Hey guys, also - if you wanna take it down to the bare wood (like I do) you have to start off with a heavier grit paper to start with, then transition to the 800. If you DON'T wanna take it down to the bare wood, you can still just take the glossy finish off with the 800 grit/wire wool - but you won't have to oil it. Oh... and obviously... thanks for checking out the video! Groove. Is. ON! ;)
YHey Scott...you have to put this sand paper in the water before doin it...you'll have better results!!!! wooow...dont do it with dry...oh my g...!!...but anyway,you're absolutely right to take off this f... gloss finish!
I always told my bass players the same thing. Keep it simple and if you don't play the root note on all transitions and all accented beats please just sit down. This is how I ended up playing bass because everyone wanted to play soloing bass and show off.
It's true! I followed this video and can now play songs which were originally at 180 bpm at 1800 bpm! The only problem is that the frictional heat ignites my bass and the strings melt after a few seconds.
Your method works for a while but it wears of really quickly. What you need is tung oil and put 3-4 very thin applications (at least 12-24 hrs between applications and light sanding between). I am a violin maker and this is what we use. DO NOT USE SHELLAC!
90% of "tung oil" products are mixed crap... use a pure BLO ("boiled linseed"), several layers rubbed in with brown paper until it gets noticeably warm Flush BLO application papers into a toilet, linseed oil 'rags' of any kind are a spontaneous combustition fire hazard
We, as bass players are looking for as little finish of any kind as possible and tung oil is fantastic but I would recommend using as little as possible as it can get a bit tacky after playing in and sweating on it. I like the linseed oil for the fretboard but not sure if it’s suitable for sealing the wood after sanding and the need to do so is debatable. And you are exactly right about the shellac! It’s like the stickiest clumpiest tone killing coating I’ve ever experienced. I think letting the neck absorb thin coat of tung oil is the best way for me and reapply as necessary and letting it soak in and dry completely if adding another coat, as you stated, is crucial to getting a smooth and even coating. Great information! 👍💯
I've done something similar but not nearly as invasive, recommended to me by luthier Harry Fleishman: take the same wet/dry sandpaper, cut a 1"x2" piece, and soak it in warm "dishsoapy" water for 5 minutes. Take it out, lay your bass across your lap strings down, and use 2 fingers with the sandpaper to make "circles" all up and down the back of the neck. Don't use much pressure, let the sandpaper do the work. Do this for 5 minutes or until the paper seems to have dried up. Wipe down the back of the neck with a cloth (damp first, then dry), and you have converted your glossy finish to a SATIN finish. The great thing about this method is that the lacquer is still there 1) to protect the wood, and 2) if you want to buff it back to a gloss. Scott, however, used to build basses for a living, so I take nothing away at all from his recommended method. :-)
Hi Scott, if you use the Wet and Dry with a little warm water and a bar of soap it will make the wood even smoother and this stops the paper clogging. Just dip paper in water then rub soap gently then sand the neck. Great video as always. John
just did this to my Moollon. Worked like a charm. Taped off the PUPs with masking tape as well though to keep the bits from the steel wool out of em. Super easy and the neck is super fast and has more of a vintage/relic feel to it. Cost about $30 altogether for supplies. Great tip!
Real important - if you are using steel wool you MUST tape off your pickups!!! Metal filament from steel wool can destroy pickups. Also mineral oil is a great oil for this project. Fodera recommends mineral oil.
Car stuff how can steel wool destroy the pickups? I used it once and the pickups got all covered in filaments, but i didn’t notice any differences in the sound
Could be wrong here, but I think Fodera recommends mineral oil for fretboard maintenance, not for sealing wood against moisture. If you sand a neck to bare wood and need to protect it, I would recommend Tru-oil. Have done three necks with it and they all play great. And yeah, agree on keeping steel wool away from magnets. There are synthetic steel wool substitutes you can use instead.
Car stuff yeah. Good tip. On bolt-ons, I usually pull the neck, but on glue in, or neck thru, I'll often even bag/mask and tape the body off, and just clean up the strays before unwrapping the instrument. Those little suckers get into everything once they get attracted to the magnets. Even worse when the work their way into the control cavity where they can find their way into pot openings.
I use cedar oil to keep parasites off my dog, and it also seals wood, having a catalyzing reaction that hardens its surface, and makes it waterproof. I put it on my sanded down guitar neck, and it feels like glass. I don't play bass yet, but just got an Ibanez TMB100 - it's neck is already satin slick (but HUGE - should have gone short scale?).
I live in Houston Texas, one of the most humid cities in the USA. I did this down to bare wood on one of my basses years ago, and I ended up adjusting the neck every three weeks. Yes, I did oil it. A friend of mine who lives in Arizona now has it and said the problem is no more. He said he adjusted it once when he got it home, and it's been perfect since. That was 20 years ago. So be aware of your climate before doing this to your bass.
I live in Southern Illinois... also very humid unfortunately. It's a constant struggle to keep my basses necks where they should be. Drives me crazy! Haha
This can happen even if you don’t mess with the factory lacquer finish. Every piece of wood is different, some are more stable than others. Sometimes it is obvious if you examine the grain, density and look for grain runout. I think it is mostly luck of the draw. I once was in Guitar Center, I was looking at an American Standard Strat. I could not believe the poor choice of wood, it had such extreme runout, that neck is going to be nothing but trouble. I can’t believe it made it al l the way through prioduction and nobody thought “ whoa, this is not a good piece of wood for a neck”.
