Outdoor Gig And Humidity = Sticky Guitar!

[paul-e-mann]

I had an outdoor gig a couple weeks ago and it was so hot and humid it made my guitar sticky, never experienced anything like this before! It was almost unplayable and I wasnt prepared for this. What to do about this? I was thinking put some Fast Fret on the fretboard and back of the neck to slick it up as a work around if I ever experience this again. This is my first time gigging in decades and I'm used to playing indoor stages so this was a first for me and I know I will have more outdoor gigs to come with this band!

 

[6knobs]

If your neck is painted, either polish the crap out of it or sand it and tru-oil for a nice satin finish. For body paint (where your arm rests), again polish the crap out it.

For your hands, grab some Dry 'n Glide or a powder, like corn starch or Caldesene. Basically anything that will absorb the moisture, similar to what pool players use to keep the cue stick moving smoothly.

 

[Kinkless Tetrode]

Is it a nitro finish? You might try polishing it with polishing compound to clean it up and then try some of that ceramic auto wax where your arm lays across the body to keep the nitro from getting wooly feeling. For the back of the neck I sometimes run some 800# grit wet sanding lightly over nitro on my own guitars. It will dull the finish, so be warned if that matters to you.

If it's high gloss poly then any wet sanding will scratch it, so I hate to make suggestions for somebody elses guitars.

 

[V-man]

Nitro will be sticky. The “scotchbrite” trick will not help much, IMO if your hands are going to be wet from perspiration. Fast fret is a good idea. Assuming you aren’t on a summer tour festival circuit, well…unpleasant experience had. Maybe remember a microfiber cloth tucked in your waistband btw songs for the neck if you ever do it again sometime in the future.

If I were going to see more regular outdoor gigs in such climates, I would seriously test an inconspicuous spot (control cavity/under pg for example) and passing that test, put some water-based Astroglide in a travel spray pump. Beware: they have silicone-based, which feels like bacon grease and silicone does NOT play well with nitro. I bet good money 2-3 spritzes of the ‘glide would do.

 

[paul-e-mann]

Is it a nitro finish? You might try polishing it with polishing compound to clean it up and then try some of that ceramic auto wax where your arm lays across the body to keep the nitro from getting wooly feeling. For the back of the neck I sometimes run some 800# grit wet sanding lightly over nitro on my own guitars. It will dull the finish, so be warned if that matters to you.

If it's high gloss poly then any wet sanding will scratch it, so I hate to make suggestions for somebody elses guitars.

I'm not looking to change the finish on any of my guitars...

 

[K9Merc]

I use fast fret prior to shows to clean and lube the strings. I also use finger ease. It’s a spray you hit the strings and back of the neck with. Philp Sayce (amazing blues rock guitar guy and singer) keeps his out on stage with him to spray if things get sticky. Plus I like the smell of finger ease.

 

[jmp45]

My mid 70s LP's neck gums up a bit not long after playing. I've used 1000 grit on the neck to reduce the problem. It takes it to a satin finish. But it comes back to a gloss after playing in time. Best cleaner and polish I've found for nitro haze / tackyness is Virtuoso. That's another option.

I used finger ease too in the 70s when I gigged. I've wondered if that had a negative effect on the neck finish. Probably not, that LP is a poster child for 2nds.

 

[JeffMcLeod]

Plus I like the smell of finger ease.

Absolutely love it! lol

 

[JeffMcLeod]

 

[DreamerDeceiver]

Yet another use for Astroglide !

 

[Sg-ocaster]

I keep a can of Finger Ease spray in my gig bag for just such "sticky" situations.

 

[PelliX]

Some talcum powder might help. I never really get too stressed about the left hand, but I hate the right wrist, forearm sticking to the guitar. My solution is just a sweatband - I actually wear one when playing in any climate. It's just something that you get used to. Finger Ease (despite the iffy name) is exellent, though!

 

[El Gringo]

I keep wiping my strings and neck and body where my right arm touches when I am playing and just keep playing and rocking .

 

[Sg-ocaster]

but I hate the right wrist, forearm sticking to the guitar.

