Conference napalm::guitar

	I'm glad to see that I'm not the only person with this problem!

	The best thing that I found is Gibson guitar polish, available at
fine music stores everywhere (plus Daddy's).  However, this is good for, at
most, 1 set - depending on wheather or not you're a heavy sweater (that is,
a person who sweats heavily, not the kind you mother used to make you wear
in the winter - sorry, couldn't resist) and the amount of acid in your skin.

	In the past I used to use armour-all, but I like the feel of the guitar
polish better.  There doesn't seem to be much of a difference in the amount of 
time that either one lasts.

	Either one would be less messy that talcum powder (or whatever is was
you said you used) and they don't accumulate on the strings.  Another thing is
make sure to wipe down the neck, strings, and your left hand frequently with a 
clean, dry cloth - once after each song would not be too often.  This also
increases the life of your strings.

	Hope this helps.
						Brad

p.s.  You wouldn't have the tabs for "Alice's Resturant" hanging around, would
 	ya?  Ha Ha.

    I saw an ad in one of the guitar mags recently that promised to
    eradicate sweating problems.  I don't know what it is or how it works. 
    
    Greg

RE < Note 1375.2 by CSC32::G_HOUSE "Be excellent to everyone!" >

>    I saw an ad in one of the guitar mags recently that promised to
>    eradicate sweating problems.  I don't know what it is or how it works. 
    
	Wouldn't be an anti-perspirant, would it?

	Dan

    There is a Baby lotion on the market, I think by Johnson and Johnson
    that has baby powder in it. I accidently found out that a few minutes
    after the lotion is absorb into the skin, it leaves a fine powery dry
    film on your hands and is great for keeping hands dry while playing on
    those 97% humidity days when everything seems to be sticky.
    
    You may want to give it a try.
    
    Dave.

    You might also wants to check out a sporting goods store for products
    for tennis and racketball players. I know there are a number of things
    that are supposed to reduce palm sweat. I think these are basically
    small bags of resin that you carry around in your pocket.
    
    - Ram

    
    How about Formby's Lemon Oil?  Just clean your frets with it and you're
    all set! :-)
    
    Guy

    re: .3
    
    I don't know what it is.  The photo looked like a man dragging his hand
    over something like a pad or something, so it probably is some form of
    anti-perspirant.  I wasn't really too interested in the ad, since I
    don't have a big problem with this.
    
    Greg

I used a baby powder for a few years, a trick Carlos S taught me...you do have 
to be careful not too let too much build up at one time..

dbii

    
    	I have used French chalk in the past...same as before, don't use
    too much.  The good thing about it is it's really cheap.  If you go to
    a dispensing chemist (I don't know the American equivalent is but it's the
    place you would get medicines if a Doctor prescribed them, like "Boots"
    in the UK), you can get enough to last a lifetime for about 50 pence.
    
	This topic really begs the question....why do American guitarists
    sweat so much....:-) Tee Hee.
    
    Cheers
    
    	Pete_who_doesn't_sweat_but_has_been_known_to_perspire.

    
    
    
    
    	This discussion is really getting hot!!  I'm a wicked heavy sweater
    (heck, I sweat when I drive my car)!  I'm not a fast or professional
    player, but this stuff they call FINGER EASE works great for me... 
    Does anybody else use it (go ahead, tell me it destroys my guitar).
    
    
    Steve
    
    Heavy Sweater (grin)

    I've used finger ease before...  Dunno about what it does to your
    guitar, but it makes things too slippery for me...  Like my fingers
    slip off the strings (BOOOIIINNNGGGGGG!).
    
    A slight rat-hole here...
    
    My Charvel has a natural finish (meaning NO finish) on the back on the
    neck.  I really love this feel...However, the oils and stuff from
    my hand seems to have been absorbed into the wood, and now the back
    of the neck at my "favorite" positions is kinda... Ummmm.... Shiny...or
    slippery.
    
    How do I get the original finish back ?

