Sanding my gtr neck

[crowley_67]

I was wondering what-if any harm i can do to the neck of a gtr i have by sanding it down to make the neck thinner.i figure i would start with coarse paper then eventually get to finer paper.the neck is too thick and its kind of a beater anyway.it plays good but im used to my rr-94.

[DonP]

If you go too far, the truss rod might pop out.

[crowley_67]

Yeah,i was thinking about that.im thinking the truss is right under the fret board so if i "eyeball" it and be careful,i should be ok.if it looks to risky ill keep it the way it is.

[straycat]

What guage strings do you use?9s its OK to shave some 10s or higher its a crap shoot.You will be sanding for a long time get ready to have your hand hurt for 3 or 4 days.

[Robert Burns]

Isnt the truss rod at least 1/4" deep? On the back, and front? I would think you could go 1/16th of an inch on either side, and never get clost
to the truss rod?

[delt]

I just did that on a performer neck (the korean made ones, it was way too thick). Removed about 2mm from the back. Now it's about as slim as a dinky or kelly neck.

What i did first was make an incision with a dremel + router attachment 2mm deep along the length of the neck to gauge my distance. Then i sanded it down with a flapwheel until the incision was just barely visible, then did the rest by hand.

The result is the back of the neck is "flatter", a bit more like this [| than like this (| which 1. is good if you play in "classical" position, and 2. gives a stronger neck since there's more wood left on it.

[zeegler]

You guys are so paranoid. I've done this a few times, and never popped the truss rod. I just took the neck on a LP copy down 3/16" in thickness, and I'll bet I could go at least another 16th quite safely without any negative effects. If you take off the truss rod cover, you can poke something down to the bottom of the truss rod channel to see how deep it is.

[crowley_67]

i use 9`s on this particular gtr.once i do get it sanded then i may try to re paint it.ive never done that at all.think i may buy the gtr painting book.

[kelly user]

i forsee a young DYI man in the making.

[delt]

^ i forese many speling msitakes in fture posts

[wibble]

Short story, i picked up a couple of beat up Ibeenhad bodies/necks a few months back, i`ve been wanting to refinish one of my own Jacksons and am a n00bie to spraying. Figured i could sand/spy/finish these throw away bodies into matchsticks to get some kind of skill at it, before attempting my Jackson without worry. Now on the back of one of the necks, its a mixture of painted areas, varnished areas and sanded. What would be the best way to remove all the old paint/varnish back to the bare wood? If by hand sanding, how do you go about getting close to the fretboard (no binding) without a) buggering the edge of the fretboard with the sandpaper or b) removing the fretboard entirely (i`m not that skilled) Of course, i won`t be sanding/spraying my Jackson neck, just want to play a little on the disposable bits i have at hand for possible future projects.

[kelly user]

^ i forese many speling msitakes in fture posts

why delt! even though you have hurt my pride, i do thank you for correcting my errors.

[quiksilver]

I've sanded many necks to make them thinner, and never had a problem. Just take your time.