I applied this technique to a Yamaha RBX375 bass that had a painted neck. I'll never understand why they did that to such fine wood. After numerous attempts to touch up all the minor nicks and scratches to the neck finish, I decided to strip all the paint away from the neck. I removed the strings, the neck from the body, and the tuners. Four hours with 220 and 320 grit sandpaper later, and the finish was marvellous! A light coat of mineral oil was all it needed . It plays so much better now.
I bought a used $100 Ibanez Destroyer, and sanded off the hideous blue and yellow 1980s zebra pattern... and my PLAN was to put Contact Paper on, from the hardware store (so i could fake the guitar was a slab of MARBLE or whatever (!)...but it looked so great RAW that I kept it that way (and never had any problems). It looks like a kitchen butcher block!
Hi Scott. Love your stuff and your enthusiasm. I did the neck on my G&L about 20 years ago and applied a German brand Tung oil. Worked a treat and lasts for years. All the best
I used to own a Fender P that had this type of neck and it was very bare, smooth, easy to play. I won't buy a six-string or a bass with a heavy coat because it sticks to my hand. Good vid.
Hey Scott... Easier and simpler method... Scotchbrite pads. One step and done. It takes out the "stiction" of gloss necks and turns a gloss neck into satin. But if you decide you ever want to make it glossy again, you can bring back the gloss with a buffer and even re-buffed it won't feel as sticky. My fear with steel wool is that the magnets will attract the steel particles coming off the pad. Another way to make the neck faster without any modification is Finger Ease. I don't know why this stuff isn't de rigueur for bass players for the strings, but it works for the back of the neck too. Lastly... Gloves. Why not? Easier on the fingers sliding up and down on roundwounds and zero stiction on the neck's back with any finish.
Years ago I built a Carvin BK-5. 5-string fretless with black chrome hardware. I finished the body (swamp ash) and back of the neck (maple, ebony fretboard) with several coats of Minwax Tung Oil and used very fine steel wool between coats. The neck was smooth as velvet.
Don't need to remove the finish. Don't need to use steelwool/wirewool. Scotchbrite pads in various colors/grades will retain the seal of the finish and give you the satin feel you want with no oil applications required. The old school 'sanding laquer' finishes respond very well to the Scotchbrite treatment, (actually better than the new urethanes), so don't get carried away with removing all the sealer on the neck. It's NOT necessary. Try it first, as you have nothing to lose. Blue, green or yellow pads are all in the range that work for this satin treatment. Avoid the black and gray as they are too harsh.
There’s a way to keep your gloss poly necks just as fast and smooth as bare wood, while keeping them protected from moisture, dirt and insects, without steel wool. Especially on lower-priced basses, there are often almost invisible bumps and dips in the finish. Hand sanding just follows those contours. Instead, get a hard sanding block. Just a few swipes with 220 grit will temporarily turn the finish white, revealing the imperfections. A few more will level them out. Be gentle around sharp corners, to avoid sanding through to bare wood. Gently hand-polish the remaining poly back to clear with a progression of grits- 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200. Don’t overdo- just a few strokes at each grit is all it takes. Repeat with 1200 grit whenever it feels sticky again.
Been doing this for, wow, 30 years now. Listen to him. It feels soooooooooooooooooooo much better after you've done it. The only thing I haven't done is add the oil. Only do this to finished necks though. If you have an unfinished neck I wouldn't do it.
I am a woodworker by trade, be careful with the sand paper not to put a flat area on the neck, usually it will occur right in the middle of the neck, you should "cup" the paper so that you sand evenly down the neck, making sure not to stay in one area too long....just wanted to say....the neck is critical for play so be sure not to put that flat area in there !!!!!
Awesome tip Scott. I've been doing this to lacquered necks for years. Often I'll just use 000, and 0000 steel wool and work it in a bit of a cross hatch pattern to break that tacky gloss. It feels a lot faster. As you said, if you do take it down to the wood, sealing is important. Especially in climates where you get big swings in humidity levels throughout the year which can make necks do funky things with change of seasons. Your teak oil is great. I've used boiled linseed, and Casey's Gunstock oil as well in conjunction with bee's wax. Very good video.
Once you have it sanded and oil treated is there any further maintenance required on the neck in the future? (Apart from a standard wipe down with a damp cloth every so often)
I did this about 30 years ago, you don't have to take it all the way to the wood, just breaking the the high gloss finish with 400 grit will do it. May have used 600? Good call that you recommend sealing it if you bring it down to wood.
Best mod I did to my bass. The poly finish didn't really bother me that much but I tried anyways. It's smooth now. But it's less grippy - which is a good thing because it keeps me from gripping too hard. It feels more smooth now - both my neck and my technique.
Another tip is to mask the pickups when using wire wool. That prevents the iron shavings from the wool sticking to the magnets. Danish lilla is good for finishing
I prefer tung oil to teak oil. You can also use Scotch-Brite abrasive pads instead of sandpaper and steel wool. On coarse grain wood I've had steel wool fibers embed and then rust and it looks like hell. If you do use steel wool be careful not to let the little steel wool fibers land on your magnetic pickups.
Oh yeah, I do it on all my guitars and basses too, but I gently use a Scotch Brite to remove the glossy coating on both natural and painted finishes. Love that smoothy finish.
I've been playing bass since 1971. Try using 3-in1 Oil. Two drops on your palm and rub your palms together, with the thumb of the fretting hand sticking out so you don't get oil on it. It works wonders and won't hurt the resale of your bass.
One can always start with 3000 or 2000. It will work slower and it will not make flat spots. Looong moves hand and sand paper shaped as neck shape. Not directed to Scott but to a friend who mentioned over use of sand paper. Another option is to distribute oil with 3000 sand paper to fill micropores.
