Sanding Down a Fender or Squier Guitar Neck
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
- This is how I sanded down my Fender and Squier Telecaster neck using two different types of sand paper. The first grade was 400 grade which is more course than the second 1500 grade sandpaper for smoothing things off. Taking off the gloss is personal preference and you may not feel the need to do it, so don't. For those who find the high gloss sticky this is a great and cheap option for changing the feel of the neck of a Telecaster or Stratocaster within minutes.
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All these years later, we've learned a few things. The first is that this is even easier when using the green grade of Scotch-Brite. Also, for a trick factory look, drop some painters tape on the top and bottom of the neck. You'll end up with distinct lines where you sanded and where you haven't.
I never had a problem with my hand feeling sticky on glossy necks, but the satin result is far preferable from a feel standpoint.
I've never either but since lowering my strap/making it longer, the angle has changed and puts more pressure on different places. I wonder if this would do the same to you
I've never had problems with a finished neck. Until I played a sanded neck lol
just sanded my neck with a green scotch bride pad! surprisingly easy!
I plan to sand my bass guitar(s), but I don't want to remove the laquer completely, but instead remove/sand as less as possible for a smooth feeling.
bought sand paper 1200grit and 2500grit, and would like to mantain a nice looking finish (satin/matte) on my instruments necks...
any reccommendations? does 2500grit sound good for this job?
Thanks, Shane. I purchased a CV Telecaster, butterscotch blonde finish, two months ago. The finish is quite beautiful, and when I first got it, the guitar felt like I was holding a piece of glass, now the neck feels sticky and slows me down. Your video is perfect and removed any fears I had about doing this. Hope it works out for me as well as it did for you.
I've done similar on a few different necks. The grits you have shown yielded the best results for me. This has to be the least expensive upgrade we can do to improve the play-ability of any guitar.
Whoever thought a glossy sticky finish on the back of a neck was a good idea should have his head examined.
My 2014 strat came with a non-sticky satin finish on the back thank god they finally wised up, after customers complaining about this for AGES.
I had to sand down my other sticky necks because after some time they get REALLY sticky.
Thumbs up
aanaad Satin finished guitars are awesome. High sticky gloss, not quite as nice :-)
intheblues Hi shane I did this today on my CV 50's and VM squier with great results! My question is after 2 years has the gloss come back or has it stayed the same?? Cheers from the UK :)
Not all glossy necks are sticky, FYI. Some of them are actually great if you keep them clean.
How did I not do this earlier? This is great! It’s like getting a new neck on my Stratocaster. I love it!!
Someone recommended I use Scotch Brite. I did. Worked great.
I was thinking of doing this to my MIM Telecaster Custom and then found your video, watched it a couple of times and finally took the plunge...wow! I am well chuffed as it’s come out just as you described and to be honest way better than I thought.
Thank you as if it wasn’t for your video I don’t think I’d have tried this.
To anybody else follow the instructions and I promise you you won’t be disappointed.
Thanks mate.
I just did this some days ago with a 1200 grain sandpaper. Really nice result.
Me too
I love the feel of sanding necks to their satin finish.
I've just sanded down my HB TE-70 using this way (400 + 1500) so that is it. The neck was super glossy, Classic Vibe style, but now it's way better. The neck is far more comfortable now, should have done it earlier but hesitated. Just a light touch and you get a pretty even surface satin feel neck.
Just shaved my American Deluxe. Amazing. Thanks for sharing your bravery and inspiring me to go there.
I followed your advice Shane and sanded my Squier CV Tele neck this afternoon and it worked a treat! Feels so much better and easier to play now. Did the fretboard with steel wool and that looks good, too. No more gloss!
Thank you Shane, for this hint. I did it to my guitars right today after watching your video yesterday, and got fantastic results. So easy and effective, the necks just feel like a baby´s butt. Adds a good part of quality feel even to cheap guitars.
