September 2010 \ Tech Tips \ Tech Tales \ Sanding Your Guitar Neck for a Smoother Feel

Sanding Your Guitar Neck for a Smoother Feel

Chad Weaver

Sanding down the finish and sealing the wood to get a nice, smooth bare wood feel on your neck
Premier Guitar September 2010
I can't tell you how many guitars I've played where the lacquer on the back of the neck made me just want to put it down and pick up something else. I’ve always been a fan of the bare wood feel as opposed to thick finish on the back of a neck, so I thought for this month we could talk about getting a nice, smooth bare-wood neck. We've all sanded a neck at one point or another, right or wrong. Here are a few that can get your guitars feeling slicker in just a few quick steps.

Keeping Clean
I'm a clean freak when it comes to my gear, so dusty and dirty is not acceptable. I don't take the strings off or even loosen them up first, so my first suggestion to you is to place the body of the guitar in a trash bag. Tie the bag around the neck joint to keep the dust from getting into your pickups, pots, and switches and this will save you from lots of scratchy noises later.

Sanding in Stages
The thickness of the clear coat tells what grade of sandpaper I'll start with. Usually a 500 grit will work through just about the thickest of them with a little persistence. Scotchbrite makes a nice sandpaper substitute as well—buy both red and blue if you got this route.

To get started, cup your hand around the neck with the sandpaper so you have contact with the entire surface area. The first few strokes will cut into the finish and you can see if you need to apply or release pressure in any spots. Also, make sure you run the sandpaper the full length of the neck. You don't want to wear any uneven places anywhere on the neck. The lacquer will come off as a whitish powder when you get started, and as you work your way down into the wood you'll see the color turn to a light brown.

When you start seeing some wood dust coming off, it's time to go with a lighter grit. You don't want deep scratches in the wood—you're only trying to remove a layer of clear coat and bring the wood back to a smooth finish. Use the lighter grit until the grain is slick feeling, then move to the next higher grit paper. After a few minutes with a 1000 or 1500 grit sandpaper you're ready for the next step.

Sealing the Wood
You don't want the wood to be unprotected from the elements. This can cause unnecessary truss rod adjustments and you definitely don't want to have to deal with that every time you go into a new venue. Sealing the wood will eliminate that problem, but obviously certain products will put you right back where you started with a sticky finish. I've seen guys use anything from Tru Oil for gunstocks to 3-in-1 oil to Linseed Oil to Lemon Oil. I've even seen Super Glue used on one occasion (yeah I didn't get that one either). Some need to be reapplied every so often, but I want to be able to do it once and be not be concerned about it at the next gig.

My favorite product is a little concoction of rubbing alcohol and shellac. It sounds strange, I know, but it'll completely seal the wood and it dries with the slickest feel. Mix the two ingredients 50/50 in a plastic cup and apply it to the wood with a rag. It will dry to the touch pretty quickly, so as soon as it does go ahead and apply another coat. Go for three or four coats and let it dry overnight. The next morning, take some 0000 steel wool to it and you'll be amazed at how natural the back of the neck will feel.

I tried this trick for the first time with Brad’s baby blue Crook Esquire and he loved it. I hope it works for you!

     

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Comments

 (21 comments) display by
UsernameComment
Damjan
on 02/05/2012 		WTF people, just use some common sense... just lightly rub the finest sandpaper or steel wool until the neck feels ok to play.
rollie
on 11/09/2011 		I've used scotch pad on the back of the necks on a couple of my basses, on one I just removed the "skin" on the thick poly finish, then polished it with some 1500 sandpaper and played it in ... after playing it a while it had a nice 'hand-rubbed' finish with the stickiness gone and the it still had a protective finish! On the other (free) neck was pretty beat up with a bunch of dings on the back. I took all of the finish off it to smooth up the back of the neck, then just played it, it's now got a nice 'blackened' maple finish like the back of a well played violin ... would I do this to a really valuable instrument probably not.
D.C.
on 10/01/2010 		I have sanded the back of the necks of my Epiphone Dot, Gibson SG, and 3 of my 5 strats. I recommend 0000 steel wool or wet sanding with 1500 grit. Rub the length, not side to side. Don't go beyond the nut, stop before the heel and don't sand the binding or the fret ends. Apply light pressure. This is nothing to sweat over - it's easy, takes no more than a few minutes and the result is a very smooth satin neck with great feel. Keep going if you want to hit wood and seal it with oil, but it's not necessary to sand that deep to get the result you're after. I have had no maintenance issues with any of them. If you like a sticky neck, don't sand it. I haven't run into anyone that disliked the outcome though. Enjoy!
Joey Romito-Care
on 09/27/2010 		I, like many of you, have had this issue. I have a Gibson Les Paul Studio. Stock, the neck is white and glossed over. I hated the feel and went out on a limb to sand it(I had not heard of anyone doing this at this point) to take the gloss off, i simply used 200 grit sand paper, then 600, then 1000. However i did not go all the way to the wood, for fear of the weather warping the neck. Gibson's paint has its own sealing agent in it already.
insane wayne
on 09/13/2010 		sanding,0000 steel wool? you guys must be nuts.after playing gigs down here in the great sunny south for the last 20 plus years(and promoters love outdoor,steeped in humity venues)we have a low tech solution to sticky necks that works fine and doesnt permantly alter those old vintage guitars.pool chalk!,or in a pinch,baby powder before a set will hook you right up!!apply to hand and slide up and down neck just as you would a pool cue.works like a charm and is less invasive to that prized axe.
CHRIS ECCLESHALL
on 09/09/2010 		JUST TO CLARIFY, THE SHELLAC & ALCAHOL MIX IS REFERRED TO IN ENGLAND AND EUROPE AS "FRENCH POLISH " THIS IS EASILY OBTAINABLE READY MIXED IN A BOTTLE, ALWAYS GO FOR WHITE FRENCH POLISH. IT'S WORTH NOTING THAT THIS FINISH IS POROUS,
AND HAS NO RESISTANCE TO GRIME OR SWEAT, SO WILL STILL NEED TO BE KEPT CLEAN. ALSO, ONLY USE THE SANDING TECNIQUE ON THE NECK SHAFT ONLY, NOT THE HEADSTOCK. CHRIS ECCLESHALL
GUITARS.UK.
Pieter Holland
on 09/02/2010 		I have been doing this for years to ALL my Strats....
I just use the wool 000... I have never had a problem....
Mawk1
on 08/30/2010 		I've tried several products to seal the wood after sanding and shellac always works well. Mix it properly and you'll have great results.
Jonathan Addams
on 08/30/2010 		I've been sanding the necks on my guitars for several years now, and doubt I could ever go back to the horrors of sticky laquer again. Whenever I play a friends unsanded guitar, it feels like swimming in treacle. As for the warranty issue - i'd imagine that most people who'll be doing this will have stripped out the stock pickups, and coompletely rewired the guitar anyway. Warranties, you'll never have a valid one on a guitar that you've truly made your own.
CGB
on 08/29/2010 		I have been a luthier producing hand crafted natural timber guitars for 20 years, and I can assure you that the advice given here is correct, I have to laugh at what some guitarist that read forums believe,and the myths that come out of forums,steel wool WILL remove the finish on a neck and will only polish the timber not damage it or remove any of it,you don't even need sand paper, just the 000 steel wool, and I would also recomend as an alternative to shellac useing 100% pure Tung Oil, a good oil finish is in the surface of the wood, not on it,giving a very smooth fast neck,however beware that some products marketed as Tung oil are NOT 100% pure,read the label before purchasing.



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