Rosewood/ziricote necks— stickiness

[Bsic]

Hey folks, a few years back I had a custom guitar made (not PRS) and had a Brazilian neck.

I found it to be sticky- my hands are naturally on the warmer side and compared to a typical prs mohagany neck it just felt less smooth.

It is smooth to the touch, but playing it it just seemed to get in the way which surprised me. Something about my hand temp/body chemistry, who knows. I know may prefer and love the feel and find it to be the opposite.

Recently got a PRS with a ziricote neck hoping it would not be a similar situation, but it is.

Anyone also find this to be true? If so, any way to slicken it up?

 

[AP515]

My BRW neck is very smooth. Like most others I find it smother than any painted/finished neck. My recommendation is to put a little baby power on your fretting hand before playing and see if that cures your problem. Just remember to wipe the neck down with a fine cloth after playing so you don't build up a powder film.

 

[tiboy]

I had two IRW neck guitars. They were among the least sticky necks.

 

[CandidPicker]

Another option is to spray some FingerEase spray lube used for fretboards and necks. I use this when playing a humid indoor, or outdoor gig where precipitation might be involved regards a canopy. You'll be slippery in no time, and the stuff works well. (Caveat is to spray and let sit for 20 to 30 seconds, then wash the excess from your hands. Don't put your fingers in your eyes, nose, or mouth.)

 

[dmatthews]

I have 2 IRW neck guitars, and they're my fav by far. I tend to perspire a bit when playing hard, and the IRW works well for me.

 

[László]

PRS recommends cleaning the rosewood necks with the usual lemon oil stuff, and then wiping it off and following up with a furniture wax like Behold. I used to do that when I had a couple.

I’d guess doing that with your guitar would work similarly well.

Unfortunately, even treated that way, by the end of a recording session, my RW necks felt like I was playing a furry animal, and I gave up trying.

The other thing I’ll mention is that before cleaning my rosewood necks, I sometimes got them “unfurry” with a few very light strokes of the finest grade of micromesh.

However, I discovered that for me, bare wood necks are a pain in the derrière, and I’m just a gloss neck kinda person. Yes, I know, everyone else loves their bare wood necks and I’m weird. What else is new?

 

[WA Paul]

I own several BRW necks and I just wipe them down after every session - no issues. But I haven’t had any issues with nitro finished necks either.

 

[Jkater]

My modern Eagle has an indian RW neck and it's very smooth. Does other Rosewood necks feel the same to you?

 

[veinbuster]

My modern Eagle has an indian RW neck and it's very smooth. Does other Rosewood necks feel the same to you?

My Indian Rosewood and Brazilian rosewood feel exactly the same. I couldn’t tell the difference by touch.