Sanding down guitar neck!

[RedDog]

I've an Ibanez Destroyer that I really like, and I wonder if anybody has any qualms with sanding down their instrument for the natural wood feel?

I quite like the smoothness and how it reacts when my hands get sweaty.

 

[Terminus]

Did it with one of my guitars, also an Ibanez but I painted it satin black and put some satin clear coat on it after so while it has a similar texture it still isn't bare wood. Much better than the glossy shit that was on it before. Be careful of warping in humid weather after a while with bare wood, it's possible. You could put some tung oil on it that doesn't change the color too much and get a better seal.

 

[JonWormwood]

I've done 3 guitars, two Jackson rr24s, a Gibson explorer and I'm about to do a USA Jackson.

Sand it down to 2000grit or whatever then Tung oil it.

 

[RedDog]

they MAKE 2000 grit?

What is this tung oil? Will it stain my wood?

 

[Terminus]

There are different kinds of tung oil but you can buy some that only seals and doesn't color the wood very much at all, and it comes in gloss and non-gloss types. I used a fine steel wool for the final "sanding" instead of sandpaper.

 

[53Crëw]

I've done a couple.

I did one with a heat gun. Heat up the finish and it peals off like rubbery plastic. You have to be very careful not to get the neck too hot or it will burn/discolor the wood. It removes the finish fairly quickly if you're careful. If you're not careful, you can ruin the neck with burn marks.

The other one I did with sandpaper. Started with 200 grit to remove most of the finish, then to 600 grit to remove the big scratches. Then to 800 or 1000 grit, and finish off with steel wool. I didn't completely remove the finish on this one. I just left a thin satin finish. Feels pretty good. Definitely better than a sticky gloss.

For sealing the wood on a completely stripped neck, I like the feel of a Tung Oil finish. I've also done a thin single coat of "Wipe-On Satin Polyurethane" that works well. (Available at a hardware store.) Feels almost as good as the Tung Oil, but lasts better. Just wipe on a single coat with a clean cloth. Let it dry for 24-hours and you're good to go.

 

[RedDog]

It's recommended that I seal after I strip, I see. I was talking about the raw wood feel, as that's what feels the best to me. The lacquer gets kind of sticky sometimes, depending on my posture, and if there was a way to keep the raw wood feel while retaining my wood's integrity I'd have to go with..... tung oil?

 

[Lowberg]

I did my les paul, used a razor blade to strip down the clearcoat then used various grits to get it down to the bare wood and smooth, rubbed two coats of tung oil on it. The tung oil darkened it a little bit but not much

Feelsl like smooth raw wood. I need to get some of that 2000 grit you guys are talking about and re do it. Its smooth but it could be smoother for sure

 

[Lowberg]

I'm about to do a USA Jackson

no you're not

 

[JonWormwood]

no you're not

You have no idea.

 

[TravisW]

Do you like the feel of the unfinished wood, or do you dislike the feel of glossy lacquer? The intermediate option is to lightly sand your neck, but without actually sanding through the finish. This will break up the surface, meaning that your hand won't stick to the neck as easily.

As for the neck moving around a bunch after you sand it bare, it partially depends on the type of wood you have. Mahogany is generally hit with pore filler before it's finished, so if you sand or strip to where there's no paint left, there's still pore filler in the wood. Maple isn't that porous; you can hit it with tung oil or lindseed oil to help protect it, but the wood will shift with the temperature and humidity whether there's a finish on it or not.

Either way, if the smoothness of a finished neck bothers you, I'd take it to 800 grit and see how you like it. 2000 grit is REALLY fine, nearly as fine as the polish on a painted neck.

 

[RedDog]

I guess I just don't dig the gloss. I want to feel like I'm playing a tree, if that makes sense.

 

[Notuern]

Do you like the feel of the unfinished wood, or do you dislike the feel of glossy lacquer? The intermediate option is to lightly sand your neck, but without actually sanding through the finish. This will break up the surface, meaning that your hand won't stick to the neck as easily.

As for the neck moving around a bunch after you sand it bare, it partially depends on the type of wood you have. Mahogany is generally hit with pore filler before it's finished, so if you sand or strip to where there's no paint left, there's still pore filler in the wood. Maple isn't that porous; you can hit it with tung oil or lindseed oil to help protect it, but the wood will shift with the temperature and humidity whether there's a finish on it or not.

Either way, if the smoothness of a finished neck bothers you, I'd take it to 800 grit and see how you like it. 2000 grit is REALLY fine, nearly as fine as the polish on a painted neck.

+1 to the entire post.

2000 grit is what i use before rubbing and polishing, it doesn't really get smoother then that(Finer grits doesn't make a visible difference on lacquered surfaces IMO.).
I would use 600/800 grit and then go over it slightly with a 1000 grit to get a smoother satin finish.

 

[RedDog]

Bitchin. Who knows how to properly strip and paint a guitar?

I just bought this bass (and I'm gonna make a thread on it) and I want to strip that bitch down and paint the shit white.

Drunk.

 

[iekobrid]

I did one with a heat gun. Heat up the finish and it peals off like rubbery plastic. You have to be very careful not to get the neck too hot or it will burn/discolor the wood. It removes the finish fairly quickly if you're careful. If you're not careful, you can ruin the neck with burn marks.

Mind the binding, too, if there's any on the fretboard or headstock. Linger near binding too long with a heat gun and that shit can catch fire.

 

[abt]

I'm interested in trying this. Ibanez has a satin type finish on some of it's necks that feels great. I think you can emulate this like some of you say by just sanding it back a little bit.

How does that satin type finish compare to bare wood?


Found this vid that just scuffs up the gloss

​