Remove the finish that feels sticky and replace it something that will protect the wood, but still feel smooth when you play it.
Click to expand...

i wouldnt actually advise him to remove the finish, i think its too much effort. I just meant if he did remove it, then make sure to put something else on.
 
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