modding a guitar neck, need tips

[mamemo]

Im thinking of modding my beater axe, modding the neck to be exact. It's a glossy, painted, maple 3 piece neck.

What i intend to do is shave away the paint with a razor to get it to bare wood, sand it down to a thin flat, jackson style thickness, and then finish it with tung oil or satin finish (kinda prefer the non sticky feeling).

I have done my research online, some website saying maple necks doesnt need any finish, and some saying a finish would be good to maintain the neck in good condition. I dunno. Tho, what im aiming for is the kind of finish you'll find on Ibanez's bolt on axes, like RG. I would prefer satin finish/tung oil, as opposed to a painted neck being "satinised" using very fine grit sandpaper, as the satin feel doesnt last very long.

so..any tips?

ps: do i have to wet sand the neck when i get it to the exact thickness?

 

[mudmechanic]

Sand the neck down with sand paper, say 250 grit to get the profile you like, then use 1000 grit to get a smooth feel. After that use tung oil to seal the neck (othersie it will absorb your sweat and swell leaving a rough finish).

The Tung oil was used on maple necks for Washburn to give the speed necks a few years back. Much nicer feel than satin and it doesn't get sticky when you play.

cheers,

Mark.

 

[mamemo]

alright thanks man

say, is it the same process with a mahogany neck, since its more porous and softer compared to a maple neck?

 

[mero]

you need to use a grain-filler for mahogany I believe.

 

[mudmechanic]

Don't think mahogany needs the oil finish as much (wood has more oil) and if you don't mind the pores of the wood, you should't need to fill it. It is necessary to fill the pores if you are putting a paint finish on the neck.

cheers,

Mark.

 

[spikes]

you seem pretty well learned of this kinda things, you a luthier mark?

 

[mamemo]

alright thanks

but i did look up about wet sanding a neck, it says the oil and the fine wood particles kinda fills up the pores

 

[dholguitar]

yeah spikes..

Mark is a luthier..
Mark Stevens used to work for guitar 77 some time back as guitar tech..
sir, do u remember me.
i am mickey's friend.
brought my guitar down once to you for inspection only.

i will be bringing it to you soon..
will contact you again.
thank you very much.

cheers
Jashan

 

[ShredCow]

ah... i thought a luthier builds guitars while a guitar tech works on/repairs guitars?

 

[SoulJah]

Yes, what you thought is right, the word luthier strictly defined is essentially someone who makes stringed instruments, mostly confined to that of violins and guitars.

Mark IMHO goes way beyond this.

He makes/modifies/repairs guitars and amps.

And killer ones to say the least.

I almost wet my pants while playing through that amp at your place the other day Mark.

EXCELLENT STUFF!

 

[mudmechanic]

Careful Chris, they might start wondering what we're talking about. Anyway the amp's back with it's owner and I hope he's happy. If he isn't, I'll offer to buy it back!

Hi Jashan. Hope you didn't mind me being a bit forceful that time you brought the guitar to me with Mickey. It was all a bit of a surprise, but I hope you are getting the hang of the Floyd.

For Mamemo and Spikes, I hope that the advice helps you enjoy playing the guitar more and that's the whole point. Whatever anyone says, it's what you like and what suits you best that matters.

cheers,

Mark.

 

[GC]

Yes, what you thought is right, the word luthier strictly defined is essentially someone who makes stringed instruments, mostly confined to that of violins and guitars.

Mark IMHO goes way beyond this.

He makes/modifies/repairs guitars and amps.

And killer ones to say the least.

I almost wet my pants while playing through that amp at your place the other day Mark.

EXCELLENT STUFF!

Good reply. There are ltalented people out there who won't even claim to be to good at what they do, so obviously they won't go around proclaiming they are luthiers.