The green Scotch pads are what pool players use to get their pools sticks to be non stick, I like them because it becomes no stick without removing the finish.
yeahh I use this trick for years, when I repair basses and guitars I use sand paper #1000 and I use red polishment and White Polishment...is INSANE GREETINGS FROM MEXICO
Fast Fret will clean the neck and leave a nice slick feel without having to remove the finish. Works on satin finishes too, which is basically what you've created here... If you do remove the finish, DO NOT apply shellac... Trust me on this one...
Really never found it a problem on my jazz bass, and don’t fancy doing it. Just tried polishing the neck with something called Wood Silk furniture polish. Gives a lot less friction. Good enough.
For me 320 600 and 1000 grit does the job,I just do all 3 for a few min at a time until it feels just right then keep it feeling good with fine steel wool too .
A great bass to purchase if you don’t like finished necks would be a Music Man bass guitar. There is no finish on the neck and they’re just sealed with oil. They tend to be a bit pricey, especially the Stingray bass. But they do make a Sterling bass, which is just like the Stingray, just made in another country. They feel, play, and sound gust as good as a genuine Stingray.
Just tried this on my Peavey Grind. I'm amazed! On a mahogany neck, there's no change in the colour. If anything, it looks better. So smooth, too :) Excellent tip!
Another trick linseed oil fixes Plastics that are faded like on your old four wheelers. And quad zero Brillo is perfect for cleaning up Chrome on custom motorcycles. The reason is the metal and the Brillo is softer than the Chrome and you can remove rust around your spoke wheels off the back of your mirrors or any other places without Ashley scratching the Chrome up. As far as linseed oil it brings things back to life which is great. I bought an old 4-wheeler from 15 years ago and after we rebuilt a lot of the motor we wanted to make it look nice again so we took the linseed oil to the Plastics. I've seen people take blowtorches and stuff but I'd rather just give it a wife with linseed oil it cost a little more possibly but you get a nice result.
And now your my best friend!!! I baught a mitchell mb300 for giggles and its bare wood. Also has a preamp for like $140 usd. Love every little nook and cranny never wood have thunk it...
Definitely seek out 3M fine sanding pads over steel wool. No steel fibers. Easy to find at USA home improvement stores. I wonder if TSP would also work well. It's a de-glosser used to clean woodwork before re-painting. Just be careful it doesn't get anywhere you want to keep glossy!
Scott - 0000 steel wool also works wonders rubbed on itchy bald scalps, and with a bit of hot glue and some creativity, it makes a fine looking (low cost) toupee that scores big points with groupies.
I just refinished/rebuilt a 1961 Harmony H-22 with stained body and natural neck. I put seven coats of Formby's tung oil on everything, sanded between coats. It's so fast, I find myself playing the next song before I finish the first - lol! Do allow 24-48 hours between coats. I actually bought this bass in 1967 or 1968. /that time period is kinda fuzzy.
My J bass has a satin neck and I was always happy with it. However my hands used to sweat a lot. Long nights playing in bars with pool tables gave me the idea to once in a while towel off my hands and the neck and then put a little talcum powder on them (like pool players sometimes do with their cue sticks). I’m told this doesn’t work for some people but it worked for me.
Sanded the neck on my custom fretless Jazz thirty-five years ago, keep it sanded a couple times a year, depending on how many hours I play. Can't imagine playing the neck any other way.
Sanded three of my basses and it was great! Waited for a period of a couple days between gigs to apply the teak oil. NOT SUGGESTED. The oil made the neck sticky and far worse before any sanding. Don't know what I'm going to do with it so sticky. Rubbed down the sh*t out if it and it was better but still sticky. I recommend this but do NOT recommend teak oil. Mineral oil maybe. Someone mentioned Linseed oil but reading says that it definitely will be sticky. Tung oil suggests same result as teak. I was really happy with the result until I treated the bare wood.
I'm not sure I would do this to a vintage instrument or a high priced one, unless I had no plans of ever parting with it. Wouldn't this hurt the overall value?
instead of using steel wool try using micromesh. it will get you a finish so smooth that oil wont actually penetrate it. oil the neck before going below 1500 grit, Micromesh goes down to 12,000 grit and it's what they use to remove scratches from airplane cockpit windows.
My current and previous bass all had satin non glossy finishes. For me I do not prefer a glossy lacquer finish. I found the glossy finish becoming tacky when my hand got the slightest bit moist and it was worse at outdoor gigs with humidity. My bass necks currently have multiple tung oil applications rubbed in followed by a high quality wood paste wax. That combination gives a very satin smooth protective finish that for me plays great in all humidity conditions. Glossy/Satin....to each their own. Whatever works best for you! ;)
Hmmm.... so now i'm pondering sanding off the finish on the neck of my £2000 Rickenbacker! On Balance I think I'll give it a miss, but I have done this in the past on my Fender Jazz neck and it certainly makes a difference, but I'm a little reluctant to ruin the finish on my Elite Jazz. Also, as has already been commented here, Scott neglected to mention that you need to tape off your pickups before going anywhere near your bass with wire wool. If you don't, you'll end up with tiny fragments of steel permanently stuck to the magnets in the pickups. So all in all.... the advice in this video isn't great. But I still love you, Scott ! :)
It always amazes me how for decades gloss necks were the norm and no one complained. In the early '90's cheap basses had satin finishes and the premium basses all had gloss necks. Satin necks have always felt cheap to me. The only one I liked was my '62 pre cbs jazz bass which took 20 years to naturally get that way. If you play with just your thumb lightly touching the back of the neck how does that make it faster. If your choking the chicken then I guess it would make a difference.
Bare Wood, 3 lagers of tru oil , ( user the fine steel Wool in between ) after the last layer and steel wool birchwood wax. Like Musical Man .... Keep up the good work Scott !! Enjoy your channel !!
