Sanding back of neck

[Cosmo_Smallpiece]

I've got a 62 Re-issue Jazz which is just about my favourite bass of all time except for the gloss varnish finish on the back of the neck, which I find very sticky to play and an impediment to moving quickly up and down the neck quickly.

I really like the finish on the back of Singrays. This seems to be just unfinished wood.

I wondered how major a job it would be to recreate something like the Stingray finish on the Jazz. Would lightly sanding it with very fine sandpaper to remove the gloss give me a similar finish to the Stingray or would I need to remove the varnish altogether? Is this something I should get a professional to do?

Any advice would be welcome

[202dy]

The easiest and reversible way to degloss a neck is with 0000 steel wool. Use it like sand paper on the back of the neck. It will knock down the gloss and eliminate most of the drag. It is reversible because you can buff the neck and bring the gloss back. That may be important down the road if you decide to sell it.

Using 600 grit sandpaper removes a lot more finish.

Your thumb will eventually buff the neck back to a gloss. Then you do it again.

Lather, rinse, repeat.

[62bass]

Steel wool works very well. It comes in several grades of coarsness. 000 is good. 0000 might be too fine. It's made from iron so any particles which come off, and there will be many, will be attracted to the pickup's magnets and stick there forever. So, either remove the neck and work on it away from the body, or mask off your pickups thoroughly first.

[Cosmo_Smallpiece]

Thanks for your replies. I'll give it a try and yes I'll remove the neck first

It's unlikely that I'll be selling it ever so I'm not too concerned about it being original, but on the other hand I don't want to subject it to any butchery hence my question about getting it done by a luthier.

[202dy]

Originally Posted by 62bass

Steel wool works very well. It comes in several grades of coarsness. 000 is good. 0000 might be too fine. It's made from iron so any particles which come off, and there will be many, will be attracted to the pickup's magnets and stick there forever. So, either remove the neck and work on it away from the body, or mask off your pickups thoroughly first.

Gas escaping through the cranium tonight.

Absolutely pull the neck. Put the body in the case.

Good call, 62.

[The Penguin]

Skip the steel wool and use a Scotch Brite scrubbing pad. Lightly rub the neck till the shine is gone.

[Zooberwerx]

Belt sander!

Either the steel wool or ScotchBrite pad will suffice. It helps if the SB pad is broken-in. I normally steal the one my wife keeps stashed under the kitchen sink. They're a little on the limp side and conform to the neck contours.

Riis

[RonC72]

Originally Posted by 202dy

It is reversible because you can buff the neck and bring the gloss back.

What tools do I need to do this? Just a polishingtool or do I also need some kind of fluid?
(I have a bass with a neck that's sanded and want to polish it again...)

[atrapp]

Originally Posted by The Penguin

Skip the steel wool and use a Scotch Brite scrubbing pad. Lightly rub the neck till the shine is gone.

+1...

[202dy]

Polishing the dulled finish by hand is simple. It is done with polishing compounds and some soft rags. If the neck was deglossed with 600 grit, hit is lightly with some 1000 grit wet or dry paper. If it was deglossed with 0000 steel wool go straight to the compounds. You can start with some Meguiars #2 on a soft rag. Move to #9, then #7, changing rags in between.

If you have the tools to power buff you can do use the same compounds. Be careful. It is easy to burn through a thin finish.

If you have Micromesh abrasives, start at 2400 and move through the grits to 12,000. Make sure to use some soapy water to float the grit particles away.

No matter which method you choose, it is important to clean the neck any remaining compound before moving to a finer grit.

[Subculture13]

Originally Posted by Zooberwerx

Belt sander!

Either the steel wool or ScotchBrite pad will suffice. It helps if the SB pad is broken-in. I normally steal the one my wife keeps stashed under the kitchen sink. They're a little on the limp side and conform to the neck contours.

Riis

Jus make sure to wipe off the dried bits of food that are on it first.

[Cosmo_Smallpiece]

Well I've tried it with scotchbrite and it seems to have done the trick. It's removed the sticky feel of the neck but the varnish is still intact.

Thanks for all your replies

[Zooberwerx]

Originally Posted by AndyMartin

Well I've tried it with scotchbrite and it seems to have done the trick. It's removed the sticky feel of the neck but the varnish is still intact.

Thanks for all your replies

Ta-Da!! We get it right once in a while.

Riis

[PilbaraBass]

Originally Posted by The Penguin

Skip the steel wool and use a Scotch Brite scrubbing pad. Lightly rub the neck till the shine is gone.

+1...

makes any maple neck feel great without really taking the finish off...

I've done this to 3 of my 4 basses and my electric guitar...

the only guitars I haven't done this to have mahogany necks...

I use "broken in" pads, too...a good way to break them in, is to do the dishes a couple of times

[Cosmo_Smallpiece]

Originally Posted by PilbaraBass

+1...


I use "broken in" pads, too...a good way to break them in, is to do the dishes a couple of times

Now if my girlfriend would just let me near the kitchen sink

[202dy]

Just remember that after any deglossing process that eventually your thumb will polish the finish back to a gloss. This is not a permanent solution. That is both the beauty and the curse of this method.