How to strip the lacquer off a guitar neck and make it super smooth
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- Опубліковано 4 лис 2021
- In this video I will show you the process I use to get a guitar neck to feel super smooth.
Tools used:
Montypresso Relic Wax
Monty's Instrument Food
Industrial blades - American Line Blades for Window Scraping Traditional One-Sided Single Edge
Wire wool - Liberon SW00001KG 1Kg Steel Wool
Sandpaper
120, 240, 400 HERMES PERDURABLE SILICON CARBIDE SHEETS 230 X 280MM
1200 HERMES WET & DRY SILICON CARBIDE SHEETS 230 X 280MM - Розваги
Just picked up your wax/food set, can’t wait to start on my guitars.
I just did this on my 60th Anniversary 1954 American Vintage Stratocaster. I was a bit nervous about doing it but everything turned out great and I couldn't be more happy with the result. (Note: I skipped the blade and went directly with the 120 grit sandpaper) Thank you for this great tutorial.
I also skipped the blade and went right to 120 grit...worked great!
Great instructional video. I did as you suggested on my 84 Squire Tele maple neck. It's AMAZING how smooth and fast it has become. I used both of your products and highly recommend their use. Best - Dave
wow! it´s so incredible such kind. of info! So helpful! Thank you!
Ordered both waxes from f-u tone in the us and I’ve now got the courage to strip my fender American original 60’s neck. I love my EVH Frankie replica and this lacquer neck is killing me
Just wow. best video on this topic i've ever seen, really curious on trying that out properly but you guys nailed it!
Thanks dear chap!! More stuff to come soon
Incredible tutorial Matt. I completed the job in just under and hour and I couldn't be happier. I originally gave my PRS CE24 to a "luthier" to relic (bad idea from me) and he did a terrible job. The guitar needed a complete refinish and the neck was clearly sanded once with rough sandpaper. Now I've gone through the proper process as described in this video, my guitar is finally back to fighting fit. Thank you so much!
Happy to help man 🤜🤛💚
Informative, entertaining, and well edited! Thanks!
Glad you liked it dear chap
Excellent, definitely doing this, been planning on it for a while and this gives me everything I need. Cheers!
A pleasure dear chap, glad you liked it. Cheers Matt
@Montysguitarsandpickups Thanks for this video. I treated the fingerboard of my guitar with Montypresso Relic Wax and Monty's Instrument Food. It came out great. Not thinking about it too much, I also used some Monty's Instrument Food directly on the finished back of the neck after steel wooling it smooth with 0000. The result was ok but a little on the tacky side even after buffing it several times with a soft cloth. I went over it a few times with a fresh piece of 0000 steel wool and it smoothed right out. It's very smooth now! I really like the waxes.
Great stuff .I just received my 2011 Blacktop Jaguar p90 and using Monty's products to restore the neck and breathe new life into it.Decided Relic wax was the way to go for the fretboard using plenty of zippo fuel first then sealing it with Instrument Food at the end
As for the back of the neck though I wasn't brave enough to try scraping all the laquer so just decided to turn the gloss into a satin finish by sanding it with 600 800 and 1000 grain and sealing it with Instrument Food .May give the full treatment at a later date but for now I'm super happy with my darker rosewood fretboard and silky smooth satin neck .Cheers ,now to do the same to the rest of my guitars ......Thanks to Monty's .
Cool vid. I just turned my guitar over and used sandpaper for 5 minutes. Done!! I love the feel
That is awesome!
That razorblade trick is going to save me a lot of time sanding. Thanks
Hi Matt. Do you have any advice about also doing this between the frets. Preferably without removing the frets?
Great video!!!
Thank you!!
How often do you put the wax on? Nice to see you have a channel just seen the pedal show with you.
How serendipitous… I did almost the exact same thing on a maple neck and fretboard with both these products over the last 24 hours. I took the lacquer off with low grit sandpaper and then went up the grits to 400. I put plenty of Montypresso on and left it for 24 hours. Buffed it off, and then applied the instrument wax with 1000 grit wet & dry sandpaper. I buffed off the wax and hey presto a lovely, smooth, and slightly darkened neck.
That's great. I have a Squier Classic Vibe 50's Telecaster that has tinted varnish on the neck which is a bit sticky. Could I sand that down and apply a finish similar to what you've done but match the tint colour of the laquer that's on it?
All the same methods that the Fender Custom Shop uses, right down to the sandpaper method and heat gun. Final product looks great too, very nice!
Beautiful. Im assuming? Same process for a tele neck? My new American professional neck… just feels differently from my deeply road worn prized old 66 neck just. Advice?
Question from California’s blistering hot San Joaquin Valley,
I’m building a Partscaster and am ordering Roasted (Torrified) maple neck. I have the options of raw wood, oil finish or a very light lacquer seal coat. If I were to order the raw roasted maple neck, would the Instrument Food be enough of a “finish” to keep the neck healthy and stable?
This is something I've been thinking about doing on my G&L ASAT. Time to strip off! (once I've bought some montyspresso etc), might even get round to trying to fit the Montys pickups I bought about 18 months ago!
Do it man you won't regret it
@@Montysguitarsandpickups Stripped and sanded, now just waiting for the big day to receive my waxes! And I’m definitely not regretting it - slicker than Data’s slick shoes in Goonies! 👌
Hi Matt.
So I bought a Strat from you about a year ago that is too shiny for my taste. Maple fingerboard and neck and Olympic White body. I'd like to do this kind of thing on the fingerboard and relic the body a little. Have you any videos that you could point me toward?
Thanks,
Mike
Was this a poly finish you removed?
I know I'm late to the party, but was wondering... Can this be done the same way on a painted neck? Have a Les Paul with a black painted, gloss nitro finish. Never play because the neck becomes to sticky. Would love to try this process out on it, but wasn't sure I could actually do that on a painted neck? Thanks in advance for any help, love your channel.
I live in a very moisty place, near the beach. Unlike roasted necks which are much more resilient to moisture, can this somewhat expose the neck in a bad way?
Can you make a video for the fingerboard?
Maybe I should watched the whole video...🤣🤣 I seen razor blade an I was off lol umm one question though.. does it have to have some oil or anything after the scraping and sanding? I kinda like the way it feels with just scraping that lacquer off..
Could you do the same for guitar bodies like this? Thanks!
Hi Matt, great video. Planning on doing this regardless, but how often would you need to reapply the wax over time?
A pleasure dear chap, glad you liked it. I would typically do a quick application when you change strings. Cheers M
Big gap between 400 grit and 1200. I'd seal it with Tung or Boiled Linseed oil before waxing for a more permanent resuly, easier to remove dirt etc. in the future without stripping again.
This video was sooo helpful when I decided to do this to my guitars. I did it to one and loved it so much that I did it to a couple more. Your guitar food and relic wax are great too.
I did have a question. Can I use the same blade method if I want to strip the guitar body so I can repaint it?
I'm really glad it helped! Yes you can use this exact method on a body, be careful not to round off the edges
Would you recommend the Instrument Food on a full rosewood neck? I own a PRS with a RW neck, that look a bit dry. If it's good for the fingerboard, I guess it should works great for the neck too(as you did in this video for maple). Thank you!
Yes I have used it to finish a whole neck it’ll keep it really well conditioned and look killer too. Cheers M
@@Montysguitarsandpickups That was quick, thank you! Cheers from Canada!
I'm struggling to recreate your burr method -it goes so fast. It looks like you're running along not the edge, but the angle of the blade facet. Is that correct?
Hey man exactly sorry it went by too quickly. It took me a while to get it right when I was introduced to the method. Persevere though it’s a hand little trick and has gotten me out of trouble many times
Thanks so much for this mate.
Silly question, but how do you stop yourself from sanding off the little fret markers on the edge/ top of the neck? I'm fairly new to all of this so your help would be hugely appreciated. Might even squire some of the wax! Thanks again
Not a silly question. In most cases, if they've been installed the 'normal' way, the side dot markers are actually little rods of material. They are put in by drilling a hole 1-3mm deep (3/64" - 1/8"), then gluing a piece of rod in there, then cutting it off and sanding flush (see here: ua-cam.com/video/jnNOfXGBKAs/v-deo.html). This means you've got more dot depth to play with than you think you have. In Matt's method, you're only scraping enough to take the lacquer off, then sanding enough to make it smooth at each grit level until it's correct; you shouldn't actually be taking that much material off -- most of the time you're just abrading off the rough surface and the peaks-of-the-grain that get raised by the water. You're probably taking an absolute *maximum* of 0.4mm (1/64") off total, and typically _much_ less than that, so you've got wiggle room.
Now, on super-cheap guitars, the side dots might have been put on as stickers / decals / paint -- in which case you probably can scrape them off -- but you can just put them back on again (or use it as an excuse to put some real ones in). These days, even the vast majority of cheap guitars have 'real' side dots, though.
Matt, great video. I want to do this on my American Standard strat neck (poly finish). I’ve read through the comments and think I’ll use sandpaper only as this will be my first go on something like this. Two questions:
1) what should I do on the fingerboard to get the poly off? Ideally, I’d like it to look like one of the Vintera Road Worn necks with the barely-there wear spots. (I’d just buy one of those necks if not for the 7.25” radius)
2) once the poly finish is gone, what product to use to protect the bare wood? And how often?
Really enjoyed your video of the refret on Mick’s Excalibur. Thank you
Glad you liked the video of the Strat it was really fun to do.
To get that look can be tricky and it depends on how light your neck is.
If you email me over some pics to mail@montysguitars.com I can have a closer look and get you up and rocking. Cheers M
Fantastic tip with the blade! That’s gonna save me a lot of time! Cheers dude! 👊
By the way, what would you recommend for taking a gloss neck to satin, while regaining the decals? Is it possible to blend it, like you did here?
A pleasure dear chap so glad you liked it. That's tricky to do, for the back of the neck you can rough it up with 1200 wet and dry which makes it feel really nice. The headstock is the tricky bit, the safest way is to spray it with a satin lacquer rather than sand it. Cheers Matt
@@Montysguitarsandpickups I didn’t think about that! I’ll give it a try, cheers dude!
Wish you guys were still in London… but then it was you’re moving away that motivated me to try and learn to do it myself instead! 😁
Hello !
Does the Monty presso relic Wax seal the finish or do I need the instrument food ?
Hey, it will seal the wood on its own, but you can use IF over the top for better protection. Cheers Matt
Thanks for the education! I have the montypresso so i guess i can make a start. One recommendation i have is that whenever you're sanding wood you should wear a mask. Saw dust is pretty toxic for the lungs.
Thanks dear chap, I usually do it's just annoying when I'm filming. I would love to hear how you get on with your guitar. Cheers Matt
Indeed, someone close to me has just a few weeks/months left to live due to sawdust inhalation. He's been a hobbyist woodworker for 40 years, and never smoked, but years of not wearing a mask has finally caught up with him. Watching him suffer has made me think twice about not wearing a mask.
Wait!, I’m confused I thought you would apply at least a thin layer of nitro ?! Is it not needed ?
I got a JV neck with a horrible poly finish where I need to donall that
Hi! Just bought your instrument food and followed all the steps of your video, but I notice that it keeps coming off in certain parts of my neck after playing. Is it safe to not re-apply the wax? It gets tedious if I have to do it after every play session, cheers!
Hey, That sounds strange, could you send some pictures over to mail@montysguitars.com of what's going on so I can have a look. Cheers Matt
Hi, firstly, thanks for making this video and making the process so simple to follow! I've done two fender necks so far. Both feel amazing! Have you ever been asked to do this to a Les Paul neck....? Cheers, Jon
Weeeelll I've just done it... using water based stain after the 240 grit as when I stripped of the (what felt like an inch thick of) lacquer, there was only a thin layer of paint underneath. So I took it back to the wood and then followed the process. The result, one silky smooth feeling, Les Paul (Epiphone) neck! Thanks again for this amazing tutorial! Now to get on with replacing the neck binding and trying out creating nibs...(possibly a really bad idea!!)
Nice job Matt, look very much easier than Tung oil wot I have been using. A bit off topic, but have you ever tried swapping dot inlays out for clay? Cheers
Hey man, Yes I have it's a fiddly job, I've only ever done it whist refretting a neck so getting them flush with the board is simple.
Hey Matt, great video. Going to try this one now on one of my necks. At the start you mention "dirtying up' the rest of the guitar as well. I'm interesting in how you went about this?
Hey Steve, The wax is great for making any dings, dents crazing etc stand out and look like they have been there for ages. It's also great for getting into any raw wood and making it look like it's been exposed to a tonne of gigs. All you have to do is buff it into any area you'd like to age and then buff off. I'll do a video on it soon. Cheers M
@@Montysguitarsandpickups we need more of these videos! Love my montypresso 🙂
10:42 so if it’s lacquer and not poly, you don’t need to use anything to remove the finish other then acetone. Or are you using the term lacquer as a generic for poly?
Hey Matt, great tutorial. What do you recommend doing if you have a rosewood fingerboard? Tape off the edge? Or is it fine if you hit it with the sandpaper?
Thanks mate glad you liked it. It's absolutely fine to hit the rosewood with the sandpaper
@@Montysguitarsandpickups Thanks!
Could this be done with a painted neck as well. Obviously not with the darkening wax but everything else?
DO you want to strip the paint off? If so yes it can. If not, the best thing to do is to get yourself some Muc-off miracle shine which will make your neck feel loooooovely
Great vid Matt! I'm definitely doing this to my strat. What would you recommend for stripping the poly finish off the body? I wanna give it a respray. Cheers
Going to need a heat gun and a scraper, I’ve been able to chip most of those finishes off with just a 5 in 1. especially on Mexican strats, felt like the finish was hardly connected to the wood. This is for the body
@@eduardsiger1860 Thanks a lot for the info mate
Hi Matt.... I have a thinline tele built by Andy Eales and Brinsley Schwarz.... It uses old bits of guitars.... The fretboard is a sublime piece of rosewood..... The back of the neck is maple and is the smoothest I have ever played..... Any connection to your methods by any chance??!! I have a Mexican strat circa 1991 that I might try your methods on! Regards!
Hey Mark, yeah possibly we swap tips all the time.
Amazing! Although please please how do you remove the lacquer from the fretboard?
For the best results I would take the frets out and and scrape/sand the board down. You can do this with the frets in it just takes a lot longer and can leave some finish by the edges of the frets. Cheers M
@@Montysguitarsandpickups thank you so much! I want to get it refretted anyway. So to save costs, I will remove the frets and lacquer myself. Should make the refret job cheaper hopefully 😂
It has nickel frets which I hate because they wear to easily and don’t keep as smooth as SS. Can’t wait for the upgrade!
@@Hello_there_obi SOunds like a great plan dear chap! Good luck. Cheers M
hi, please help!! i bought your ultimate care kit recently and want to do this to my fender 2016 elite neck but i think the finish is satin (although playing has turned it slightly glossy), i was wondering if its fine to strip a satin finish the same way? also, is it ok to sand only instead? i only ask as im truly concerned ill mess up with a blade somehow and its my fave guitar! (i have 100% made my mind up that i want this smooth, aged finish btw). also, i have a rosewood fretboard with lacquer over rolled edges, is it ok to remove all lacquer from fretboard aswell? this is what i had planned but wanted to check first. sorry for all the questions! cheers..
Hey Terry, don't worry about the amount of questions it's always good to ask. The simple answer to all your questions is yes. Remove the finish with some 120-150 grit and then work up the grades from there. Make sure you wear some sort of mask though. If you have any more questions just email matt@montysguitars.com and I'll gladly help you out. Cheers M
Was that neck nitro laquer to begin with or poly finish ? Is it same techniques for both types. I have both here I’d like to do. Cheers good stuff 👌
This was poly but treat nitro the same way. Cheers Matt
Can you do the blade method for a lacquered fretboard?
Yes you can but it can get a bit fiddly around the frets
Why not use sandpaper?
Is someone here who knows how do I can buy this products in Brasil? Thanks a lot for the video! I’ll do this on my guitar.
I so want to do this on my Les Paul but not sure i have the guts!
Yep. I'm in camp "please, please no lacquer on the back of the neck". I'd love to have a PRS, for example, but they have ONE model with a satin finished neck. holcomb.
The wood libraries with maple necks are finished in satin. Rosewood necks too.
nicee i might actually do this, and yo thanks for the free montypresso from the last purchase i got from you guys!
Hey Matt. I don't feel really comfy with the blade. would you say it's possible to skip this part and go for sand paper instead ?? I assume it's gonna be a bit longer and less "down to the wood" but I don't want to risk to change the profile of the back of my neck, if I'm not good enough for this part of the process ...Thanks for the video and for what's gonna come. can't wait ! Also, probably a loom and 5 way selector for my 59 Tele to come !
Hey Mathieu. Yes you can do exactly that it will just take a tad longer.
OK I just noticed that was a fender Squire. Doesn’t that have a poly coating on the back and not actual lacquer. Like my American original 60 Strat has actual lacquer….. I’m just asking because I am about to do this to my American original 60 Strat and I’m wondering if I actually need the razor blade because lacquer is not that hard to get off.
You can just use sandpaper for that I'd start around 120 grit
@@Montysguitarsandpickups just finished the neck on my American original 60’s strat using your products. So happy with the results. I sent pics via Instagram!
Is there different sizes or grades of wire wool
yep that one is 000
Like a tiny cabinet scraper. :)
Why do you need to use the blade? Why not just use sand paper from the beginning?
Unless it's a custom build or vintage, it's probably polyurethane you're scraping off, not (nitrocellulose) "lacquer".
Also, what is that tasty dumble looking amp in the back? 🤔
It's a clone a friend who is super geeky about all things Dumble made me and it sounds ruddy brilliant
Have you tried this with a Les Paul?
Yep, just do the same process. It works really well. Cheers M
With all the weird plastic finishes now I have a horrible time getting it off. Nothing eats it.
I’d love to know how the name Monty came about, also I’ve never been this early on a video
That's a looooong story, well not really, I will reveal all soon
I have a Nate Mandell P bass which is probably the best sounding bass i have ever owned, the neck width is perfect, however what isnt perfect is that pesky dam gloss neck, why Fender just why? Some things like Ford Escorts, flares, mullets and glossy necks just belong in the past and should stay there for good reason. Went a slightly different route to the video, used the blade idea but was a bit horrified at starting with 120 grit as i have automotive finishing experience, started with 240 and was always taught to go up in 200 grit stages wet sanded but really keeping the water (with a little drop of washing up liquid) to a minimum, went up to 1200 grade, let it dry over night then finished with 0000 grade wire wool (Screwfix) just got the relic wax on today, walked round with it in my pocket for 30 mins to warm it up, left on for 2 hours, finished with food wax and so pleased with it, colour is perfect, thanks for some great products and a great little video 😁
What about the fingerboard mate? My fingerboard has light dents and dings!
I'll do a vid about that.
@@Montysguitarsandpickupsplease do!
Is this poly or nitro?
Poly
omg, i want bench cookies. i just have an old mousepad lol
Does this work as well with a mahogany neck?
Yes it does dear chap
Razor blade, water and a hair dryer. Three things guitars don't like. I have serviced my guitars for 55 years, and I build them. And I ain't going with any of this. Might try it on my cricket bat though. Interesting bootstrap video.
You'll have one hell of a fine looking and feeling cricket bat. Nice to meet a fellow tinkerer.
1:45 ouch
Ahhh I want to do this. I’m scared I’m going to gouge the neck with a blade though
If you don't want to use a blade you can take the lacquer back with sandpaper (80-120 grit) then follow the rest of the steps
@@Montysguitarsandpickups awesome, I’ll do that! My Montypresso is shipping State side soon I believe :)
So in other words, hire someone to do this for me.
Not gonna lie I didn’t trust you in the first few minutes lol
Nice work!
Saw dust is toxic only in instances of "overexposure". He could do this (manual hand sanding) daily for the next 60 years and not come close to being "overexposed".
What I do not understand is the water treatment, Matt. Why raise the grain with water only to knock it back down with paper? Not seeing what it accomplishes?
Hey man. I find raising the grain makes it way smoother and quicker too. TBH you could get away with just doing it on the finer grades if you wanted but I prefer doing it at each stage.
Not true, a family friend of mine is currently dying of COPD caused by 40 years of sawdust inhalation. He's never smoked and has always lived healthily. He was a hobbyist woodworker not a professional, but he never wore a mask. He has a few weeks/months left to live. Trust me suffocation is not a pleasant way to die.
Steel wool bro. No need for that
It helps get it the way I want it. It is super fine and polishes the wood up great
not a fan of steel wool myself. don't believe it is necessary
Wow. Sure could have done without that nasty loud noise killing my ears. Good lord, that hurt.
AMAZING TUTORIAL>>>PLEASE TEACH ME TO DESTROY MY GUITAR PLEASE SIR!!!
Doe this wax seals the wood as well? If not, applying truoil then this wax should be sealing the wood?
The wax will seal the wood, so there's no need to use anything else. I hope this helps. Cheers M
@@Montysguitarsandpickups thanks , im from singapore and i just ordered one from Crimson guitars website