Before you put any oil on, use a tack cloth and again clean the neck and bass of any micro bits of the steel wool. If not, you may get some bits stuck in the oil. Steel wool bits are very fine. And ditto on taping off.. especially the pickups. Best maybe to just bag the whole body and tape it off at the heel. Tung oil would be my choice. Multiple coats (2-3 or more) will make it really smooth if you rub each coat in well.
I have a doubt, the neck fenders on the back give it a matte finish to remove the shine and close the pore, so when you sand it, the pore opens and when you smear the oil, the maple, which is like all wood, a sponge absorbs the oil since The pore of the wood is open by the sandpaper, I wonder would that affect the tone of the instrument? I understand that if, please let me know, aaa. your videos are the best
Cut the sandpaper into 4 pieces by folding and then tearing on those folds. Then take each of these 4 pieces and fold them into thirds. It will work much better. It won't roll under your hand as much. Use all three of the areas on the sandpaper pieces. Sanding wood used to be my job.
Great idea to improve playability of your bass, but be careful with sanding your neck if you are not absolutely sure you'll keep the bass for a long time, because it will definitely impact the resale value of your bass!
Phalanges on Bass - of course they do, but most bassists will not hang on to each instrument in their collection. And you might be surprised what sanding the neck does to the value of the bass. So all I'm saying is make sure the bass is a keeper before you do this.
Tru-oil makes a good substitute for teak oil. You can buy it at Wal-Mart for like $10 per bottle. It's gun stock varnish, and it's in the hunting section by the guns. I build guitars, and I use the stuff a lot. Just follow the directions on the bottle.
I usually use car wax on the neck of my basses. I find it is super slippery and I have never had any slow down problems till the wax wears off. Any superior car wax will work. Others may find this not appropriate but I haven't had a problem yet. I have done this for years.
Hi Scott. I just purchased a Sterling shorty. I love Satin necks, but this one is a little-dry. (not the fretboard). Is there anything that I can put-on the Neck: Tru-oil, or similar, to make it retain the Satin-feel, but become more slick with less drag? I hit Subscribe as I enjoy your content. oNe LovE from NYC
wonderful! got a new bass from fender and it has a glossy neck, went to play my favorite riff and I couldn't seem to get to the notes fast enough, practiced it like hell, then found this video and got rid of the finish on my neck, now im too fast!
I hate glossy necks. Whenever I've had a bass with one I sand it off. I've never used steel wool, just a course grade sand paper to start it, and then a fine grade to finish it.
Hey guys, also - if you wanna take it down to the bare wood (like I do) you have to start off with a heavier grit paper to start with, then transition to the 800. If you DON'T wanna take it down to the bare wood, you can still just take the glossy finish off with the 800 grit/wire wool - but you won't have to oil it. Oh... and obviously... thanks for checking out the video! Groove. Is. ON! ;)
Or just wear gloves so you never get the neck grimey...lol
YHey Scott...you have to put this sand paper in the water before doin it...you'll have better results!!!! wooow...dont do it with dry...oh my g...!!...but anyway,you're absolutely right to take off this f... gloss finish!
That's why they call it "wet" sanding...lol
Yes thats it!
Australian cricketers got banned for less. Bass cheats 😂
I did it the way you said, but my neck only got 8 times faster :(
Well, just do the procedure twice and I expect that the result will be 16 times faster.
or 64 times faster! Ouch, that might be dangerous!
You must have done it wrong. When done correctly, you will achieve the stated 10 times increase in speed.
I'm calling the police.
I PUT CRISCO OR LARD ON MY NECKS. SUPER-fast!
I spent two years learning to play fast and the next five trying to slow down.
kingstumble sounds like my sex life
I always told my bass players the same thing. Keep it simple and if you don't play the root note on all transitions and all accented beats please just sit down. This is how I ended up playing bass because everyone wanted to play soloing bass and show off.
Its a term referring to friction, not playing fast.
@@westsideken 🤣🤣🤣 I hear you
Having a fast neck has nothing to do with playing faster.
0:12 scott is now just cloning himself to staff SBL
It's true! I followed this video and can now play songs which were originally at 180 bpm at 1800 bpm! The only problem is that the frictional heat ignites my bass and the strings melt after a few seconds.
I am sorry to hear that mate
Your method works for a while but it wears of really quickly. What you need is tung oil and put 3-4 very thin applications (at least 12-24 hrs between applications and light sanding between). I am a violin maker and this is what we use. DO NOT USE SHELLAC!
90% of "tung oil" products are mixed crap... use a pure BLO ("boiled linseed"), several layers rubbed in with brown paper until it gets noticeably warm
Flush BLO application papers into a toilet, linseed oil 'rags' of any kind are a spontaneous combustition fire hazard
@@kuruyad This is valuable info. Thank you. I'm going to try it.
Adieu Thanks for the information. Would teak oil be a suitable alternative to the pure boiled linseed you recommend?
@@kuruyad Depends on what brand you use. Formby's works fantastic.
We, as bass players are looking for as little finish of any kind as possible and tung oil is fantastic but I would recommend using as little as possible as it can get a bit tacky after playing in and sweating on it. I like the linseed oil for the fretboard but not sure if it’s suitable for sealing the wood after sanding and the need to do so is debatable. And you are exactly right about the shellac! It’s like the stickiest clumpiest tone killing coating I’ve ever experienced. I think letting the neck absorb thin coat of tung oil is the best way for me and reapply as necessary and letting it soak in and dry completely if adding another coat, as you stated, is crucial to getting a smooth and even coating. Great information! 👍💯
I've done something similar but not nearly as invasive, recommended to me by luthier Harry Fleishman: take the same wet/dry sandpaper, cut a 1"x2" piece, and soak it in warm "dishsoapy" water for 5 minutes. Take it out, lay your bass across your lap strings down, and use 2 fingers with the sandpaper to make "circles" all up and down the back of the neck. Don't use much pressure, let the sandpaper do the work. Do this for 5 minutes or until the paper seems to have dried up. Wipe down the back of the neck with a cloth (damp first, then dry), and you have converted your glossy finish to a SATIN finish. The great thing about this method is that the lacquer is still there 1) to protect the wood, and 2) if you want to buff it back to a gloss.
