Sanding a neck . Help ?

[PJSim]

Just got a glossy maple/maple fretless neck from ey guitarparts , it is about 1.5 mm to wide for the neckpocket .
Never sanded a neck before
Do I sand just the part that goes in the pocket or what ?
Dont care so much about glossy finish on the back of the neck but the unlined maple fretboard is really nice , dont wanna ruin it .
So - Anybody done this before ? -
Hints , tips & such is really appreciated .

Thanx

PJ

[NYCbassist]

Last time I did it, I used a wood File on the neck pocket of the body.

[funkingroovin]

You can either shave the neck or enlarge the pocket,as NYC said. Personally,I think it's both easier and cleaner to sand the neck..

For losing 1.5mm on the neck,lay it face down,grab a straight edge,and mark a line along both side edges of the heel. A pencil line is about what you'll want to take off each side.. Grab your block/paper or orbital or what have you,and just think "Baby Steps"...10 strokes this side,10 strokes that,dry fit...keep it up until it fits.

As you're only shaving the part that sits in the neck pocket,you needn't worry about ruining the finish..

[Triad]

I'd make the pocket wider, for many reasons. One of them is that the pocket is raw and unfinished and the neck is finished and glossy. Take your time to center everything properly and use a sharpest wide chisel or (better) a router.

[PJSim]

Yeah , well the previous neck ( a squier jag neck ) was a perfect fit so I'm guessing its the cheap ey-parts neck thats not standard size . Dont wanna change neckpocket in case I wanna swap back .
Worried I'll mess up the finish on the fretboard if I sand too close .
Is it better if I dont sand the side of the fretboard ?

[Bloodywanker1]

Is it better if I dont sand the side of the fretboard ?

For if you choose to sand the neck and not enlarge the neck pocket: Unfortunately for the finish, you must sand the fretboard sides as well. You want a perfectly square surface from the base of the heel in regards to the side of the neck.

[JIO]

Originally Posted by Bloodywanker1

For if you choose to sand the neck and not enlarge the neck pocket: Unfortunately for the finish, you must sand the fretboard sides as well. You want a perfectly square surface from the base of the heel in regards to the side of the neck.

correct - and if you want to retain the gloss/make it look like nothing happened, and as long as the maple is not tinted - a rattle-can of clear lacquer (Stew Mac guitar lacquer is best) can blend in pretty seamlessly.