How do you guys feel about scuffing down painted necks for faster play?

Quote from DonPetersen

and a little bit of WD40 IME

Yeah, I tried that once - my hands didn't like it

1200 - 2000 grit wet/dry paper (with soapy water) will take a glossy finish down to a satin/matte finish which will 'feel' smoother as your finger is contacting less of the surface.

If your sweaty hands are sticking to the neck - it'll help with this. You won't play faster though.

NB - a few years of playing will re-polish this back to a glossy finish

Quote from DonPetersen

um, the WD40 is only there for the sanding process, afterwards it should of course be cleaned thoroughly

Haha, now I get it.

I tried it after reading an article in a guitar mag about some blues player who did it. Maybe he misunderstood the idea as well. What can I say, I was young and stupid

Curious about the reasoning behind WD40? Can't imagine how it is any better or different than a wet sanding.

As mentioned, the surface repolishes with play. It happens in weeks IME unless you go all the way to the wood.

Baby powder has traditionally been used by old school players. It has it's own pros and cons. I use it at times in specific moments, but don't use it routinely.

Quote from DonPetersen

I have a Italia Maranello Speedster with a wonderful Blue Sparkle finish - also on the back of the neck.
Since it is part of the overall color scheme, removal of that finish wasn't an option, but I didn't really care about how it felt.

I used on it what I use on all my guitar's necks from time to time: 0000 (4!) steel wool.
It is so fine that it doesn't really remove any material it is really just a surface conditioner, all that comes off is very fine dust (wear a mask),
and it makes necks feel like super clean, polished glass. Very smooth without any stickyness.

I use quad ought (#0000) steel wool for all sorts of stuff, but never on a neck.

I'll have to give that a shot.

I wouldn't do it to a guitar of mine because of the negative affect on the value of the guitar. I wouldn't pay as much for a used guitar that someone scuffed the neck on as I would one that they hadn't done it to. However, I wouldn't fault anyone from doing it to their guitar if it makes it easier for them to play and they like it better.

Quote from Ruefus

I use quad ought (#0000) steel wool for all sorts of stuff, but never on a neck.

I'll have to give that a shot.

Might be a good idea to put painters tape (masking tape) on top of the pickups, wipe it after it's done, and then place masking tape on top of the first layer before removing, sealing in any loose fragments of steel wool (to prevent it getting into the pickups due to the magnets). But I have no idea if that is at all relevant when just sanding the neck (much more relevant when polishing frets, surely)

Quote from Michael_dk

Might be a good idea to put painters tape (masking tape) on top of the pickups, wipe it after it's done, and then place masking tape on top of the first layer before removing, sealing in any loose fragments of steel wool (to prevent it getting into the pickups due to the magnets). But I have no idea if that is at all relevant when just sanding the neck (much more relevant when polishing frets, surely)

Yeah....I've used it on my frets for years now. I use a stainless fret guard to keep the fingerboard covered. A towel draped over the pickups works well, too.

For frets: I won't use or recomment steel wool because is a mess and a magnetic issue as Michael_dk mentioned. I use 2000 and 4000 grit sandpaper. It works nicely and much cleaner.

Quote from lbieber

For frets: I won't use or recomment steel wool because is a mess and a magnetic issue as Michael_dk mentioned. I use 2000 and 4000 grit sandpaper. It works nicely and much cleaner.

Horses for courses. Been using it for at least a decade. Never an issue.

Quote from BayouTexan

Anything with 2000 grit or higher scuffing can be easily polished backed to original shine with little effort.

This is what I found - a few year of playing repolished a neck I'd made matte. It should also be noted that you want to retain the clearcoat - don't scrub it down to bare wood or you'll be in the full on relic camp. Then the torches and pitchforks come out !

I've always played guitars with lacquered necks, both electric and acoustic, so it's what I'm used to. However, I recently picked up a used Martin cutaway as a "don't be afraid to drag around to parties" type banger. The neck had what felt like a heavy waxy buildup but was otherwise a good feel. I worked it down with the usual suspects, from moderate grit down to 0000 steel wool and got rid of the waxy area.

What I discovered was that underneath the paint and varnish (and wax), the wood of the neck itself was a very rough grain. It became clear that further sanding wouldn't make it smoother, it would just reveal more of the roughness, so currently I'm just living with it.

My hand doesn't get stuck on waxiness now, but it's still suboptimal. How would you guys go about skinning this particular cat?

Quote from DonPetersen

Tru-oil might work.
It's a gun stock finish really, but it's been used often on instruments.
The preparation and application is a bit more involved than just a oil & wax finish, but if done right and with enough patience (the finish needs to really set) and creates a very smooth surface, great for the back of necks.

But make sure you use it correctly

I'll look that up, thanks man!

And yeah, RTFM. Got it.

When it did the neck on my late 90’s G&L ASAT I just sanded starting with 800 and went in progressions to 1200 (I was taking it down to the wood). Then cleaned it, then used Tru Oil. I wasn’t particularly careful with the Tru Oil - applied with a rag, waited a bit, next coat, etc. after about 4 coats left it over night, hit it with 1800 and did another few coats of TruOil, and it’s a magnificent feeling neck.

I quit using 0000 steel wool on electric guitars after I looked at my pickups with my OptiVisor on and saw all the small steel wool particles stuck on them that you really didn’t notice without magnification - and I was careful about taping and such. Don’t want to ruin hundreds of dollars of pickups with $0.50 worth of steel wool when there are other good to great options.