Just did this to my CV strat after years of being scared but simultaneously suffering from the 5mm laquer haha... i just went once with a 600 sand paper and the effect is immense! Also, incredibly easy... Now it feels a lot like my 40th anniversary CV Jazz Bass, take into account the first thing that came to my mind when i bought that bass was "damn i wish by strat had a neck like this". Thanks!
Hey you did this to a squire classic vibe I'm guessing? I bought one and I love the sound esp for the price. BUT my fingers and palm keep sticking if im a bit sweaty esp when I slide notes or bend or slide a power chord down the neck. Does this work? Will it ruin the fretboard?
Do you think this technique will be as effective on the body of a Strat?
I like to use wet and dry sandpaper and wet the sandpaper, it makes it less stiff and the water can lubercate as you sand and also you get a lot less dust
400 grit with a light touch is all ya need. Did this on 2 of my guitars it was perfect
I wet sanded the back of my tele with 1200, but not all the way through, what a difference, I love it.
From my 61 strat have 11guitars always have sanded all my guitars it’s a must for me, I always use 400 grade paper just the way that your doing yours just done my classic vibe it’s a must for the last 40 plus years!
Anyway to remove the gloss off the fretboard as well?
I hate glossy guitar necks. I wish manufacturers would leave the necks unfinished. Neck throughs almost always have gloss finishes which annoys me. I think most players agree especially ones who frequently play live. The gloss just adds resistance when you move around the board. It makes no sense. Logically you want to eliminate as much resistance as possible. I typically scallop my boards for that very reason. I'm just making an observation and stating my personal preference which I'm sure no one really gives a shit I'm just putting it out into the ether.
+Kris Ross scallops, ...can you eat them?
Even "unfinished" necks have a finish. The wood has to be sealed or it eill warp. Typically it's some type of oul finish.
A truss rod isn't going to fix a twisted neck.
No, you seal the wood in order to fill the pores and create an even surface that will take lacquer and/or paint well and basically make a surface that will make the lacquer shine after buffering. But not all types of wood are so much porous that you need to use sealer on them.
Ever hear of music Man? They have the greatest necks in the world. You dont need a finish on the back of the neck if you take care of it. The oil from your skin will feed the wood!
I've been doing this to my USA Strat deluxe. Came with a satin finish neck but they don't tell you that your hand will slowly but surely polish the satin up into a glossy, sticky finish. Takes all of about two minutes and will last for months.
Its best to clean the dust from neck in between grits. Because there will still be coarse grains left on the neck
I just did this to my classic vibes tele, feels a whole lot better now. Thanks for the tip!
i got the 52 classic vibe telecaster and the sticky neck is my only complain...as i know, this job is the best option but i feel like ruinin' my beauty (it is actually a beauty)....what if i put just a drop of almond oil in my thumb???....it ain't an everyday problem, sometimes it feels smooth and my hand slides more than perfect, but other days the playing is just impossible...i don't want to scratch my guitar unless it is the only option...what about pouring some johnson's oil, some almond oil, just a drop of oil in my thumb...what if it gets to the strings while playin'....i never had such a problem with any other guitar.....i've seen some people doin' this job with that green stuff, scotch britte, it seems to be a more subtle job....furthermore, SCOTCH britte for a butterSCOTCH doesn't sound bad, does it???...well, leave jokes appart...after 3 months, did you regret that job on your classic vibe????
U should have done this on a cheap squier first but I’m glad it came out. No worries. You can always refinish the back of the neck
I do something similar with brand new necks that have been sprayed with polyurethane. First I tape off the fretboard with painters tape. Next I sand the gloss off the back of the neck and both sides of the headstock with 400p grit sandpaper, then spray two coats of Mohawks Pre catalysed satin lacquer. I finish by buffing them out with 0000 steel wool. The finish is smooth as silk when done, .
I've seen many people do that. Only thing I would suggest is removing the neck and taping off the back of the headstock where you don't want to sand it. And you will need to repeat the process after some time because it will get glossy again when played heavily (pun unintended). That's why I would do it only with something like a 500 grit steel wool pad and nothing else- so I wouldn't remove too much material.
