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Sanding an AVII Precision 1960 neck

#23
P. Aaron said:
I have to scotch-wail on my Precision V every so often 'cause it came from the factory with a dulled neck but it glossed up once I started gigging it.
Click to expand...
We're all different. My hands don't sweat much so necks don't feel so sticky, even in the muggiest summer days. I find that knocking down the factory poly on MIMs and Squiers is enough to make them playable even when they regain shininess.

I only have experience with a handful of nitro necks. Mine feels amazing but it's a 32-year-old MIJ neck that was stripped, nitroed and subtly reliced on top of the genuine wear, not a Fender paint job. I've played several MIA nitro necks and they all felt different from mine, mostly due to the players' crud on them :)
 
#24
A tangent on sanding your Fender AV II neck.......................once you sand the neck, you will have devaluated your bass. On down the road, if you ever want to sell it, it will be worth less and fewer buyers will be interested because, it was messed with.

I have kicked myself in the "booty" many times for doing mods on basses that seemed like a good idea at the time but later on when I decided to sell, took a lose!
 
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#25
Micro Mesh:
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I bought a used Gibson SG guitar and the neck was very sticky when I tried it out at the sellers house. I thought that the neck just needed to be cleaned. Being nitro, I cleaned the neck with naphtha, and I just could not get it to feel right. I did some research, and found that nitro finish will react to some people by dissolving after being in contact with skin. I assume that was the case with the previous owner. I bought Micro-Mesh abrasive pads from Rockler woodworking store.

I removed almost all of the thin "Faded Cherry" nitro finish from the back of the neck, and the guitar plays wonderfully now. It was not useable previously.

The StewMac set has nine grits. Risne the pads in water often as you use them. They work well, and last a long time. Work your way up to whatever finish you want. All the way up to a mirror finish as good or better than the original finish. Or, stop at a nice satin finish.

Micro-Mesh Soft Touch Pads - StewMac

Fingertip-size pads for hand polishing high-gloss finishes.
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The result on the Gibson is that the neck looks like it has been played a lot more than it has. It does not look like I sanded it.

I used the same abrasive pads to remove a deep gouge in a poly finish Ibanez Artcore guitar. I thought it would be impossible to repair the damage. I don't think most people could even tell that I restored the surface to perfectly match the original high gloss.
 
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#26
I use a light sandpaper to knock the gloss off. Then, do a layer of true oil (gunstock oil) and let it dry overnight. Then, a really light sanding to finish it off. Nice satin finish that will not be as light as the color of the maple, which is just a personal preference
 
#27
bassdude51 said:
A tangent on sanding your Fender AV II neck.......................once you sand the neck, you will have devaluated your bass. On down the road, if you ever want to sell it, it will be worth less and fewer buyers will be interested because, it was messed with.

I have kicked myself in the "booty" many times for doing mods on basses that seemed like a good idea at the time but later on when I decided to sell, took a lose!
Click to expand...
Using ScotchBrite does not alter the finish permanently. The gloss comes back after 10-20 hours of playing.
 
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#29
bassdude51 said:
A tangent on sanding your Fender AV II neck.......................once you sand the neck, you will have devaluated your bass. On down the road, if you ever want to sell it, it will be worth less and fewer buyers will be interested because, it was messed with.

I have kicked myself in the "booty" many times for doing mods on basses that seemed like a good idea at the time but later on when I decided to sell, took a lose!
Click to expand...
It can be shined back up though. I've done so before selling a neck and the buyer was none the wiser.
 
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#31
bassdude51 said:
A tangent on sanding your Fender AV II neck.......................once you sand the neck, you will have devaluated your bass. On down the road, if you ever want to sell it, it will be worth less and fewer buyers will be interested because, it was messed with.

I have kicked myself in the "booty" many times for doing mods on basses that seemed like a good idea at the time but later on when I decided to sell, took a lose!
Click to expand...
Considering I've gigged my Precision V and Dimension V hundreds of times since I bought them, I'm not sweating the fact that I might 'lose' money on either for dulling the back of the neck.

The basses and my rig has been paid for dozens of times over.
 
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