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Neck finish question
- Thread starter outoftune
- Start date
"Hey, Where'd my neck go?"
Right, an hour with 60-grit (!) and the question would be more like "why is my truss rod poking through the back?"
after the satin is stripped, you obviously stop with the 60 and go much finer. I guess everyone is not that skilled though.
There's a place for 60 grit in taking down a thick polymer coating. But the OP describes a neck with so little finish that it feels like bare wood already. It's the right tool for the wrong job.
Yea, thanks for clarifying... it was pretty much a full, detailed tutorial. I figured he had enough skill set to realize, if their is no finish on the neck, move on to the next step.
For anybody questioning the 60 grit sandpaper. Dependant on the thickness of your finish, 60 works well on thicker multi-coat spray on neck finishes. The pores in the sandpaper become clogged with the finish. This method works well to lightly strip, without removing heavy layers(if any layers) of wood also. The key is to clog up the sandpaper with finish.
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Tru-Oil is the easiest one to apply and deal with IMO.
You just wipe on and wipe off the excess with a lint free rag.
I would give it a try on a small spot at first to see if it reacts with the existing finish and suits your needs.
And if you want it more slippery, you can then buff it with some 0000 steel wool. Just take care to cover your pickups with masking tape before using the steel wool though.
You just wipe on and wipe off the excess with a lint free rag.
I would give it a try on a small spot at first to see if it reacts with the existing finish and suits your needs.
And if you want it more slippery, you can then buff it with some 0000 steel wool. Just take care to cover your pickups with masking tape before using the steel wool though.
Even removing thick polyester finish, I'd use a scraper before trying a low grit sandpaper. 
The tru oil is going to soak into the wood(i just used my fingers). This is what is essentially the sealer or moisture barrier. What I found beneficial, was after the oil dried thoroughly(12-24 hrs), lightly spray the neck with mineral spirits and use a gray 3m ultrafine pad to knock down the top, tacky layer(mineral spirits and tru oil are best friends)...Then immediately wax. After waxing, I used the dry, gray 3m pad again, for about 30 seconds, then a clean microfiber towel and then I waxed it again. Repeat about 3-4 times for a super slick finish.
There are alot of different techniques. Everybody has their preference.
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They really do feel unfished, but you can see the slightest hint of shine. Slightest.The squier sonic instruments all had that "nearly unfinished" scratchy feel to me, but I'm fairly certain they are indeed finished, Going to 25th the wax suggestion
Lucky you. Many players will sand the finish off. They get sticky and slow you down. I have a really nice Fender Precision Select that has a finish on the neck I can only play for an hour before it gets to the point of annoying me. Enjoy what you have and leave it alone.
I have a new Fender P bass. It has a roasted maple neck w/ satin on the back. Every 4-5 times that I play it, I just go over it with a piece of 3M Scotch Brite (ultrafine) gray pad for about 25 seconds. It really smoothes it back to slick satin. I too hate when my necks get tacky and glossy.
Looks like it has dull satin on it. You can tell if you take a Scotch Brite pad and just sand it a little bit. Poly dust is real white and has an odor when it gets warm. It has a different texture also versus wood. But, it looks like a urethane type finish, satin. I would just grab some scotch brite pads or some wax, like the other guys recommended.
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Looks like a light satin finish, just like the Squier mini P I mentioned earlier. Unless you don't like the feel of it, I would just stick with it. Lots of people like that kind of neck finish - whereas the gloss one used on some of the Squiers is more controversial.