Would of been a good idea to tape either end off so you have a neat line to sand up to.
I did only 800 grit step on my CV 50 Bsb and was very pleased with the result. No need to use finer grits at all.
We're gonna have to get you a bigger work bench for your birthday.
Kenneth Gilbert haha :-) Thanks mate.
I'm considering a Fender Squire CV Telecaster as a second guitar but I dislike the feel of glossy necks . This looks like the answer , but what about the fretboard ? Thanks in advance .
NJ , USA .
+machia0705 For me, I'm trying to learn to use hand planes and tools. See HighlandWoodworking dot com. The idea is like the Japanese kanna tools. They make very light scraping with very sharp blades and so polish the bare wood smooth. It's a process but I enjoy the challenge.
Thanks !
yes a couch
ahaha
I just did this to my strat and it's the best thing i've ever done
I like your method of using 400 then 1500 Sand Paper.
I don't suggest ever using any sort of steel wool! The Pickup magnets will collect small fragments of the wool and cause a major issue!
Steel wool is the bane of my existence
Just did this to my acoustic, feels great, just a heads up. If you play on stage or handing guitars back and forth with roadies it's pretty slippy now. Watch out for drops! Also I think the gloss slows you down when moving around the neck but when holding chords the thumb has leverage on the gloss now not as much. Depends on your playing style I guess. Anyways my observations. Good video !
Yes 👍🏼 I find that my hand feels faster and lighter, you do need some practice before actually performing.
If you haven't noticed it will wear itself back to normal pretty quickly. I do this to all my guitars. I use 600 grit and sand from edge to edge not up and down the neck. The point is to break surface tension and sanding it correctly will make sure your hands never stick as its running over a broken up surface. I will also do a swirl pattern with steel wool after the 600 grit for an extra smooth ride but be very careful not to get any steel wool near your pickups as there magnetic and it gets stuck to them easily. BTW it ya shot pool (billiards) this also works on your stick and you will never need powder again. Only steel wool on the stick.
Once you get finish off. Apply a couple coats of Johnson paste wax and wipe off when it dries. That will make it really smooth and fast feel. Also good protection from moisture.
Crazy late comment, but seriously, the Squire Classic Vibe tele is a great machine. It feels great, plays great, even sounds great. If the nitro body is that big of a deal, then strip the poly off and re paint it, and get a great guitar with a new paint job, still for a fraction of the cost. The 52 is it's own beast. I love the neck of the 52, but found the finish to be too fragile. The squire has a great neck, but the finish...I think an elephant could gig it and it would still turn out well. SO if you are wondering go try them out. But I sanded both my necks down I used. 600 and 2000 wet, then 3000 wet.
its ideal to tape at the nut area and the body/neck joint for a neat sanded smooth finish.
Great video. Really helped to understand exactly what you’re taking off the neck when sanding. Cheers!
Its a must do to all gloss necks especially poly finishes. I will even do this to a maple fretboard that has a heavy gloss finish. Lacquer finishes will wear down overtime but these Ploy finishes are a lot more durable. Even after sanding there is plenty of poly left to protect the wood beneath it.
+Jim Raimondi my last name is very similar to yours
+Jim Raimondi how do you sand the fingerboard without going against the grain and making it look scratched?
***** Wrap 800 grit sandpaper around a plastic burnishing card and sand in between each fret space. You are not removing the polycoat only sanding away the gloss finish so make sure it is and evenly sanded as best you can. Repeat the process with 1500 grit sandpaper. Last step is to use #0000 Steel Wool across the entire fretboard, fret's included so as to polish out any fine scratches on the fret wire that may have occurred during the sanding process and even out what was sanded with the 1500 grit.
