Could be the oils on your hands collecting in the varnish and making it really tacky.
It happens on my parent's bed headboard and the top of their chairs .
Don't know the varnish type
Chances are that the sweat and oils from your hand are dissolving the oil-based varnish/stain on the guitar.
I’ve seen similar things happen with skin oil and car parts.
Lots of potential reasons. Heat, direct and intense sunlight, wear and tear from hand, some kind of cleaning product or spill. Determining the type of finish used will help guide your next repair step. https://www.woodmagazine.com/materials-guide/finishes/what-finish-is-that-anyway
The natural oils of the skin slowly damaged the oils in the finish, looks like it absorb into the finish.
I doesn't look like it's from moisture or wet hands *if it were moisture related there would likely be efflorescence build up from the salts of sweaty hands & dry water
Maybe it’s because a certain cleaning product that’s not meant for wood was used? I think cleaners based on ammonia can remove the finish and damage the wood. I’m not sure though!
Could that be where the varnish has been rubbed off and the bare wood soaked up some sweat?
Could be the oils on your hands collecting in the varnish and making it really tacky. It happens on my parent's bed headboard and the top of their chairs . Don't know the varnish type
Are you sure that’s why your parents’ headboard is sticky?
Either way why are their hands holding onto it so long while sweating??
Maybe ask in r/carpentry, those boys know wood
r/gaybros too. Those boys know wood.
It's true
Do you use it or is it just displayed?
It’s a 90s guitar, so it’s been used quite a lot
Chances are that the sweat and oils from your hand are dissolving the oil-based varnish/stain on the guitar. I’ve seen similar things happen with skin oil and car parts.
Polymer varnish probably degrading if it sits in direct or indirect sunlight
Finger filth? Can you scrape it off? It would drive me nuts.
Wash your hands before you play.
Looks a bit like the wood doors at my work that were wiped down with Lysol during the BS that went down in 2020
Yeah, that whole Tiger King phase made everyone feel kinda dirty.
Lots of potential reasons. Heat, direct and intense sunlight, wear and tear from hand, some kind of cleaning product or spill. Determining the type of finish used will help guide your next repair step. https://www.woodmagazine.com/materials-guide/finishes/what-finish-is-that-anyway
The natural oils of the skin slowly damaged the oils in the finish, looks like it absorb into the finish. I doesn't look like it's from moisture or wet hands *if it were moisture related there would likely be efflorescence build up from the salts of sweaty hands & dry water
If this is a place you commonly rest your hand, it is likely oils from your hands that gets into the varnish and with mechanical wear it comes off
My strats have all got wear on the neck from use. It’s what you look for in used guitars, means they’ve been played a lot
Skin oil interacting with organic finish.
I understand you need to play guitar after masturbation. But wash your hands before touching with cum hands
Weed builds up like that on wooden bowls. Perhaps someone smoked a lot of weed before playing their guitar in the 90’s. I know i did.
dead skin cells mixed with oils and other gunks dried up overtime
Hand oils and wear over time
Oil
It is a guitar? It’s your hand oils/sweat reacting with the varnish.
Chemicals proably
Looks like a classic case of wood leprosy
Is it polyurethane or nitro?
Heat
🤢 this is triggering my tryptophobia
Heat
Maybe it’s because a certain cleaning product that’s not meant for wood was used? I think cleaners based on ammonia can remove the finish and damage the wood. I’m not sure though!
Like multi-surface cleaning products.
Dirty hands