sanding a neck?

[therex]

i have this cheap six string alto bass, AKA strat guitar, and i am going to use it for some practice in my luthier skills
any advice on sanding? what should i use? and how do i know when to stop
PS sorry for my english

 

[vbasscustom]

well, if your actually attempting to change the shape of the neck, then go to your local guitar/music shop and feel some of the necks, find one that suits you, and make some cardboard templates at all the important frets (3,5,7,9,12, etc) then rasp it away to the desried shape. if your just taking the finish off, then go at it with sand paper making sure that its all evenly sanded. stop when the finish is off.

 

[therex]

i am just trying to give a better feel, this guitar is imposible to slide around, becasue of the bumps and quality if the maple used in the neck

BTW i just did it and the neck is way more comfortable now

 

[Al Heeley]

How are you refinishing it now you've sanded the coating off? Moisture and grease will get into the pores and stain it or warp it over time if you're not careful.

 

[tonebrulee]

Hey therex - I do the same thing to all my guitars - it's very easy to make any neck feel great with just a little work. After you get the finish sanded off (you'll know when you hit wood b/c the dust will change from that pure white of poly/nitro to off white of wood) dampen the wood with a cloth to raise the grain, let dry, then sand through grits lightly from 400 to 1200. To avoid warping, it's a good idea to finish the wood lightly with a couple of coats of a pentrating oil (pure tung oil, Tru-oil, Formby's Tung Oil Finish - all are roughly equivelent), burnishing with 0000 steel wool and cloth after the oil has cured/hardened for a few days. Good luck.