    Ideas ?
    
    jc

    Do you mean Raw wood or a satin type finish? if it's raw wood, 
    u're up the creek.  I rub my quiver with alcohol, straight,
    it removes old wax and dirt fine from laquer or varnish. 
    

    
    
    
    
    	BTW.. I hate to "muck up" a topic as much as the next guy, but it
    seems like the really cool kids down at the music store are "loving"
    unfinished necks lately... anybody know what's the attraction, do
    unfinished necks perform better from a "stickyness" perspective... ? 
    Can I afford DBII's Muisic Man??? <grin>.
    
    
    Steve

    re: .12
    
>    My Charvel has a natural finish (meaning NO finish) on the back on the
>    neck.  I really love this feel...However, the oils and stuff from
>    my hand seems to have been absorbed into the wood, and now the back
>    of the neck at my "favorite" positions is kinda... Ummmm.... Shiny...or
>    slippery.
>    
>    How do I get the original finish back ?
    
    You might try some stuff called "Old Gold" woodwork restorer. I use it
    a lot to polish my guitar. It has some kind of petroleum product that
    removes dirt and replaces the oil in the wood, leaving a smooth, shiny
    finish. It's one of the best things I've found  for cleaning natural or
    stained woods. It is ok over other finishes, like lacquer, although
    there are other polishes for these that might work as well or better.
    
    - Ram

    Hmmmm...   I'll try the alcohol.  Sounds like a good idea.
    I wonder if Old Gold might mess up the natural wood cuz it's 
    petroleum based ??

    jc (who is about to become the owner of a second Charvel)

    Hey Coop, unless your Charvel is different from most of them, it has a
    finish on the neck.  It's just a smooth satin finish rather than a
    sticky glossy finish.  What's wrong with roughing it up a bit with
    Scotch-Brite or something?
    
    re: whoever asked what the appeal of unfinished/satin finished necks
    
    I like them because they have a nice smooth glide when moving my hand
    around.  If I sweat a bit, I find the gloss finishes stick to my hand a
    bit.
    
    Yeah, I know, if I had good technique, the palm of my sweaty hand
    wouldn't be on the neck and it wouldn't stick to the finish.  :-)
    
    Greg

>   <<< Note 1375.16 by ASAHI::COOPER "Burn my flag, and I'll shoot ya..." >>>
>                       -< I like that no-finish stuff ! >-
>
>    I wonder if Old Gold might mess up the natural wood cuz it's 
>    petroleum based ??
    
    I've used it a lot on both finished and unfinished wood, and it always
    seems to do a nice job. I used to make furniture, so I'm not exactly
    naive about finish work. No guarantees from me, of course, but I don't
    think there's much risk in trying it out. I think you'll find that it
    does a nice job of cleaning and polishing the neck.
    
    - Ram

    
    
    
    
    	I could be completely full of guano here, but I don't think I'd use
    alcohol on an unfinished piece of wood... natural oils are soluble in
    alcohol and I'd think it would dry and change the tone of the wood...
    
    
    Steve

         
    My Vantage had a horrible finish on the back of the neck so I 
    (carefully) removed it with different grades of sand paper. I removed
    the worst of the stuff with a relatively harsh grade and worked
    down with very fine grades and it now feels fantastic - better than 
    the finish on most  of the B.C. Rich or Ibanez necks that I've played.
                        
    What I do now is when the neck gets sweat or oils soaked in I merely
    rub the neck down with the finest grade of paper I can find and
    it skims the edge of the stains off and although the neck may still
    look like it has crap on there - it doesn't feel like it.         
                                                                      
    Been doing it for quite a while now and have had no trouble with  
    the inotation or anything from the neck.                               
                                                                      
    Cheers,     
    -Tony       

    re: .20  Tony
    
    You may want to consider puttine a satin finishe on it.  It'll still
    retain that smooth feel, but will protect the wood much better.  Then
    you won't need to sand it down to keep it pretty.
    
    Greg

    
    how/where does one get this done ? bearing in mind I'm stuck
    in the UK ?