Just got a Peavey T-20 and need advise on neck refinishing

[Gintaras]

Just got a used T-20 and the back of the neck has dark spots where the finish has worn off and it is slightly rough. I have read some threads where bassists will sand down the back of the neck and leave it unfinished. Do they then treat the raw wood with anything. I would like to sand down the back of the neck but not put back on a shiny finish.

[62bass]

You can sand it down to bare wood and apply a couple coats of a Danish oil type finish, such as Minwax sells. It sinks into the wood and you wipe off the excess before it dries. Sand lightly with 400 grit sandpaper between coats, You don't want to build up a coat of finish above the surface-just seal the wood to protect it from sweat and moisture.

Any parts of the neck that aren't sanded to bare wood will not absorb this finish and will not match. The Danish oil finishes darken the wood slightly.

If your finish is one of the bullet proof poly finishes commonly used it can be a lot of work to sand off.

After you've finished sanding and before you apply a finish, wet the neck with paint thinner (Varsol, etc.) While it's wet it will give you an idea of what the neck will look like with the oil applied.

[Gintaras]

thanks for the detailed explanation!!! This weekend I will be replacing the pots, jack and also shielding if neccessary. I will include the neck project at the same time.

[Rodent]

if you want to seal the wood from any moisture given off by your hand, I'd recommend using Tru-oil vs a regular oil finish. You can find this at most Wal-Marts in the sporting goods section, as it's sold as a gun stock finish

application is similar to a regular oil, and you can also apply your first coat or two with a fine wet/dry sandpaper. the dust you work up while applying will work as a grain filler

if you do a Search for Tru-oil in the Luthier's Corner, you should have many, many hits on the usage of this most outstanding product. Many luthiers prefer a Tru-oil finish over spray applied finishes commonly seen from the big productione manufacturers

all the best,

R

[Ívar Þórólfsson]

Moved to Setup&Repair, has little to do with pickups

[BuffaloBass]

I wouldn't use Tru-oil. I;ve used it on gunstocks, it will not let you slip along well.

Frankly, the "moisture" from your hand, as the previous poster indicated, is primarily oil, not water.

Old school trick was to sand the finish off the back of the neck, and then, over time, the wood would get slicker than sh*& as your hand oils soaked into it.

If you insist on finishing it, I would use a clear matte polyurethane ( like the orignal) and finish it with rottenstone ( a powder you buy at the hardware store and make a paste out of), to make it silky smooth.

[62bass]

The Minwax will do the same thing. You can go the rottenstone route if you want the work. 0000 steel wool after the last coat dries will also work and be easier and less messy.

[BuffaloBass]

Yeah, but I love using that rottenstone! four ought will do just fine.

[Rodent]

B-Bass,

You are aware that Tru-oil is the only oil type finish that Warmoth recognizes as a finish that will keep your waranty intact? That's a lot to be said don't you think?

I am most curious to learn what bass finishing experience you base your opinion on, and why it is soooo different from what many, many luthiers use. I understand you note gunstock experience, I'm curious about bass/guitar neck experience

For reference, I have actually used it on several bass necks and have no slippage issues whatsoever. The critical finishing factor is what you do to the final surface ... steel wool, wax, etc ...

all the best,

R

[62bass]

One thing to note is that many of these wipe on, soak into the wood finishes are just in fact variations of a long oil varnish--in other words a varnish with more oil than regular varnish and usually thinned out to penetrate deeper. I don't think True Oil is going to be that much superior to many of the others. Around here Tru Oil is not easy to find. There are about a dozen of these type of finishes available. Fine Woodworking did a comparison of about 10 of them recently that's worth looking up and reading if you're into that sort of thing.

You can make your own long oil varnish with 1 part tung oil, 2 parts alkyd varnish and 3 parts mineral spirits (thinner) I've used it on instruments when I want that close to the wood look, building up many coats and wet sanding before wiping off the excess. I've also used equal amonts, rather than the 1-2-3 formulation. You can get a fairly tough, beautiful and long lasting finish that way. A number of acoustic guitar makers who don't have spray equipment use this method.

It's not as hard a finish as nitro, factory polyurethanes (which are much harder than the polyurethanes sold in paint stores) or even a good alkyd varnish, but it's a useful finish that has the advantage of being fairly easy to renew.