Can I just sand the finish to thin down the poly coat

Hi,

I have a 2003 mim 50s classic tele in blonde and was wondering if I could just use some fine grade sand paper to thin down the clear coat of the guitar? I love everything about this guitar except I want it to have a thinner finish so I can get a little natural relicing.

any help?

thanks

The first thing that comes to mind with my limited experience of body finishes is that it would be difficult to do it evenly. It would end up different thicknesses around the body and would just look shabby when light hits it from an angle. And if you wore thru the clearcoat here and there it wouldn't look like 'natural wear'. It would look like it's been sanded, I think.
I suspect you'de have to strip it down and refinish from scratch if you want a thinner finish.

Just my opinion, though. A guess, even.

any other thoughts???

leave it alone. those guitars are beautiful. don't screw with it. no offense, just my humble opinion.

Not my area of expertise, but I don't think poly will "relic" like you want. I think you could end up ruining your guitar. Just buy a relic or an old guitar if that's what you want.

Man o man .................. what a waste of time and effort.

I was planing to do something similar with a classic '50 strat 2-tone SB. People suggested that I used 0000 fine steel wool. I tried a bit under the guard area and didn't like the effect.

I decided to let it dull the natural way, even if takes years.

cez

The finish is way too thick usually around .30 to do any thinning by sanding.

Your best bet is to completly strip it and have it refinished in see thru blonde nitro. They use real good wood just too thick of a finish for alot of the grain to really pop thru.

Here is a stripped body if you wanna see. This was all done by sanding..

http://www.marcondo.com/marcondo/guitar/bg6.jpg

I attacked the back of the neck of my unsuspecting Mex Tele last week with one of those fine sanding pads that looks like a nylon pan scourer. Its way softer than sandpaper or wire wool and just matts up the gloss nicely. I have a beautifully smooth silky matt neck now and it feels great. Just take it slow and gentle if you want to take the shine off it. Works well and its a lot harder to make a mistake and ruin the finish this way.

[quote="Mark Davis"]The finish is way too thick usually around .30 to do any thinning by sanding.

Your best bet is to completly strip it and have it refinished in see thru blonde nitro. They use real good wood just too thick of a finish for alot of the grain to really pop thru.

quote]

I couldn't agree more. I have worked with wood for a few years. Specializing in rare hardwoods (rosewood, tigerwood, figured maples, purple heartwood, etc.). Without a doubt, trying to sand part of a finish off is an excercise in futility. Even with very expensive machines you're talking about trying to sand hundredths of an inch off of a finish, not off a wood. You'll most likely end up with spots down to the wood and spots not down to the wood. And inevidably there will be variances in appearance in those areas.

Mark Davis said it best, strip it completely and start from scratch. This will give you far better control over the final appearance of the finish. Also allow you to finish it in any way you like. Not to mention a much cleaner, more uniform finish.

I've been thinking about stripping the poly off of my 2004 Vintage White MIA (maple neck) then finish the body of the guitar to match the neck.

I love that MIA "rolled" feel of the neck and think it would look pretty cool with a matching body.

One of the things that is stopping me is the thought that there are 2 or 3 unmatched pieces of wood underneath which would show through the finish I want.

I have to believe the factory would use a less desirable grain matching for the poly finishes because you can cover it up with the poly.

Could this be an unfounded fear?

edited: Hmmm, I suppose I could get aftermarket body to play with. Y'all helped me answer my own question!

I've been thinking about stripping the poly off of my 2004 Vintage White MIA (maple neck) then finish the body of the guitar to match the neck.

I love that MIA "rolled" feel of the neck and think it would look pretty cool with a matching body.

One of the things that is stopping me is the thought that there are 2 or 3 unmatched pieces of wood underneath which would show through the finish I want.

I have to believe the factory would use a less desirable grain matching for the poly finishes because you can cover it up with the poly.

Could this be an unfounded fear?

edited: Hmmm, I suppose I could get aftermarket body to play with. Y'all helped me answer my own question!

