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Hello everyone. I have a production G&L bass and i want to refinish the back of the neck. It has a lacquered finish at the moment, but I was hoping to get it to a smooth "satin" type finish. Fine-grain sandpaper/steel wool with an oil finish? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

You can steel wool the present finish if you are gentle on the corners so you dont burn through . Repeat when it starts to feel sticky not silky.
OOOO works best for me.I prefer Liberon brand because the "fibers" are of uniform size and no oily mess.I get mine from Rockler.
I hope that helps
Brett

Perfect! Thanks for the quick reply. After I steel wool the finish, do I need to apply oil or the like? My impression was that if there is no finish, hand oils can discolor the wood after a while.

Also, to clarify, when you mention do you mean that after a while of playing after I steel wool the surface, the neck will start to become sticky?

thanks!

I thought you said your neck has a laquer finish still on it. If that is so there is no need to strip the present finish,just steel wool it,no oil .For maintainance of the "satin" feel , a touch up now and then when it becomes shiny is all you need.
Good luck with the project

Oh boy. Sorry if I'm being unclear...there IS still a lacquer finish on it. So to make sure I'm understanding correctly, all I need to do is use 0000 steel wool to strip the existing finish, and that's it? And for maintenance, I just touch it up with the steel wool, yes?

Thanks!

Steel wool won't completely remove the clear finish presently on your neck unless you do a lot of rubbing (particularly if you are to use 0000 grade) or unless it is already worn very thin. What it will do is remove the gloss off a high gloss Polyurethane or Nitro-cellulose finish and make it present as a satin. This is due to the tiny scratches the steel wool or paper makes.

Since this would not "unseal" the bare timber you shouldn't have a problem with discoloration from skin oils. You could give the neck a wipe over with a nice oil and then remove excess if you wanted. Some oil finishes will eventually become sticky particularly if you leave too much on so let it soak in for a while then rub it vigorously with clean rags.

I think you were asking about whether or not to sand the existing finish right off and apply a new finish of just oil. This is a lot more work obviously and I don't really see that it is necessary unless there is something wrong with the existing finish.

Yeah...I feel like an idiot. I was wondering how 0000 was going to remove the finish...

So, once and for all, what you're telling me is that if I simply use the steel wool on the existing finish, it will make it feel like satin. Period. No need to completely remove the existing finish and refinish with oil or anything else.

Right?

Great.

Got it.

Whew.

One final question, is it crucial to order the Liberon, or can I get away with the easy to get/cheapo Rhodes American?

Thanks for your patience with this, guys. I swear I'm not usually this dense...

As you would know the term "Satin" in finishes actually refers to the appearence and the reflective qualities of the finish. I don't know how much it affects the feel of the neck or ease of movement. Perhaps someone else is better qualified to comment on this.

As far as the Brand of the steel wool is concerned I don't know either of these brands here in Oz. The stuff we use in Wood Workshop is just typical industrial grade. I suppose as with anything you get what you pay for.

It is not vital that you use Liberon brand steel wool, but the uniform size of the steel "fibers" gives a more consistent finish.The OOOO or super fine size is vital no matter which brand you use.You can also masking tape off the areas that you want to remain glossy.
good luck
Brett

Hi guys,

So I got the wool and have been going to town on it. My goal here is far more focused on feel as opposed to aesthetics. It seems to be having a nice effect so far, but probably a bit more subtle than what I am going for. I'm looking for that silky feel with as little "catch" as possible as I move around the neck.

How much should I rub? With lots of pressure? I guess my question becomes do I persist with the 0000 and just give it more time, or do I need to go a little coarser first and move back up?

Thanks!