Has anyone sanded down their PR$ neck?

[ruger9]

A sweaty outdoor gig showed me that, if I am going to gig my DGT, I've GOT to satin the neck. It's just got way too much drag. My Fender's necks are all satin, love them. And I don't mind doing it to a Fender neck. But an expensive PRS neck-through... not that I'm all that worried about resale value (yet), but I seem to feel much less "OK" doing it to the DGT,...? It's a 2022, so I think it's the CAB over nitro or something???

Experiences?

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

Like reshape? Or just take down the finish to a satin?

Scotchbrite green pads, 800-1000 grit sandpaper also works. You can just do a taped off section or do a stinger like Hans has done in the past which looks great.

 

[watelessness]

sacrilege! how DARE you customize a guitar and make it your own! how dare you, sir, how DARE you!

 

[ruger9]

Like reshape? Or just take down the finish to a satin?

Scotchbrite green pads, 800-1000 grit sandpaper also works. You can just do a taped off section or do a stinger like Hans has done in the past which looks great.

I just want to sating the finish, so it doesn't drag in sweaty/humid weather.
What's a stinger?

sacrilege! how DARE you customize a guitar and make it your own! how dare you, sir, how DARE you!

LOL yeah I've done it to ALL my guitars. I think there's something about the DGT, maybe the price?, that makes me hesitate. To be honest, the neck is a little chunky for me (I play it fine most of the time tho), and if it were more to my liking, I think I would have no issue at all... but in the back of my mind I'm still thinking "am I going to keep it? I have other guitars whose necks I like more, and who's bridge pickups I like almost as much as that DGT... will I sell it eventually? " Because if I do sell it, I have a feeling a satin-ed neck will be a turnoff for a PRS buyer, especially with a signature guitar with a 10-top.

In the end, it's only money, I guess.

 

[Greywolf]

Yes , I ususally just break the glaze with 3000 wet , still has a vintage sheen and no tickies. The Swampy Southern summers make it a neccessity , except of course on my Rosewood necks .

 

[ruger9]

Yes , I ususally just break the glaze with 3000 wet , still has a vintage sheen and no tickies. The Swampy Southern summers make it a neccessity , except of course on my Rosewood necks .

Perfect! That's high recommendation, coming from your locale!

Maybe that's what I'll do; I'll tape it off down at the nut (to get a clean break line), then hit it with 3000 wet.

 

[Greywolf]

Home depot sells wet grits from 400-3000 sized for sanders . Micro Mesh is also delightful .
I reverse the normal scaled finishing grit process so I only remove what is absolutely necessary to get the desired finish.
As a Luthier ,the trick is NOT to leave any scratches , which is why I don't use scotchbrite although it does the job.

I double a piece and put the guitar in the normal seated playing position and run my hand GENTLY up and down the neck 10 passes at a time , clean -check and proceed .

I HIGHLY recommend Frog tape, the blue painters tape has a tendency to bleed, frog tape doesn't .. worth the extra

Of course if you want to address any carve issues , i.e. modify the contour , then I'd start with 320, and respray with satin nitro . I did this on my Special Arist so I could fine tune it and match the top River blue on the satin natural Flame neck, knowing full well it "ruined " the re-sale . I kept the front and back of the headstock natural , The results were great and I love it.

 

[ruger9]

Home depot sells wet grits from 400-3000 sized for sanders . Micro Mesh is also delightful .
I reverse the normal scaled finishing grit process so I only remove what is absolutely necessary to get the desired finish.
As a Luthier ,the trick is NOT to leave any scratches , which is why I don't use scotchbrite although it does the job.

I double a piece and put the guitar in the normal seated playing position and run my hand GENTLY up and down the neck 10 passes at a time , clean -check and proceed .

I HIGHLY recommend Frog tape, the blue painters tape has a tendency to bleed, frog tape doesn't .. worth the extra

Of course if you want to address any carve issues , i.e. modify the contour , then I'd start with 320, and respray with satin nitro . I did this on my Special Arist so I could fine tune it and match the top River blue on the satin natural Flame neck, knowing full well it "ruined " the re-sale . I kept the front and back of the headstock natural , The results were great and I love it.

Yeah, I don't want to get into refinishing, especially on a $5K+ guitar that has some proprietary finish on it. I'd LOVE to reshape the neck, and if I ever do someday, I'd send it in to the PTC for refinish... I guess...

I did totally refinish an SE once, but it wasn't up to factory standards. I won't do that to this guitar.

 

[Bowtiefanatc]

I just want to sating the finish, so it doesn't drag in sweaty/humid weather.
What's a stinger?

It’s a visual separation from glossy to satin

 

[bodia]

I'm a Scotch Brite user on my necks. 4 or 5 up and back with medium pressure gets it to where I like it. Some have used several coats of car wax to get that smooth feeling on their necks.

 

[Bogner]

I Just Wear The Michael Jackson/George Lynch Gloves. That Way When The Gig Is Over I Can Hustle To The Gym And Lift Weights Without Having To Change.

 

[ruger9]

It’s a visual separation from glossy to satin

My EBMM LukeIII has that, but it's from roasted maple neck (IDK if it's bare or oiled?), to a satin finish (on the headstock). The straight line does look a little weird, but then I have to remember the guitar is for PLAYING, not looking at (at least the back of the neck).

But that neck finish is my favorite of all-time. Lemme look it up... "Gunstock oil and hand-rubbed special wax blend". That neck finish is amazing.

 

[d^rren]

I believe EBMM uses (or used to use) Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil gunstock oil and wax.

 

[Mike Duncan]

This thread needed pictures. Holy cow.

 

[ruger9]

I Just Wear The Michael Jackson/George Lynch Gloves. That Way When The Gig Is Over I Can Hustle To The Gym And Lift Weights Without Having To Change.

Lift weights to look like Michael Jackson??? LOL

 

[Bogner]

Lift weights to look like Michael Jackson??? LOL

He Is Skinny Strong...Don't Hate!