Sticky guitar strings/ fretboard/frets

Michaelcoia123

I recently sanded the glossy neck of my p bass because I heard the satin finish was less sticky and easier to play. I then applied teak oil to seal the wood ( probably used too much) so that sweat and dirt on my hands wouldn't penetrate the wood. The neck feels great  but unfortunately the fret board and strings feel sticky. I cleaned the strings by soaking in methylated spirits for 24hrs which worked well but after playing for a few minutes they were sticky again and fret board feels sticky at frets. I think I need to clean the fretboard to remove the stickiness. I am worried about doing more harm than good. The fretboard is a finished maple neck. If anyone has had a similar problem or has any advice I would be very grateful.

fretmeister

Razor blade.

Gently scrape the board clean. Go slow.

Teak oil is a very odd choice. Most of the time if a gloss neck is a bit sticky just running over it with wet & dry will remove the glossy-ness but still leave it sealed so there is no need to refinish it.

I wonder if the teak oil is reacting to the original finish and becoming sticky with the heat of your hands. If that is the case it might need stripping completely, if that can be done if there's too much oil.

@FelineGuitars

Can you help?


Some makes - like EBMM - use gun oil. Those necks get dirty easily but they feel amazing.

CarpeDiem

I would sand the neck with a fine grade abrasive and apply gunstock oil and wax, which is the method that Ernie Ball Musicman use, as @fretmeister mentioned. 

Michaelcoia123

I think your right.  I don't  think the teak oil was necessary. What would you recommend for scraping the fretboard? I have some fine wire wool 0000 grade. I imagine I will probably need some sort of cleaner. Zippo fluid maybe? Thanks for the advice.

fretmeister

Razor blade.

Roland

Stanley knife blade, held like a cabinet scraper at 90 degrees to the surface. If it’s still sticky then use talcum powder when you play. Talc soaks up moisture. It’s also slightly abrasive, and will gradually turn the finish to satin.

Michaelcoia123

Cheers for the advice. I will get busy and let you know how it turns out. 

Andyjr1515

You say it's a finished fretboard.  As in varnished?  Be careful - a razor will scrape the varnish off.

Meths is usually pretty safe to rub the surface and frets of a varnished fretboard with a lint- free cloth, changing to a clean area frequently.  It sounds to me that you have some oil on the fretboard and this is making your fingers sticky and transferring back to the cleaned strings. 

It might take a couple of goes.