Headstock reshaping/neck refinishing - help!

[Mylkinut]

Hi all,

I've been given one of those 'build your own bass' kits by my family for Christmas - brilliant present, but I'm a bit stuck when it comes to the woodworking. I'm completely new to anything like this, so forgive my silly questions

So, the headstock comes as a blank so you can shape your own, and I've gone for a '51 P-style affair. I've just had it back from a mate who owns a jigsaw and it looks grand.

However, where the wood's been cut it's come out bright white compared to the rest of the neck. I wasn't expecting this as it felt unfinished (and it says so on the box), but I guess it is. To be fair I only own basses with gloss or painted necks, so unfinished and light finish all feels the same to me...

I was planning give it a gloss finish like my old P Bass, but if I do so now it'll look mismatched.. which brings another question - would I be able to to spray the gloss straight over the satin-y finish it has now, or do I have to sand it off first? If so, with what?

Also, if I decide to keep it how it is, what should I finish the newly-sawn bits with? Would oiling it darken the colour to match what's already there?

I probably haven't been that clear, so here are some pictures to show what I'm on about









Thanks for any help chaps

[Roland Rock]

Yes, oiling it will darken it to a certain extent. There's no guarantee that it will match the existing finish, as it could just be a bit aged, ie darkened due to exposure to light.
If you want to gloss it, I'd advise against oiling it anyway.

I'd say you have several options, in descending order of effort:

- sand the lot so that the colour is uniform, then lacquer as planned. This will give the best results. If you like the darker colour, use a tinted lacquer.

- add some dye to get a matching finish on the pale bits (experiment with some of the off cuts) then lacquer

- sand the remaining top edge pale. once the lacquer is on, it may not be that noticeable, and besides, it should all even out over time as it ages.

Edited January 3, 2013 by Roland Rock

[Mylkinut]

Well I don't mind putting the effort in, so I think I'll sand it all down and stick a tinted lacquer over the top.

Any advice on how best to sand it? I'll use a block on the flat surfaces, but is there any good way to sand evenly down the neck? Does it matter what grit I use?

Thanks

[harleyheath]

As the good advice above says, if it says it unfinished then its just darkened with time, sand it down with some 320, you only need to knock out the uv affected colour, then with a damp cloth dampen the neck, leave to dry and sand with 400, you should be ready to give it a gloss, hope it goes well! happy building

[gary mac]

If you want a finished result that looks pleasing, it's got to be the complete sand down option. If you do half a job, that's exactly what the finished job will look like.

If it looks good, you will want to pick it up and play. If it looks dog rough you wont

[Mylkinut]

Cheers for the advice everyone - I'll get sanding this weekend

No doubt I'll be back for advice on whether to gloss or oil soon enough!

[bertbass]

Gloss.

[Andyjr1515]

It doesn't look tinted varnish to me - try just wetting it with a squeezed out cloth to see if it matches the shade. If so, just good old Ronseal Clearcoat polyurethane varnish will do the trick. I wipe it on (for a big area thinned with white spirit up to 30%) using a micro-fibre cloth. The guitar below was done that way:

[Big_Stu]

[quote name='harleyheath' timestamp='1357292003' post='1920355']
As the good advice above says, if it says it unfinished then its just darkened with time, sand it down with some 320, you only need to knock out the uv affected colour, then with a damp cloth dampen the neck, leave to dry and sand with 400, you should be ready to give it a gloss, hope it goes well! happy building
[/quote]

^ this - seen it often.