+Jim Raimondi Thanks Jim this tele has that glossy neck and fingerboard it looks good but its very sticky especially when it gets hot and your hands sweat a little .Looks like I have some work to do
"You couldn't scratch yourself with it if you tried" tell that to my friend who thought the same thing and put some very fine grit sandpaper to his face :')
I bin wondering, what would prompt a man to take a fine grit sandpaper to his face?! I suppose we all get a greasy shine on it once in a while, especially when its too warm. Maybe that fine grit paper is good at putting more of a satin or less glossy finish on it. Prob'ly makes his cheeks nice and rosy looking too.
I did the same on my Squire classic vibe, to give it an aged look, as I had made it into an Esquire. Feels a lot better, and looks better IMHO
I use Scotch Brite. Makes the neck feel amazing.
The green sponge type ?
It works.
green scotch-brite pads!
steel wooled my squier strat neck, made a big difference. used the wool because of finish thickness concerns.
Looks great. I'd recommend a respirator / paper mask when you do it because you don't want to breathe that lacquer dust. Nice video mate!
A bowl of water with a drop of dishs oap to watersand works wonders especially on the super fine grits.
Just dropping in to say THANKYOU for the great video! I recently bought a new guitar and I loved it - all apart from the super-gloss neck. I followed your advice and actually only used the 400 grit wet&dry and the improvement is incredible.
So THANKS!
RELAX GIRLS!...Stop acting as if he's killed his guitars!...I've been doing this to guitar necks for years and it will NOT hurt them in fact it makes them so smooth you wont want to put them down. I got this idea from a professional Billiards player 25 years ago that also did this to his $800 pool sticks to make them slick but not shiny. With 1500 grit you will NOT remove enough finish to even notice even after multiple uses, you are only smoothing out whats there to an ultra smooth and slick finish.
Pool sticks can cost 800dollars ?!?
25 years ago yes......Now they can cost $3k plus
@@warrentrucks09
Glad I only use cheap ones at bars...always some schmuck you have to whack with it.
LOL epic comment I love it btw
@@jwhammond1$800 is nothing. It's quite a rabbit hole, but there are some freaking expensive pool sticks out there. Hundreds and hundreds of thousands of dollars
I just did this to my SX vintage strat and it just feels amazing...I can't believe it, it plays so smooth...thank you so much for posting this video, I used 400 sandpaper as well..
I did this, but you only really need to do the 400 grit. Works a treat and has made my Baja Tele WAY more playable... I was close to selling it before sanding the neck down.
I recently refinished a squire neck and if you actually use the sandpaper wet, especially the 1500 grit, it comes out with a much smoother feel and better look.
I just bought a classic vibe 60's strat, I'm a lefty too, I luv the look of the gloss finish but agree on the resistance issue,
I don't want to sand it, I want it to remain original, but if it becomes too annoying, I may have no choice, thanks for showing us :o)
Bought some Tru-oil and it's really good. Made a really nice finish, thanks.
I use mr sheen on the body and the neck of my guitars without any detriment makes them as silky as one could ever want including the fret board . Protects from moisture as well happy music making
I use a Scotch pad to do this. I remove the neck and tape off where I want it to stop at the headstock so it gets a nice clean finish line. The issue I had with sandpaper is high grit loads too fast. The Scotch pad doesn't load. Some people use steel wool, but I don't use it on guitars anymore because the steel gets everywhere and sticks to pickup magnets.
Still relevant. Thinking about doing this on my Guild Polara Newark St reissue. Great guitar, however, they didn't skimp on the gloss, regretfully.
I was sanding the neck of my tele as I was watching this video and wow...really works! Thanks man
Thanks Shane. I bought a surprisingly nice Bullet Tele but the neck was rough. Your expertise was helpful
Great video. I've tried a few ways(scotch-brite sponges, numerous grade of sandpaper) to smooth the back of my necks & this is by far the easiest & best method. Got the back of my Fender '50s neck silky smooth. Gonna do this to all my guitars. Thanks!
