Remove Finish on Maple Fender Neck?

[Stewbass]

I played my friend's 70s P bass the other day that had the finish removed from it's maple neck. It was really smooth, and I want to achieve that on my own bass. (My bass is a Franken-P that I have on my profile)
Are there any major Cons that I should know about if I have the finished removed and leave it as bare maple? I have been told to put an oil finish on it, but I'm not sure how that feels at all...

I don't care all that much about the neck continuing to look new, I don't mind it looking aged... but I don't want it to have random green marks on the neck either.

It's got a very slim neck, and I don't know if having it unfinished is going to make it really susceptible to warping. I really need my bass to be reliable without tweaking it and taking it to the shop all the time.

Thanks in advance!

[mdogs]

I don't "remove" the finish from my Fender necks, but I do take 600 grit sandpaper and take all the gloss off which for me makes that just about perfect. I redo this periodically because playing tends to polish the neck.

[202dy]

Unfinished (or finish removed) necks tend to be unstable necks. That means the neck will be prone to move with changes in the weather. The finish slows the moisture from moving in and out of a neck. Some finishes are better at this than others. Polys are particularly good. Nitro is decent.

If the instrument is kept in a stable environment, it isn't much of a problem. For most of the USA it will be troublesome. Seasonal changes will affect an unfinished neck more than one that is protected by a good finish.

An oil finish will feel like fine furniture under the thumb.

[Bobster]

Good tip from mdogs. I can also recommend the "Scotchbrite Solution" as an alternative.

Rub the surface of the neck with one of these http://www.scotch-brite.com/wps/port...Ngs&lang=en_US until you get the satin consistancy you are looking for. Your hands will eventually re-polish the neck, then repeat.

Bob

[Stewbass]

Thanks for all the responses! Very helpful so far.
If I have the finish sanded off and finished with tru oil will I still have the same problems with weather changes as an unfinished neck?

[Lo-E]

No, it won't be as problematic as an unfinished neck, but it won't be as stable as a finished neck, either.

Why not go with the Scotchbrite approach and see how you like it first? If you want to go the rest of the way and sand it down completely you always can, but you may be fine just with light sanding or Scotchbrite and save yourself a lot of time and aggravation.

[Stewbass]

Originally Posted by Lo-E

No, it won't be as problematic as an unfinished neck, but it won't be as stable as a finished neck, either.

Why not go with the Scotchbrite approach and see how you like it first? If you want to go the rest of the way and sand it down completely you always can, but you may be fine just with light sanding or Scotchbrite and save yourself a lot of time and aggravation.

Awesome, I'll try it out and see how I like it. Thanks!

[Steveaux]

I like green scotch-brite for mine.