Sanding a Gibson Les Paul neck

[hhcave]

Hey,

I have a Gibson Les Paul Custom but i prefer oiled necks so i was thinking of taking it to a luthier and having it sanded proffessionally like the Zakk Wylde model... the problem is i haven't ever seen anyone do it - is there a problem with dong it? It it not a good idea to have an oiled mahogany neck (Zakk Wylde's neck is maple)?

Thanks in advance

[indysmith]

It should be fine to do as long as it's done properly. People probably don't often do it because it'll destroy the resale value of the guitar completely.

[WezV]

there are other ways to get a non-sticky feeling neck that dont involve detroying the resale value.

If you did sand the neck down it wuld need more care than  maple neck does.  Mahogany oiled necks tend to dry out faster and need re-oiling more often.  Also you would never be able to have the neck resprayed if you didnt like it.... any oil or wax would stop lacquer sticking and it aint easy to remove it once it soaked into the wood!!

I am a big fan of oiled necks but have to say it would be the wrong choice for this guitar.

You can satinise the lacquer thats there by rubbing down with 000 or 0000 wire wool and a little wax - and this can always be rebuffed if you need to sell it.

or another method i like is rebuffing the neck with micromesh going through the grits from 1500 - 12000.  The neck will still be highly glossy but will be completely non-stick and feel really fast

here is the micromesh cloth set

http://www.themodelcatalogue.com/acatalog/Alclad_Mirka_Sanding.html#aalcmmesh

[hhcave]

Hmmm yeah the satinising is definately a good idea... The thing is im most probably not going to sell the guitar as it was my first proper guitar and i've already do things like added straplocks, swapped the pickups, created lots of buckle rash of the back side and there a quite a few dings (gigging   :? )

Say i wasn't concerned with the guitars resale value; would an oiled mahogany neck really be that high maintenance? How often would i have to re-oil it? The reason i'd rather have an oiled neck is not only because i prefer the feel but also the finish on the top side (around where the thumb goes when bending) next to the 5th fret has started peeling (my fault)...the problem there is not that it affect playability in the slightest, it just looking really, really annoying whenever i look down at the 5th fret... and im not sure the satinising would mask that...



Please advise me!  :oops:

[WezV]

tru-oil or danish oil and wax will be nice but mahogany is open grained and has a fluffier/softer texture compared to maple.  You may need to re-coat every so often but maintenance will get less as a patina develops.  You also need to decide where to start and end  the process

and you need to be carefull not to reshape the neck too much when sanding the finish off - sometimes easier to do on mahogany

[hhcave]

Hmm, i know where to start and end (it will be the same as the zakk wylde model)

There is a good luthier near me who  can do the sanding so im pretty sure he won't reshape the neck...

Does tung oil work well with mahogany?

Also, do you reckon the bare mahogany neck will feel a bit 'weird' compared to the maple neck i have on my other guitar? Are there any stock guitars which have oiled mahogany necks? Or do they not really take so well to being oiled?

Thanks

[WezV]

i dont know of any that come stock with oiled mahogany necks.. maybe some basses will.  

they start to feel quite rough if not maintained properly.. but the maintenance isnt too much of a ball ache

depends on the tung oil, tru-oil and danish oil are treated oils that set better and will need less maintenance

[indysmith]

what about those satin finished PRS guitars? I guess that's super thin nitro though rather than oil. feels like wood though

[Henk]

The whole idea seems NO-SMARTY to me, allhough is have seen worn-trough-finish mahagony necks, those werent played anymore though and they were kept that way for emotional value. Wez is right, they are very coarse to play, so unless you like that just dont do it. Maintaining an oil finish is simply a drag, unless you realy like polishing guitars just let it go IMO.

I'd go with the refinishing Wez suggested, ive had two necks of which the nitro had gone to shitee, i just used a very slight amount of some polishing agent(wax with some small grain sand in it, used for polishing metal surfaces) and a new cotton disk on a machine. Wez more gentile aproach seems more sensible though.  :lol:

[Twinfan]

It's a thin nitro, and it feels like bare wood to me too.  Bare maple feels great (I have it on one or two Ibanez RGs) but I wasn't keen on the PRS matt finish.

I'd try one of the PRSs before you do anything to your LP.

[Philly Q]

what about those satin finished PRS guitars? I guess that's super thin nitro though rather than oil. feels like wood though

That's what I had on my Pete Townshend SG (now sold).  It does feel good, although I don't like the look - a bit "furniture".

But it polishes up quite quickly from playing, anyway.

[hhcave]

Hmmm okay, i'll look into the super thin nitro lacquer finish... If i like the feel of it is it a good-to-go? Or still a bit dodgy?

[Dakine]

the nitro neck on my PRS satin feels as good as all my unfinished necks inc. the (still for sale ;)) EBMM Pet with tru oil finish. In fact the neck was THE reason I initially bought the first PRS.

[indysmith]

would it not be more viable to sand thru to wood, and then give it a thin nitro finish??

[hhcave]

Okay, well i've had a quick chat with the luthier and he said that he would recommend some sort of coating over the mahogany as the bare mahogany would expand with moisture...

Are there only 2 options with the coating? Satin or the PRS thin nitro?

Also, what would you recommend?

Im more inclined at the moment to go for the PRS thin nitro coating simply because it seems to be higher quality but im not sure...I dont want my les paul to feel cheap!

Thanks