Just did this! Feels grrreat🤘🎸
I want to do this on my Jazz Bass. I already have a MM Stingray that has sanded neck and I love it. I apply some warwick wax on its neck every once in a while. It cleans it and keeps the perfect feel.
you should see the back of the neck on Rory Gallagher's strat,
Stevie Rays, Blackmore's, van Helen's, ect ect
If when you have done this you add some talc powder to the 1500 paper and give it one final light run over (only a little talc) you won't believe the difference. pool que tip.
pete hixson all you news is 600. it will feel smoother, and as you keep playing your hand will polish it up anyway. .
Yes, I was in guitar store today and played on Tele CV50 - a really sticky neck. No pleasure to play on the guitar. On my guitar will sand it 100%.
Great video thanks! Going to do this to my Fender American Original 60’s Precision bass neck as well.
Nice video. Yeah, sanding makes your hand glide so much faster along the neck. To my bass necks, I add a few layers of shellac so the wood is protected, and the neck stays slick. I think some people apply linseed or other oil.
Have a 50s cv strat that I love to death, definitely have gotten tired of the heavy lacquer though after playing my fender telecaster a bunch
I have a Vintage Modified Telecaster Custom and I used a scotch brite (green pad) on the back side. It got rid some of the coating. Also, if you haven’t noticed or maybe it’s just the neck on mine but, the fretboard edge of Squier necks are not coated. It’s starting to show some grime (which is cool on fretboards in my opinion)
You will probably want to put some kind of wood treatment to keep it from absorbing moisture like sweat from your hand. I like to use linseed oil. I've also heard of people using lemon oil.
this will only scratch the surface, the idea is not to remove the finish, so no need to worry about the bare wood
I was gonna ask exactly these two questions! :)
Do you sand it all the way down, and if so, do you use any oil from keeping it from absorbing sweat? Or do you just sand the surface 'til it becomes rough, and leave the remaining laquer on as it is?
I am going to do this to my cv Tele. It's the same model as Shane's, with the same glossy neck finish.
Not sure if it's the best but I use a little bit of furniture polish on the neck afterwards to make it look a little more glossy
I don't think I will never stress this enough, if you have a VM strat or telecaster, YOU MUST DO THIS!! I swear on my life you won't regret it. I guess you could say, "if you like the neck of your guitar as it is you don't have to do it". my question would be, who the hell likes sticky necks?, they will slow you down, period. they have no advantage. do this to your guitar's neck, it's barely visible, it makes a world of difference.
That's like an upgrade. I don't like glossy necks either, prefer the wood. Just some wax on it and call it a day.
It just goes to show people are different. Some people find the high gloss sticky and don't like the feel. I Love the feel of high gloss on the neck.
thinking about doing this to my players series
I actually really like the glossy back. The Fender/Squier gloss is better to play than the Gibson/Epiphone gloss, however. Maybe it's psychological though
use steel wool on satin or matte finishes and sand paper on gloss..they both still need to be cleaned regularly with a mild solvent like naphtha to keep it smooth
Great video, thank you... not a fan of my high gloss tele neck... will do this today
Sanding the neck is great but you need to seal the bare wood when finished. If you don't, you will have to adjust the truss rod often when you take the guitar out and it's a major pain. Linseed oil mixed with lemon oil works well for this.
He didnt take it down to the bare wood, just took the sheen off the gloss.
Why would you sand down to the bare wood? You only need to scuff the surface, removing the top 2-3% of the lacquer. Hand-sanding one of these ugly wet-look poly finishes on a Squier Precision down to the wood took me a couple of hours with 120 grit paper - now that's a major pain in the ass!
Why even use the 400 grit?
Unless you're trying to remove all the poly, you just knock the gloss down with 1000 or 1500 grit.
Agreed 1000% same feel and keep the finish protecting the bare wood
Yea verily.
Bc it’s a PITA
I really think there're two options here:
If you want to just smooth out the feel of the neck at the back, use Scotch Brite pads. Taping off the neck is a good idea. A little goes a long way - do a little at a time because you want to leave some finish for protection.
