Neck finish

Ray

I've mentioned this guitar before. My Ibanez AG75. It's like hollow and that causes some problems - but not insurmountable. Anyway, I've got the guitar and it must be played from time to time. So, at this time I have a specific issue with it. The finish on the back of the neck is glossy, like very glossy. And I dont dig that. Your hand doesnt move across it so well, if you know what I mean. Now somewhere, and I cant remember where, I read that you can take OOOO steel wool and sort of satinny the finish with it. Then as you play over time it goes glossy again. Then you just get out some more of the steel wool and do the job again. Two and possibly three questions if I may: a) is this a clever thing to do? b) In supermarkets I have seen steel wool but never a graded steel wool, so is such available and where? c) If the answer to (a) is No, then is there a way to get a satin like finish on the back of the neck? Thanks

AlanRatcliffe

Most steel wool you find in supermarkets is a coarser 000. The biggest problem with it is it's inconsistent - there are coarser strands mixed in that scratch too deep. Shoprite branded used to be finer and consistent, but I haven't bought it in years, so I don't know now. Fortunately, 1200 (or even 1000) grit water paper does the job almost as well (you just can't get into any dings as easily as you can with steel wool, and wool works better on a fingerboard and frets).

No problem with doing it on most guitars, because the vast majority of finishes are real thick and hard, and you're only roughing up the surface. It'll take decades to wear away with a fine abrasive every six months.

breuban

Im a bit confused. Wouldnt it slide easier if it was glossy?

AlanRatcliffe

High gloss can drag a little - something like rubber on chrome (I'm not sure why - maybe more surface area in contact = more drag?). Some polishes reduce it as well.

aja

breuban wrote Im a bit confused. Wouldnt it slide easier if it was glossy?

run a finger across glass, then across finely brushed aluminium; notice how your finger gets "stuck" for a split second on the glass when you quickly change direction. The oil on your skin bonds to the glossy surface through surface tension and probably some van der Waals forces thrown in (what geckos use to climb very smooth surfaces). If you dry out your hands with ethanol or similar you would probably be able to slide real nice, but I think your skin would fall off after a while... The ridges on the matte surface will result in a smaller surface area of contact as alan mentioned.

AlanRatcliffe

joel wrote What about Scotchbrite pads ?? .

Polyester and polyurethane laugh at Scotchbrite pads.