Sanding Your Neck

[mikedyermusic]

Has anyone sanded down their own neck? I hate having the gloss on the back of the neck on my Fender Jazz Bass, but I'm reluctant to do this myself. Let me know if you've done this yourself and if there's any risk involved doing it yourself rather than paying someone to do it for you.

[big evil robot]

Any gloss coated neck I've owned has seen a few quick passes of 400grit sand paper. You don't need to completely remove the finish, it's enough to just break the surface a little.

I would suggest using very fine sandpaper though (320-400).

[pacojas]

i use 600 wet & dry. easy like wipe'n yer butt! why pay?

[Zooberwerx]

You can also de-gloss with #0000 steel wool. Doesn't remove much of the top-coat, just enough to smooth things out. In time and with regular playing, the gloss will re-appear. Simply repeat the process.

Riis

[mongo2]

All of the above work as do 3M Scotch Brite pads (I use the grey one when I use those) but mostly I've used 0000 steel wool and I'm careful not to get steel wool crumbs near the pickups (any crumbs can be removed with tape).

[mpdd]

when i was in college i used to play my grabber about two hours a day and i think all of the alcohol and hot sauce in my sweat actually ate through the finish

[bombpop14]

Scotch Brite pads work great...very gentle way to do it.

[pgbassman]

After you've gently sanded the neck with any of the above methods, is it visible to the eye?

[rojo412]

I've never used the Scotchbrite, but I'm sure they work well.
I've done dozens of necks from a slight degloss all the way to complete refin.

I use 0000 steel wool, but a similar Scotchbrite won't leave metal shavings that pickups will attract.

But the slight removal is great because you can always repolish it.

[NWB]

Originally Posted by bombpop14

Scotch Brite pads work great...very gentle way to do it.

I held some doubt about the effectiveness of the Scotch Brite pad in removing the gloss, but it really works perfectly.

[pacojas]

Originally Posted by pgbassman

After you've gently sanded the neck with any of the above methods, is it visible to the eye?

yes,... you will notice the gloss has turned to satin. hold it up to light and the shine is now dulled.

[MetroBass]

Once you do something like this you'll really start to feel it become "your" bass and not just another off-the-shelf product - putting a satin finish on a neck is a great place to start. You can do the whole bass if you want!

When you become really bold you can move on to decals, burn marks, paint, and (the mother of them all) personalized electronics.

[Jay2U]

It looks like there are two almost identical threads. I "de-glossed" the neck with a Scotch Brite pad.
The other thread: Making the neck of your bass faster

[Jay2U]

Originally Posted by MetroBass

...When you become really bold you can move on to decals, burn marks, paint, and (the mother of them all) personalized electronics.

Bit by bit you upgrade your instrument to:
1) Your special bass,
2) Your vintage style bass,
3) Your very relic slyle bass,
4) A piece of useless wood which looks like it only just survived a major plane crash.

[mongo2]

Originally Posted by Jay2U

Bit by bit you upgrade your instrument to:
4) A piece of useless wood which looks like it only just survived a major plane crash.

It can be fixed...

[chuck norriss]

I have. I suggest using the materials mentioned, applying long even strokes. I found that after a while a natural gloss may return, from use and body elements. Just go over it again. You should also know: after a few years the back of your neck may look blackened like Jaco's. Comes with the territory.

[Randyt]

For some reason I have done this to most of my basses(def all fenders)..start at 400, go down to base wood...move to 800 to smooth finish...damp cloth to raise grain...sand again at 800...the final at 1000 grit...oil and this will be the best neck you have ever felt!!!