The other thing I've tried is CitriStrip - this will remove all of this finish. You'll want to take the neck off for this one. I did this on a cheap Chinese guitar neck and it worked great. Since this removes all of the finish, oil+wax afterwards for protection.
I used 3m grey scotch pad on my CV TELE and 335 GIBSON..Made the necks 10 times faster and easier the play...........Works great!..........CHEERS!
Sanding wood bringing guitar and pool players together. Didn't expect this xD
thanx for the demo.. I currently am about to do this to my fender p bass and my sqiuer jazz bass with a classic vibe 60's neck I installed. they feel good currently but i'm looking for a little bit faster less glossy surface
If you're cheap like me, you can rub your saturated sanding paper against itself, it will drop the material and you will be able to use it again until you're not cutting any material. Also, don't cheap out on your face Masks that powder will harm you bad. Thanks for the video, I did 320 on my squier, looks fine, feels a lot better than my American strat.
I bought some sandpaper to do this MIM Tele. Ill tell you it take some nerve to take a piece of sandpaper to a brand new(ish) guitar. Sat there and looked at it for months. Finally did it. Then nothing was safe! My ES, my Les Paul, my acoustic. I think I've got maybe 15 guitars,15 got the rub. Best thing ever!
dean mccaskill it doesn’t change the profile of the neck at all?
CHURCH GEAR REVIEWS No Jeepers don’t hit em that hard!! No seriously I just give them a little rub knock that very thin gloss away. I think mine probably won’t buff right out like some claim. I mean if put some kind of intsrument on it and check there might be some arbitrary differences. Nothing my hand can freel anyway. Some may, not me.
I did this to my Squier CV BSB, but used the grey scotch brite pad method. It feels amazing but mine needs doing again actually because it does go back to a semi-gloss but may try the sandpaper method to see if it makes it even more silky!
I didn't get a long with the CV Tele necks--too sticky. I would have needed to sand the fingerboard to keep it. I did a similar process on an Epiphone Les Paul with 0000 steel wool. It felt a lot better with a satin rather than gloss finish for me.
Play guitar lefty, use sandpaper righty???
I make the same sanding on my strat and soon to my les paul sticky gloss neck
NIce video, just did it to my CV50 strat. My only complain is: why the heck I did not find this video earlier.
great job 👍 could this also work on glossy fretboards?
After I fell for satin necks and nitro finishes a few years ago I look at the gloss on guitar necks and poly finishes the same way I look at the wax they put on apples at the store. You can eat it if you want to, but I like to wash it off. ;)
Scotchbright sanding pad. Red, gray, and white.
Gonna do it to my squire cv 50s p bass super-dooper glossy neck soon ;)
I'm going to strip the finish off the back of a spare CV neck so I don't have the hassle of resanding it when the finish wears down.
I am looking for a good luiter in Melbourne that is awesome at their work.
unless your neck is bound, you don't need tape. contrary to thought it will not hurt the guitar, in fact it will help. I took the crap off les Paul, 335, also, just as soon as you wipe it, it looks the same. the natural oils in your hand will take care of your guitar,
and provided your not usein sand paper that's like roof shingles,
you won't see any scratch.
I would like to do this to my PRS Custom 24, but it I am concerned that I might ruin it
did you?
@@AdamSuksCoxNDix will you?
I tried the grey sanding (wire wool grade) sponge on the CV 60’s tele but it felt a bit squeaky.
I then used a 360 grit sandpaper and it felt amazing and looked the same as sanding with super fine.
I think the lower grit makes it feel more like wood.
The great thing with the poly necks is if you really don’t like it, don’t sweat, you can buff it back to gloss.
Just my thing... to keep all my strats stock...Arm & Hammer makes a "all over body SPRAY powder"..I apply it to the palm of my hand and also where the neck rides between my thumb and 1st finger..same effect..just a couple of quick sprays between sets and everything remains original..