Me on the other hand.....sweat all over my guitars. They usually come home from a gig with sweat lines run all down the front. That said by the time ny cloths dry up they usually have huge white salt rings on them after a gig.

 

[PelliX]

That said by the time ny cloths dry up they usually have huge white salt rings on them after a gig.

...as long as it's salt...

 

[Alter]

Just make sure you don't scratch a guitar while the nitro is still gummy and soft, cause it makes huge scratches. It gets normal again when it cools off.

 

[aikiguy]

I have this happen all the time when I play outside these days, and I hate It. I’ve never found a proper solution for it though, really.

I’ve been playing at car shows, Ribfests, Food Festivals, etc, and have complained about my strings being sticky almost every time. It makes me feel like I can’t even play, and I don’t like being in front of an audience when it’s happening.

Keep us posted!

 

[KidBlast]

I have never used fast fret, or finger ease.

Summer gigs can be a tossup.

Every year in August I do a solo gig at a regional dart tournament. They're all inside, I'm outside with the guys doing the barbeque and where the food is served, the picnic tables and the corn hole games are.

Last year it was brutal, one of those 90-degree august afternoons in New England.

I try to remember to have some hand towels with me, one damp and a few dry ones I always try to bring a pedestal stand fan too

 

[Vinsanitizer]

I had an outdoor gig a couple weeks ago and it was so hot and humid it made my guitar sticky, never experienced anything like this before! It was almost unplayable and I wasnt prepared for this. What to do about this? I was thinking put some Fast Fret on the fretboard and back of the neck to slick it up as a work around if I ever experience this again. This is my first time gigging in decades and I'm used to playing indoor stages so this was a first for me and I know I will have more outdoor gigs to come with this band!

Is it a nitro finish and were you wearing any bug spray?

I destroyed the finish on a $4,000 Martin D-41 I used to have. It was brand new and I wanted to put some memories into it, so I brought it with me to camp for the weekend. Lots of mosquitos, so I doused myself with DEET. 20 minutes later I'm playing my Martin with a t-shirt on, and I'm like, "WTH?" I looked down and the finish was literally melting off the guitar.

While I'm story-timing, I gigged that guitar once. When the set was done, I walked down to the empty from row of seats, laid the case down on the seats, put the guitar in it, and just as I close the top a couple people came over to talk. So we talked. And when we were all done talkin', I grabbed the handle of the case and started to walk off. 20 seconds later the guitar fell out of the case, face-down onto the case's latch teeth, gouging a 1/4" hole and a nice scrape across the top of that beautiful, expensive guitar.

Want more? Later on, the neck began to separate from the body joint. Then the notorious binding separation began to occur on all 4 sides, when Martin was selling guitars that weren't being made properly, and pissed off a whole bunch of customers.

I finally figured out that guitar wasn't meant to be.

But hey - enough about me, let's get back to you: how do 'you' like my little stories?

 

[paul-e-mann]

Is it a nitro finish and were you wearing any bug spray?

I destroyed the finish on a $4,000 Martin D-41 I used to have. It was brand new and I wanted to put some memories into it, so I brought it with me to camp for the weekend. Lots of mosquitos, so I doused myself with DEET. 20 minutes later I'm playing my Martin with a t-shirt on, and I'm like, "WTH?" I looked down and the finish was literally melting off the guitar.

While I'm story-timing, I gigged that guitar once. When the set was done, I walked down to the empty from row of seats, laid the case down on the seats, put the guitar in it, and just as I close the top a couple people came over to talk. So we talked. And when we were all done talkin', I grabbed the handle of the case and started to walk off. 20 seconds later the guitar fell out of the case, face-down onto the case's latch teeth, gouging a 1/4" hole and a nice scrape across the top of that beautiful, expensive guitar.

Want more? Later on, the neck began to separate from the body joint. Then the notorious binding separation began to occur on all 4 sides, when Martin was selling guitars that weren't being made properly, and pissed off a whole bunch of customers.

I finally figured out that guitar wasn't meant to be.

But hey - enough about me, let's get back to you: how do 'you' like my little stories?

So much for that $4k guitar, I still play my $179 Yamaha F335 40 years later and still in 1 piece...

...and the strings are 40 years old, how you like them apples!