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Scotch-brite'ing the neck

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  • Scotch-brite'ing the neck

    I've seen various discussions and questions come up about this over the years, so I figured I'd post my experience. I spent a chunk of yesterday attacking pretty much every neck in the house with scotch-brite pads. Mostly on poly necks with factory gloss, but one guitar with a thin nitro satin finish that had buffed to a shine from a decade of playing and another with an oil/wax finish that just needed a bit of raised grain knocked back.

    I had three grits at my disposal: white, gray and maroon.

    Here's what I found (YMMV):

    -The white pads, which are the finest of the three I had, aren't really aggressive enough to do what I wanted. They make a difference, certainly, but the resulting finish, while duller than the factory gloss, still feels pretty polished. I've read that these are great for polishing frets; I can believe it, but I haven't tried it yet. I have a project with some corrosion on the frets, so I'll definitely be giving that a go.

    -The gray pads are pretty good on nitro. They cut, but not so aggressively that you have to be careful. They also work fine on poly, if a bit more slowly. I feel like these are the ones I've seen recommended the most often for this job, and they certainly seem like the safest option.

    -The maroon is, for me, where it's at. On nitro or oil/wax, I felt like I had to be a little careful not to be too aggressive. On the poly necks, though, I just taped off right at the nut (and in different places at the other end, depending on the join), and went to town. Really, REALLY like the results. I don't think I've seen other people recommend the maroon for this job, so maybe there's a reason not to use them, but in my hands, they worked exactly the way I wanted them to.


    In the end, glossy necks are fine. I don't hate them. And god knows they're not a limiting factor in my speed, but I do prefer a matte finish, so this was a fun afternoon project.
    Last edited by St_Genesius; 07-13-2020, 09:02 AM.
    ---------------------------
    The most popular thread I've ever made was 1) a joke and 2) based around literally the most inane/mundane question I could think of. That says something about me, or all of you, or both.

    https://forum.seymourduncan.com/show...or-for-a-Strat

  • #2
    Re: Scotch-brite'ing the neck

    Excellent feedback.

    Any before/after photos?
    Oh no.....


    Oh Yeah!

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    • #3
      Re: Scotch-brite'ing the neck

      The maroon is great for knocking down small runs, bumps, etc., or using between coats of thicker products, but you have to be careful not to get to aggressive with it, especially in transition zones.

      The gray pad is what I use to achieve my favorite neck finish: Tru-Oil built up in 4-5 coats to a slight gloss, cured for 2-3 weeks, then knocked back/burnished with the gray pad heavily until it has this buffed, incredibly smooth, but durable finish. It's not glossy at all, but it still has some sheen because of how much I end up "polishing" the surface with the pad. It's crazy how friggin' slick and good this feels under the hands! Like nothing else, really. And it doesn't need the maintenance of oil/wax.

      Here's the latest neck I did this to, shown in bright indirect light so you can see the slight bit of "sheen" it takes on. If you saw the "before" appearance, which I don't have a picture of, you would be able to see just how much less "glossy" this is compared to the initial Tru-Oil finish I applied. Please excuse the messy concrete floors in the background...I'm in the process of breaking out the old tile in my kitchen to put in new flooring.

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      • #4
        Re: Scotch-brite'ing the neck

        I’ve tried scotch brite. Always end up going for the full strip, oil/wax finish.
        “I can play the hell out of a riff. The rest of it’s all bulls**t anyway,” Gary Holt

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        • #5
          Re: Scotch-brite'ing the neck

          I just did a crap load of work to my Ibanez neck.
          Relaxed the side dots with Luminlay dots, as well as sanding down the neck playing surface to bare wood and tru-oiling it.
          It came out phenomenal. I’ll post pics when I get a chance. I didn’t take any before pics though[emoji3525]

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          • #6
            Re: Scotch-brite'ing the neck

            Go over the oil with Howard's Feed & Wax.
            “I can play the hell out of a riff. The rest of it’s all bulls**t anyway,” Gary Holt

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            • #7
              Re: Scotch-brite'ing the neck

              I got the the Birchwood-Casey gun stock wax.

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              • #8
                Re: Scotch-brite'ing the neck

                Nice. For years, I just did the oil. Started adding the wax earlier this year... it's some next level stuff.
                “I can play the hell out of a riff. The rest of it’s all bulls**t anyway,” Gary Holt

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                • #9
                  Scotch-brite'ing the neck

                  Ben Eller has a great tutorial in his YouTube channel. I basically followed it step by step. I went as fine as 400 grit and wow, was it smooth.
                  Last edited by Gtrjunior; 07-13-2020, 04:24 PM.

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                  • #10
                    Re: Scotch-brite'ing the neck

                    I wish you guys could feel the neck I did above in person...no wax

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                    • #11
                      Re: Scotch-brite'ing the neck

                      Probably wouldn't be my first choice on the painted/stained necks, but cool.

                      Originally posted by JB_From_Hell View Post
                      I’ve tried scotch brite. Always end up going for the full strip, oil/wax finish.
                      ---------------------------
                      The most popular thread I've ever made was 1) a joke and 2) based around literally the most inane/mundane question I could think of. That says something about me, or all of you, or both.

                      https://forum.seymourduncan.com/show...or-for-a-Strat

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                      • #12
                        Re: Scotch-brite'ing the neck

                        Originally posted by Gtrjunior View Post
                        I got the the Birchwood-Casey gun stock wax.
                        This is what I use on my Music Man neck. It feels great.
                        Administrator of the SDUGF

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                        • #13
                          Re: Scotch-brite'ing the neck

                          Great info here - you guys are making me want to wax my wood long time

                          By that I mean strip one of my thick finished necks and try oiling/waxing it up

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                          • #14
                            Re: Scotch-brite'ing the neck

                            Me too. Not because I have bought abunch and compared them, but because I read somewhere that's what they use at the factory.

                            It was a MM neck that had a small patch of raised grain yesterday. Been there since I bought it, so obviously not bothering me much, but I figured since I was abrading everything else...

                            Originally posted by Mincer View Post
                            This is what I use on my Music Man neck. It feels great.
                            ---------------------------
                            The most popular thread I've ever made was 1) a joke and 2) based around literally the most inane/mundane question I could think of. That says something about me, or all of you, or both.

                            https://forum.seymourduncan.com/show...or-for-a-Strat

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                            • #15
                              Re: Scotch-brite'ing the neck

                              Originally posted by Metalman_666 View Post
                              Great info here - you guys are making me want to wax my wood long time

                              By that I mean strip one of my thick finished necks and try oiling/waxing it up

                              Sent from my SM-N975W using Tapatalk
                              Yeah, suuureeee
                              Lol

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