Scott, however, used to build basses for a living, so I take nothing away at all from his recommended method. :-)
Aaaaand I just saw Scott's pinned reply, which is essentially just what I said without the soap & water.
I love how no nonsense this is. No taping. No string removal. No pre-cleaning. Just sand it and carry on!!
It doesn't matter that my neck is now 10x faster. I still suck.
But now you suck quickly. Just like a Kardashian.
Practice practice practice. Anyone can learn but you have to want it. Keep playing. The speed and fluidity will come in time.
Practice more...slowly.
Primus sucks.
I'm the opposite. Bit of gig sweat and I slide beautifully on gloss, grip and trip on sanded/ non gloss necks
Same here, a nice gloss is PERFECT compared to bare wood. Plus, there's NO WAY I'd sand any of my nice basses.
Hi Scott, if you use the Wet and Dry with a little warm water and a bar of soap it will make the wood even smoother and this stops the paper clogging. Just dip paper in water then rub soap gently then sand the neck. Great video as always. John
My mum walked into my room while I was doing this! @2:03
Burt Reynolds lol
Burt Reynolds bahahahahahahaha
LMAO.
LLLOOOOLLL!!!
Your mum is a pervert,IMHO
just did this to my Moollon. Worked like a charm. Taped off the PUPs with masking tape as well though to keep the bits from the steel wool out of em. Super easy and the neck is super fast and has more of a vintage/relic feel to it. Cost about $30 altogether for supplies. Great tip!
Real important - if you are using steel wool you MUST tape off your pickups!!! Metal filament from steel wool can destroy pickups. Also mineral oil is a great oil for this project. Fodera recommends mineral oil.
Car stuff how can steel wool destroy the pickups? I used it once and the pickups got all covered in filaments, but i didn’t notice any differences in the sound
Could be wrong here, but I think Fodera recommends mineral oil for fretboard maintenance, not for sealing wood against moisture. If you sand a neck to bare wood and need to protect it, I would recommend Tru-oil. Have done three necks with it and they all play great. And yeah, agree on keeping steel wool away from magnets. There are synthetic steel wool substitutes you can use instead.
Car stuff yeah. Good tip. On bolt-ons, I usually pull the neck, but on glue in, or neck thru, I'll often even bag/mask and tape the body off, and just clean up the strays before unwrapping the instrument. Those little suckers get into everything once they get attracted to the magnets. Even worse when the work their way into the control cavity where they can find their way into pot openings.
I use cedar oil to keep parasites off my dog, and it also seals wood, having a catalyzing reaction that hardens its surface, and makes it waterproof. I put it on my sanded down guitar neck, and it feels like glass. I don't play bass yet, but just got an Ibanez TMB100 - it's neck is already satin slick (but HUGE - should have gone short scale?).
I live in Houston Texas, one of the most humid cities in the USA. I did this down to bare wood on one of my basses years ago, and I ended up adjusting the neck every three weeks. Yes, I did oil it. A friend of mine who lives in Arizona now has it and said the problem is no more. He said he adjusted it once when he got it home, and it's been perfect since. That was 20 years ago. So be aware of your climate before doing this to your bass.
I live in Southern Illinois... also very humid unfortunately. It's a constant struggle to keep my basses necks where they should be. Drives me crazy! Haha
This can happen even if you don’t mess with the factory lacquer finish. Every piece of wood is different, some are more stable than others. Sometimes it is obvious if you examine the grain, density and look for grain runout. I think it is mostly luck of the draw. I once was in Guitar Center, I was looking at an American Standard Strat. I could not believe the poor choice of wood, it had such extreme runout, that neck is going to be nothing but trouble. I can’t believe it made it al l the way through prioduction and nobody thought “ whoa, this is not a good piece of wood for a neck”.
I sanded a little too much, and my bass ended up being 15x faster. Now I can't play ballads.
I applied this technique to a Yamaha RBX375 bass that had a painted neck. I'll never understand why they did that to such fine wood. After numerous attempts to touch up all the minor nicks and scratches to the neck finish, I decided to strip all the paint away from the neck. I removed the strings, the neck from the body, and the tuners. Four hours with 220 and 320 grit sandpaper later, and the finish was marvellous! A light coat of mineral oil was all it needed . It plays so much better now.
I bought a used $100 Ibanez Destroyer, and sanded off the hideous blue and yellow 1980s zebra pattern... and my PLAN was to put Contact Paper on, from the hardware store (so i could fake the guitar was a slab of MARBLE or
whatever (!)...but it looked so great RAW that I kept it that way (and never had any problems). It looks like a kitchen butcher block!
Hi Scott. Love your stuff and your enthusiasm. I did the neck on my G&L about 20 years ago and applied a German brand Tung oil. Worked a treat and lasts for years. All the best
You can also knock the glossy finish off by (gently) rubbing the neck with a simple scotch brite pad
I used to own a Fender P that had this type of neck and it was very bare, smooth, easy to play. I won't buy a six-string or a bass with a heavy coat because it sticks to my hand. Good vid.
