St_Genesius
New member
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.
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:
