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How to build a bass guitar – Finish sanding the neck part 2

This is a continuation from part 1.

Important note: Throughout this article, please bear in mind that all sanding was done in the direction of the grain for the cleanest possible finish.

Below: The other side of the neck. It is slightly oxidized from being in the shop for a while, but still very usable. Seen in back is the hard block with 150-grit sandpaper adhered to it which will be used.

Below: The block being used to finish sand the neck.

Below: Using 150-grit on the contours that the block cannot reach.

Below: Many pieces of sandpaper. This is being shown because if you do this yourself, you will need to go through several pieces to get the job done correctly. Do not skimp on this.

Below: Bottom view of the neck, contour view, unsanded.

Below: Bottom view of the neck, contour view, sanded.

Below: Sanding the top side of the headstock.

Below: Sanding the curve that the block could not reach. Note: Both the maple and the rosewood fingerboard are being sanded at the same time since they are both part of the same curve.

Below: A view of the headstock and fingerboard after sanding.

Below: Heel area prior to sanding.

Below: Heel area after sanding.

Below: Eight photos showing the result of all the 150-grit sanding.

This is a process that is not quick and takes time. A lot of sanding is one of those “necessary evils” with guitar building, but the end result is worth it.

Where are the rest of the build steps?
You can view them all here.

1 thought on “How to build a bass guitar – Finish sanding the neck part 2”

  1. A little tip I picked up doing wood turning. Always try to sand down hill. In other words, sand from the heel end of the neck toward the headstock. Sand from the wide part of the headstock toward the nut.

    If you think about the structure of wood, its like a bundle of straws. If you picture your neck as if it was made of a bundle of straws all stuck together it is a pretty simple concept. So, if you sand away from the open end of the straw, you get much smoother cutting action than if you sand into the open end of the straws.

    This does create a problem though. After sanding, there are fibers still remaining uncut. This is noticeable when you apply the finish. It will leave a slight fuzz after your first coat of oil. This is an easy problem to solve. This is handled by slightly wetting the wood. By slightly, I mean SLIGHTLY. Get the surface slightly damp, then let it dry COMPLETELY. Yep. you gotta walk away. I usually give at least 30 minutes.
    The time this comes into play is when you change grits. So when you feel done with, say, 120, then you will dampen the wood. Sand just until the raised fuzz is gone. As soon as it’s gone, stop. Then re-dampen the wood. This process is repeated until after dampening and drying doesn’t raise any fuzz.
    THEN you progress to the next grit.

    Another trick from wood turning. When applying oil, end grain will soak the stuff right up. Than will make end grain darker. The way to deal with this is to sand two or more grits finer. When you start going much above 320, you are burnishing the surface of the wood. That burnishing closes down the pore structure of the end grain. Then, it won’t soak up the oil like before. So if you decide to sand through 220, you want to sand the end grain to at least 400. The best way to know is to try on a scrap. I recently stripped an Ibanez acoustic neck. I sanded the shaft of the neck to 220. The heel of the neck was sanded to 600. Most of the end grain on the headstock was sanded to 400. Even after sanding the heel to 600, it still came out a little bit darker. The sides of the headstock, however, match perfectly.

    These two tricks can dramatically improve the quality of your finished product.
    Good Luck

    Reply

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