Love how I get a Scott's Bass Lessons YT Advertisement, while trying to watch a Scott's Bass Lessons video.
Hey Scott... Easier and simpler method... Scotchbrite pads. One step and done. It takes out the "stiction" of gloss necks and turns a gloss neck into satin. But if you decide you ever want to make it glossy again, you can bring back the gloss with a buffer and even re-buffed it won't feel as sticky. My fear with steel wool is that the magnets will attract the steel particles coming off the pad. Another way to make the neck faster without any modification is Finger Ease. I don't know why this stuff isn't de rigueur for bass players for the strings, but it works for the back of the neck too. Lastly... Gloves. Why not? Easier on the fingers sliding up and down on roundwounds and zero stiction on the neck's back with any finish.
Years ago I built a Carvin BK-5. 5-string fretless with black chrome hardware. I finished the body (swamp ash) and back of the neck (maple, ebony fretboard) with several coats of Minwax Tung Oil and used very fine steel wool between coats. The neck was smooth as velvet.
Don't need to remove the finish. Don't need to use steelwool/wirewool. Scotchbrite pads in various colors/grades will retain the seal of the finish and give you the satin feel you want with no oil applications required. The old school 'sanding laquer' finishes respond very well to the Scotchbrite treatment, (actually better than the new urethanes), so don't get carried away with removing all the sealer on the neck. It's NOT necessary. Try it first, as you have nothing to lose. Blue, green or yellow pads are all in the range that work for this satin treatment. Avoid the black and gray as they are too harsh.
The metaphor used to be “polishing my sword”, now it’s “making my neck faster” .
There’s a way to keep your gloss poly necks just as fast and smooth as bare wood, while keeping them protected from moisture, dirt and insects, without steel wool. Especially on lower-priced basses, there are often almost invisible bumps and dips in the finish. Hand sanding just follows those contours. Instead, get a hard sanding block. Just a few swipes with 220 grit will temporarily turn the finish white, revealing the imperfections. A few more will level them out. Be gentle around sharp corners, to avoid sanding through to bare wood. Gently hand-polish the remaining poly back to clear with a progression of grits- 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1200. Don’t overdo- just a few strokes at each grit is all it takes. Repeat with 1200 grit whenever it feels sticky again.
You can also use boiled linseed oil for the neck. It's a non-glossy natural finish that soaks into the wood and preserves the natural grain.
I showed my bass this and now it runs 10x faster than me!!
Been doing this for, wow, 30 years now. Listen to him. It feels soooooooooooooooooooo much better after you've done it. The only thing I haven't done is add the oil. Only do this to finished necks though. If you have an unfinished neck I wouldn't do it.
You need to do it to unfinished necks from time to time also. I have a MM Stingray and they actually recommend doing this about every 5 years or so.
I am a woodworker by trade, be careful with the sand paper not to put a flat area on the neck, usually it will occur right in the middle of the neck, you should "cup" the paper so that you sand evenly down the neck, making sure not to stay in one area too long....just wanted to say....the neck is critical for play so be sure not to put that flat area in there !!!!!
good point... although that's part of the charm of 800 grit! that's some super-fine 'paper!
Use a foam sanding block so it conforms to the contour of the neck.
I got a iRig and ended up playing for hours and woke up swore in the wrist from a old skateboard injury love 💖 the channel thanks copper
Awesome tip Scott.
I've been doing this to lacquered necks for years. Often I'll just use 000, and 0000 steel wool and work it in a bit of a cross hatch pattern to break that tacky gloss. It feels a lot faster.
As you said, if you do take it down to the wood, sealing is important. Especially in climates where you get big swings in humidity levels throughout the year which can make necks do funky things with change of seasons.
Your teak oil is great. I've used boiled linseed, and Casey's Gunstock oil as well in conjunction with bee's wax.
Very good video.
Once you have it sanded and oil treated is there any further maintenance required on the neck in the future? (Apart from a standard wipe down with a damp cloth every so often)
I've done this for years. I stripped it from my Jazz. I've done it on one of my Rics. I love it.
Still doing this in 2019! Just smoothed out the neck of an early 1980's Fresher Jazz bass. Super smooth!
I did this about 30 years ago, you don't have to take it all the way to the wood, just breaking the the high gloss finish with 400 grit will do it. May have used 600? Good call that you recommend sealing it if you bring it down to wood.
Best mod I did to my bass. The poly finish didn't really bother me that much but I tried anyways. It's smooth now. But it's less grippy - which is a good thing because it keeps me from gripping too hard. It feels more smooth now - both my neck and my technique.
Another tip is to mask the pickups when using wire wool. That prevents the iron shavings from the wool sticking to the magnets. Danish lilla is good for finishing
I prefer tung oil to teak oil. You can also use Scotch-Brite abrasive pads instead of sandpaper and steel wool. On coarse grain wood I've had steel wool fibers embed and then rust and it looks like hell. If you do use steel wool be careful not to let the little steel wool fibers land on your magnetic pickups.
I use a mixture of 2 tung oil to 1 Birchwood Casey Tru Oil gun stock finish. Apply with 1000 wet dry. Finish with 0000 steel wool.
That "worn" P bass is gorgeous! I'm sure it has that amazing well loved, and played on forever feel. Thanks for your great videos!
Oh yeah, I do it on all my guitars and basses too, but I gently use a Scotch Brite to remove the glossy coating on both natural and painted finishes. Love that smoothy finish.
I've been playing bass since 1971. Try using 3-in1 Oil. Two drops on your palm and rub your palms together, with the thumb of the fretting hand sticking out so you don't get oil on it. It works wonders and won't hurt the resale of your bass.
