Neck Refinish

[RyanD]

I am thinking of sanding the back of the neck on my custom 24 and then using gunstock oil and wax as a finish. Think Music Man guitars. I've done this on several guitars with excellent results but none of them had stained necks. The neck on my custom 24 is stained blue. Is it even possible to just sand off the clear coat while leaving the stain if I'm really careful, or would it require sanding the stain off then re-staining it to match?

I don't care at all about resale value. I'm not selling this thing. I've even considered asking the PRS Tech Center if they are willing to do it. I would enjoy doing the work myself but I know I'll never get the stain to match if I take it off.

Thanks in advance!

 

[bodia]

I sent a guitar in for a refinish and had them do the neck in black satin, like the Mark Holcomb SE. I don't think they'll do "bare wood" though. I inquired at the time, looking for something like you're after, and they wouldn't do it.

Another route you could go is micro-mesh. This would leave the neck with the feeling your after without doing any removal of stain. You could also use Scotch-Brite to get the same affect.

https://www.stewmac.com/Materials_a...ishing_Papers/Micro-Mesh_Soft_Touch_Pads.html

 

[RyanD]

Thanks. I'm considering doing it that way. I really wanted the gunstock oil finish because I think it even feels better than satin and it will look much better. I may be out of luck.

 

[garrettb]

Unless it's a maple neck, the wood is not stained. If it's a mahogany neck, the color is in the base coat.

Either way, I'd start with Micro Mesh or 0000 steel wool to take the gloss off the top coat and see how that works out. A lot of people who don't like glossy necks stop there.

If you really want a bare wood feel, mask it off and go at it. The naked wood would look pretty cool if you do it right.

 

[RyanD]

So since it's in the base coat does that mean taking all of clear off to the point that I could use Tru oil the color will come with it?

 

[garrettb]

Correct. If the color coat is still there, the wood is still sealed, so you won't need the Tru Oil.

If you take it back to bare mahogany, you can use the Tru Oil to seal it, but you'll have the natural wood color.

 

[RyanD]

Hmm.. That gets my gears turning. Thank you!