Should I sand down the neck on my vintage P bass?

It's your bass, so I'm not going to tell you not to do it; however, I have done this to a few basses over the years and I warn you to seal whatever sanding you do. Untreated wood takes in/ releases moisture at a higher rate and your comfy bass can become uncomfortable real fast based upon changes in humidity and temp. If you are unfamiliar with regular maintenance and setups, I would read up on that before doing any sanding.

On my nitro fin basses, I keep a scotch-brite in my bag and rub the necks down before each gig. By the time the gig is over, the finish is back. No bare wood problems there.

Another option would be to find a good, comfy replacement neck, after market or otherwise, leaving the original neck in storage in case you ever resell. Good luck.

 

Sell it instead and buy what you like already.

 

As @Bodeanly suggested, I would go the simpler route and just knock-down the gloss with a Scotch-Brite pad. For regular use / applications, I just snag a multi-pack from the local grocery store. They're super-thin and conform well to the neck contours.

Riis

 

I doubt that. They might not want to pay the price you are asking but somebody definitely wants to buy it.

As far as the finish goes, I don't think a scuff job (3M pad/scotchbrite) goes far enough. If you are really hellbent on it, I'd sand that finish down. That being said, I do this to almost all my basses but I didn't touch my old 1982 Fender Elite - that got sold with the stock neck finish. I wouldn't do this to a vintage instrument.

 

Your bass is neither a piece of history or vintage. Most actual "vintage" Fenders has lost much of the finish on their necks. This is one of the reasons people like them so much. Use some very fine sandpaper to give the neck a satin finish. I don't care what anyone says on here, you will not hurt the value of that bass by doing this.

 

I've used 600 grit sand paper on several necks to knock down the finish, including both nitro and poly. Works great and you only need to take off enough finish to knock down the gloss so you'll still have plenty there to protect the wood. I've also used steel wool in the past but you need to be careful of any pieces of the steel wool coming off and attaching to the pickups.

 

Contrary to what JMarkD says, your bass is considered vintage by many folks these days, and ANY modifications will hurt the value to some degree. If it were me, I'd buy a good replacement neck from Warmoth and put the current neck in the closet until the day you decide to sell the bass.

 

You can also shop for a replacement neck on ............. wait for it ............ talkbass.com or eBay.com in the stratosphere store or reverb.com or fender.com . If you sand that neck you will devalue it and void any warranty regardless of pedigree.
The other concern is you may still be unsatisfied with it.
I’d go play 30 other basses and either order a neck just like the model you prefer or budget and ergonomics permitting, add another bass to your herd.
But what do I know?

 

There is literally nothing wrong with your bass, so don't take this the wrong way:

Regarding the vintage and historical nature of your bass, I believe late 70s and early 80s was a low point in production quality for Fender and many US manufacturers.

I do not think that your neck being sanded or oil finished or whatever you do to it will lower the value or make it harder to sell. People wanting a 40 year old bass know it will show some signs of time.

 

Just did a neck and Headstock with 1500 emery, it came out smooth feels great!

 

I don't understand. Why do you think no one wants to buy it? And why is that funny?

 

I took steel wool to my 71 P 40+ years ago. One of my buds told me at the time I was ruining it but I did not care then and do not care now because I love the way it plays and feels, very smooth.

 

Steel wool is awesome, but can get crud in your pickups if you're not careful.

 

Yeah I would do a little at a time and then clean off all the reside.

I also replaced the pickup 35 years ago ( but kept the original)

 

I would never buy a bass where the neck had been sanded down. I don't care if it's been true oiled, whatever, I wouldn't even consider it. I can't believe I'm the only one, so I don't believe it wouldn't affect resale. If you're going to keep it forever, do whatever you want, I guess, but if you might sell it, I wouldn't screw it up.

 

Just be be sure I understand, you have an '82 P that came from Fender with a neck stamped '79? Not a parts bass? How do you know it left the factory like that? It's gonna be hard to sell that bass as all original.

Anyway, do you consider this bass your #1 player or a collectible? If it's your player, do what you want to the neck. A nice comfy finish (or lack thereof) is worth more and any hypothetical decrease in value way down the road.

 

A Tru-Oil finish gives me both protection and the feel of bare wood. I would buy a replacement neck, sand and Tru-Oil it. Put the other up for safe keeping.

 

It's your bass, do what you wanna do...

The neck and body are already from different years, I don't think sanding the neck will be a big deal