One can always start with 3000 or 2000. It will work slower and it will not make flat spots. Looong moves hand and sand paper shaped as neck shape. Not directed to Scott but to a friend who mentioned over use of sand paper. Another option is to distribute oil with 3000 sand paper to fill micropores.
One more thing - cover pickups with some tape. You don't want steel wool on your pickups. I learned this lesson the hard way.
The green Scotch pads are what pool players use to get their pools sticks to be non stick, I like them because it becomes no stick without removing the finish.
I've always used linseed oil for my acoustic (upright) bass necks. Works very well.
yeahh I use this trick for years, when I repair basses and guitars I use sand paper #1000 and I use red polishment and White Polishment...is INSANE
GREETINGS FROM MEXICO
I just use a little talcum powder - and it works for sweaty fingers too. Love your videos.
Fast Fret will clean the neck and leave a nice slick feel without having to remove the finish. Works on satin finishes too, which is basically what you've created here... If you do remove the finish, DO NOT apply shellac... Trust me on this one...
You are right about shellac. It will get sticky on you!!
Thank you for the tips, Bald McAvoy 👍👍
Cool. I just use a scotch bright pad. Green works well.... Yes the same thing that is on the back of dish washing sponges.
Really never found it a problem on my jazz bass, and don’t fancy doing it. Just tried polishing the neck with something called Wood Silk furniture polish. Gives a lot less friction. Good enough.
For me 320 600 and 1000 grit does the job,I just do all 3 for a few min at a time until it feels just right then keep it feeling good with fine steel wool too .
A great bass to purchase if you don’t like finished necks would be a Music Man bass guitar. There is no finish on the neck and they’re just sealed with oil. They tend to be a bit pricey, especially the Stingray bass. But they do make a Sterling bass, which is just like the Stingray, just made in another country. They feel, play, and sound gust as good as a genuine Stingray.
Just tried this on my Peavey Grind. I'm amazed! On a mahogany neck, there's no change in the colour. If anything, it looks better. So smooth, too :) Excellent tip!
Scotch wipes are very good too,they have less runaway fibers than wire wool.💛
Another trick linseed oil fixes Plastics that are faded like on your old four wheelers. And quad zero Brillo is perfect for cleaning up Chrome on custom motorcycles. The reason is the metal and the Brillo is softer than the Chrome and you can remove rust around your spoke wheels off the back of your mirrors or any other places without Ashley scratching the Chrome up. As far as linseed oil it brings things back to life which is great. I bought an old 4-wheeler from 15 years ago and after we rebuilt a lot of the motor we wanted to make it look nice again so we took the linseed oil to the Plastics. I've seen people take blowtorches and stuff but I'd rather just give it a wife with linseed oil it cost a little more possibly but you get a nice result.
And now your my best friend!!! I baught a mitchell mb300 for giggles and its bare wood. Also has a preamp for like $140 usd. Love every little nook and cranny never wood have thunk it...
Definitely seek out 3M fine sanding pads over steel wool. No steel fibers. Easy to find at USA home improvement stores.
I wonder if TSP would also work well. It's a de-glosser used to clean woodwork before re-painting. Just be careful it doesn't get anywhere you want to keep glossy!
Just came across this video. Will try it in my Tony Franklin fretless. Will it improve my intonation too? LOL
Scott - 0000 steel wool also works wonders rubbed on itchy bald scalps, and with a bit of hot glue and some creativity, it makes a fine looking (low cost) toupee that scores big points with groupies.
I just refinished/rebuilt a 1961 Harmony H-22 with stained body and natural neck. I put seven coats of Formby's tung oil on everything, sanded between coats. It's so fast, I find myself playing the next song before I finish the first - lol! Do allow 24-48 hours between coats. I actually bought this bass in 1967 or 1968. /that time period is kinda fuzzy.
Tru oil or tung oil work really well
I just use 0000 wire wool very lightly just to take a small layer of polish/varnish off the neck, so no need to seal the wood.. rob
My J bass has a satin neck and I was always happy with it. However my hands used to sweat a lot. Long nights playing in bars with pool tables gave me the idea to once in a while towel off my hands and the neck and then put a little talcum powder on them (like pool players sometimes do with their cue sticks). I’m told this doesn’t work for some people but it worked for me.
Sanded the neck on my custom fretless Jazz thirty-five years ago, keep it sanded a couple times a year, depending on how many hours I play. Can't imagine playing the neck any other way.
Sanded three of my basses and it was great! Waited for a period of a couple days between gigs to apply the teak oil. NOT SUGGESTED. The oil made the neck sticky and far worse before any sanding. Don't know what I'm going to do with it so sticky. Rubbed down the sh*t out if it and it was better but still sticky.
I recommend this but do NOT recommend teak oil. Mineral oil maybe. Someone mentioned Linseed oil but reading says that it definitely will be sticky. Tung oil suggests same result as teak. I was really happy with the result until I treated the bare wood.
Nooo! Not the steel wool. You're going to have little bits of that on your pickups forever!
Lol, I normally put masking tape over the pickups when I'm doing that ;)
I'm not sure I would do this to a vintage instrument or a high priced one, unless I had no plans of ever parting with it. Wouldn't this hurt the overall value?
you are correct professor x.
a thoroughly new and somewhat challenging angle on 'fret wankery' young man, keep it up!
instead of using steel wool try using micromesh. it will get you a finish so smooth that oil wont actually penetrate it. oil the neck before going below 1500 grit, Micromesh goes down to 12,000 grit and it's what they use to remove scratches from airplane cockpit windows.