Holy Moly...don't go down the path I have gone down before! ;-)
I had a solid black Tele (a Squire) from the eighties and I wanted to get a transparent Blonde finish for it.
I was on a budget at the time (still in school) and sanded the thick Poly off myself and when I got down to the bare wood I saw what must have been the ugliest body I have ever encountered!
It was a two-piece and it wasn't even matched in the middle!
I ended up having it refinished in Fiesta Red...and sold it a few months later...

Heh, I had this with a cheap fretless bass once. Sanded away all the poly coating, what a mess. But seriously, why would they bother bookmatching a 2-piece when they are goping to obliterate it with an opaqyue black coat.
I heard some guitar makers sometimes end up turning less-than-perfect bodies or paint job imperfections into black guitars to cover over the problem bits ;).

The poly is safe.

I think I will get another body to match the neck.

Maybe a Humbucker too...

Me and Alheeley have been sending replies to each other about this post so I thought I would put them up in case anyone has anything to add.

Your post is what I want to do to my 50's classic neck.

Can you tell me the brand name and exact name of the product you used ?

I tried this on another fender neck using thin steel wool. It took off a fine layer of shine, maybe not all of the poly. Was better that way, I'd like to go down to the wood like the relic'd guitars but it was better anyway.

But the steel wool left little thin scratches on my neck.

Will this happen with what you used ?
thanks,
tnixer

I got this advice off Guirarist magazine last month, it worked a treat on the back of my Tele neck.
I got a 3m pad from the local hardware store, its a nylon-type sanding pad for wood, super fine grade.
"Scotchbrite, superfine type S"
Far less abrasive than wire wool, will not leave all those tiny scratches, just sand away gently to take the gloss off, it will take a lot of work to get it down to the wood. If you manage it, the pores will all have been sealed anyway by the lacquer, you'll just be left with a really smooth satin finish that feels great once you broken it in for an hour or so.
Cheers,
Al

So you used the pad just to take the gloss off ? What is left on the neck?

What are the layers I would encounter if I kept sanding?

Gloss then ? Then ... till I got to the wood ?

And if I made it to the wood the pores would be sealed by the lacquer and I would have a smooth satin finish? Or I have the smooth satin finish once the gloss is taken off?

Sorry to be so exact, I'm a newbie.
tnixer


No problem! The neck will have been coated with several layers of lacquer, each one being sanded down when dry before the next is put on. So the important bit is the wood pores will be all sealed. By using the superfine sanding pad, you will very gently sand off the top layers of lacquer, and take the gloss off it. If you continue, you will sand off more layers of lacquer. If you continue through all the lacquer you will eventually get to the wood but you'll have to spend a LOT of energy with one of these pads to get through all the lacquer. If you get down to the wood (and you will feel the difference with the amount of 'bite' the pad has), the pores will be sealed anyway but generally you don't really want to expose the wood as the neck will get dirty quickly. The lacqer protects the wood from ingress of dirt, sweat, grease and moisture. Sand gently to take the gloss off, remove the dust with a damp cloth, sand again till it feels silky smooth. It should take about an hour and a half. You won't do any harm to it.

This is all great info I'll use. I'll definately sand the gloss off using that pad. I liked it before but this is even better since it will leave no scratches.

I'm curious though how they get those relic'd necks down to the wood on the Fender Custom Shop guitars.

I don't mind the neck getting dirty. I like the look.

Would it be possible for a newbie like me to make my guitar neck like those custom shops ?
tnixer

well i am no expert, but if you sand down with fine paper to get nearly all the lacquer off in the places you play most, then 0000 wire wool to smooth out the sanding marks, then finish with the superfine sanding pad, it will give you a nice worn relic'ed neck right down to the wood.
Get a mug with 4 tea bags in it, and pour in hot water for 10 mins, then rub the tea bags into the wood, the tannin will start to stain it quickloy, just don't get the neck soaking wet, you just want to stain it.
Then play it, play it and play it some more. Get it dirty and sweaty!

Isn't it bad to have the wood exposed? Won't it start to take on moisture and possibly warp?

Just curious. I was always afraid to leave bare wood. At least up here in New England.

well i would not want to leave the wood exposed, due to possible moisture ingress and the fact it would get really dirty after a short while. I would advise always leaving some sort of surface seal on it for protection.