Recording Website Forum Archive

In Reply to: Taking the gloss finish off of a guitar neck. posted by E. on December 25, 2000 at 02:21:52 PM:

take off your tuners and metal plate on back of neck

You can also take off the neck, if you like

You can make the surface a matte gloss (lower the gloss) in one of two ways:

1. use #0000 or #00000 steel wool, rubbing gently with the grain. Use a strong light and look at it at an oblique angle to the light to make sure you have all the gloss removed in the small indentations.

2. use rubbing compound (it's a reddish paste --- don't use polishing compoud, which is usually white --- polishing compound is too fine and is to make it glossy, whereas rubbing compound is rougher and will dull the finish a bit). See the can for more info.

With either method, be gentle on the sharp corners (like at the corners of the headstock) because you are removing a small portion of the finish -- if you rub too hard there, you'll go right through.

Do NOT use sandpaper.

If you like, after dulling the finish, you can polish your whole guitar, neck and all with Johnson and Johnson paste wax (see can for instructions). It's used for furniture and wood floors... can get at grocery store. Will not bring the gloss back up too much. Don't put it on the fretboard, just the back of the neck and the body.

Follow Ups:

• That's wierd - most Fenders start off with a satin finish, it gets polished after you've played it a while (n/t) Jon B 07:21:21 PM 12/26/00 (1)
  • It does have a satin finish, but a little piece is flaking off and I can feel it so I'm gonna redo it. (n/t) E. 09:04:42 PM 12/26/00 (0)