My current and previous bass all had satin non glossy finishes. For me I do not prefer a glossy lacquer finish. I found the glossy finish becoming tacky when my hand got the slightest bit moist and it was worse at outdoor gigs with humidity. My bass necks currently have multiple tung oil applications rubbed in followed by a high quality wood paste wax. That combination gives a very satin smooth protective finish that for me plays great in all humidity conditions. Glossy/Satin....to each their own. Whatever works best for you! ;)
Hmmm.... so now i'm pondering sanding off the finish on the neck of my £2000 Rickenbacker! On Balance I think I'll give it a miss, but I have done this in the past on my Fender Jazz neck and it certainly makes a difference, but I'm a little reluctant to ruin the finish on my Elite Jazz.
Also, as has already been commented here, Scott neglected to mention that you need to tape off your pickups before going anywhere near your bass with wire wool. If you don't, you'll end up with tiny fragments of steel permanently stuck to the magnets in the pickups.
So all in all.... the advice in this video isn't great. But I still love you, Scott ! :)
Thanks! I’m gonna do this.
Ballistol is my favorite Oil. To remove the laquer you can take a dish sponge, too ...
It always amazes me how for decades gloss necks were the norm and no one complained. In the early '90's cheap basses had satin finishes and the premium basses all had gloss necks. Satin necks have always felt cheap to me. The only one I liked was my '62 pre cbs jazz bass which took 20 years to naturally get that way. If you play with just your thumb lightly touching the back of the neck how does that make it faster. If your choking the chicken then I guess it would make a difference.
Bare Wood, 3 lagers of tru oil , ( user the fine steel Wool in between ) after the last layer and steel wool birchwood wax.
Like Musical Man ....
Keep up the good work Scott !!
Enjoy your channel !!
Musical Man?
bare wood, steel wool but only 3 lagers? Ouch!!
Before you put any oil on, use a tack cloth and again clean the neck and bass of any micro bits of the steel wool. If not, you may get some bits stuck in the oil. Steel wool bits are very fine. And ditto on taping off.. especially the pickups. Best maybe to just bag the whole body and tape it off at the heel. Tung oil would be my choice. Multiple coats (2-3 or more) will make it really smooth if you rub each coat in well.
the other oil is your DNA,blood sweat and tears,and theres a bit of whiskey in mine
That's exactly what I always do to my necks. Feels much better.
I have a doubt, the neck fenders on the back give it a matte finish to remove the shine and close the pore, so when you sand it, the pore opens and when you smear the oil, the maple, which is like all wood, a sponge absorbs the oil since The pore of the wood is open by the sandpaper, I wonder would that affect the tone of the instrument? I understand that if, please let me know, aaa. your videos are the best
Awesome, just did this to my 62 reissue pbass. Made a hell of a difference ! I loved this so much, I also did a spoof vid on it :P
Going to check the vid now!
Scott, lubricate the steel wool with Johnson’s paste wax. It’ll be smoother, feel softer and the wax will seal the wood.
Cut the sandpaper into 4 pieces by folding and then tearing on those folds. Then take each of these 4 pieces and fold them into thirds. It will work much better. It won't roll under your hand as much. Use all three of the areas on the sandpaper pieces. Sanding wood used to be my job.
Great idea to improve playability of your bass, but be careful with sanding your neck if you are not absolutely sure you'll keep the bass for a long time, because it will definitely impact the resale value of your bass!
I hate that everybody is so concerned with resale value. Doesn't anybody keep their stuff?
Phalanges on Bass - of course they do, but most bassists will not hang on to each instrument in their collection. And you might be surprised what sanding the neck does to the value of the bass. So all I'm saying is make sure the bass is a keeper before you do this.
Tru-oil makes a good substitute for teak oil. You can buy it at Wal-Mart for like $10 per bottle. It's gun stock varnish, and it's in the hunting section by the guns. I build guitars, and I use the stuff a lot. Just follow the directions on the bottle.
Linseed oil or Tung oil is what I think you were searching for. Fast fret works well too and does not require any sanding.
I usually use car wax on the neck of my basses. I find it is super slippery and I have never had any slow down problems till the wax wears off. Any superior car wax will work. Others may find this not appropriate but I haven't had a problem yet. I have done this for years.
Although the process appears fraught with peril, it does seem like a worthwhile endeavour! :)
I used to do this but with time I don't notice much difference and besides the safety risks.
Hi Scott. I just purchased a Sterling shorty. I love Satin necks, but this one is a little-dry. (not the fretboard). Is there anything that I can put-on the Neck: Tru-oil, or similar, to make it retain the Satin-feel, but become more slick with less drag? I hit Subscribe as I enjoy your content. oNe LovE from NYC
I usually use Tru-oil on my necks. It's a drying oil gunstock finish that gives great results speeding up a neck.
wonderful! got a new bass from fender and it has a glossy neck, went to play my favorite riff and I couldn't seem to get to the notes fast enough, practiced it like hell, then found this video and got rid of the finish on my neck, now im too fast!
I have an FGN bass out of Japan for 899€
It has the smoothest neck i've ever played.
Cool tricks, but I actually prefer the glossy necks. One of my basses has a neck that’s not even wood at all and it’s super slick and glossy.
I SET THE SPEED ON THE VIDEO TO 2X, SO MY NECK IS NOW 20X FASTER
Scott, Rather than Teak Oil, what I like for sealing a “raw” neck is bowling alley wax. It works great!
We Chapman stick players finish our necks with watco oil on a regular basis. usually when they change sttings
I hate glossy necks. Whenever I've had a bass with one I sand it off. I've never used steel wool, just a course grade sand paper to start it, and then a fine grade to finish it.
Linseed, tung, or my favorite, lemon oils. Also, I'm another that doesn't recommend using steel wool. There are better alternatives.
I use lemon oil and works well..