Question Sanding Laquer off my Silhouette BFR Black Sugar to make it oil finished

[Fabi507714]

Hi Folks!

I own a BFR Silhouette Black Sugar with a roasted neck that i love to death and play every minute of the day and on every show since i bought it. BUT: It has a crazy thick layer of laquer on the back of the neck that will NEVER come off just by playing the guitar. Used it for more than 300 Shows in the last two years and theres no sign of wearing off at all.

But since I recently played one of the unlaquered roasted neck BFR's i realy wan't my guitar to feel AND SOUND the same. On my previous guitars i always sanded off the necks (for sound reasons) but when it comes to my MM I'm afraid because it was so stupidly expensive (Although worth EVERY PENNY!!! ;-)) and i love it so much. Also i never owned a guitar with such a massive coating of Laquer on the neck and the sides of the fretboard. One time I neede to get the nut changed and the Luthier needed to chip off the laquer on the sides of the nut to prevent ripping off the fretboard the original one out.

Long story short i decided to ask the noble people over here for opinion and permission to making this neck silky smooth ;-)

Cheers & and please help me... NOW!!!

PS: I attached a back shot of that guitars neck (Although not mine but a pic of the exact same model i found on google)

PPS: Second language so please be nice

 

[sanderhermans]

It's your guitar so really your choice what you do with it. However i would think this over for a while before you start this.
If you do go through with this, you will decrease the resale value.
Also tape off the back of the headstock so you dont sand anny laquer off that. If it where my guitar then i would leave it and save for a 2nd one with oiled neck.

 

[Norrin Radd]

Look - this is totally up to you. I think it could hurt resale value so consider your decision carefully.

I think you have 3 options:

1. Do nothing and be a bit unsatisfied

2. Do it yourself and be pleased with the playability

3. Have a pro do it for you. Why? I think if done extremely well the potential resale value will be less affected (unless you are confident of doing the job particularly well yourself OR resale value is of no concern to you).

I also think that one of the things people LOVE about EBMM guitars IS the back of the neck feel. Most of them are not lacquered and have the Tru Oil/Gunstock Wax finish which gives them that fresh baby's bottom smoothness that people really dig. SO I don't think it would seem unusual at all to find an EBMM with that smooth non-lacquered finish on the back. But really, no one can make this decision but you.

If it was me? I'd be down in my basement right now with a stack of appropriately gauged sandpaper, working towards silky smooth. But that's me. I don't mind modding my guitars in any way - I have no interest in the affect on resale value. I'm not planning to ever get rid of either of my fantastic EBMMs. But you might.

 

[kestrou]

If it was me? I'd be down in my basement right now with a stack of appropriately gauged sandpaper, working towards silky smooth. But that's me. I don't mind modding my guitars in any way - I have no interest in the affect on resale value. I'm not planning to ever get rid of either of my fantastic EBMMs. But you might.

+1 to that!

Kevin

 

[Magic Jason]

Years ago, I sanded the back of my F***r Eric Johnson's neck because it was sticky as hell. I never regretted doing it.

Go ahead!

 

[Fabi507714]

Look - this is totally up to you. I think it could hurt resale value so consider your decision carefully.

I think you have 3 options:

1. Do nothing and be a bit unsatisfied

2. Do it yourself and be pleased with the playability

3. Have a pro do it for you. Why? I think if done extremely well the potential resale value will be less affected (unless you are confident of doing the job particularly well yourself OR resale value is of no concern to you).

I also think that one of the things people LOVE about EBMM guitars IS the back of the neck feel. Most of them are not lacquered and have the Tru Oil/Gunstock Wax finish which gives them that fresh baby's bottom smoothness that people really dig. SO I don't think it would seem unusual at all to find an EBMM with that smooth non-lacquered finish on the back. But really, no one can make this decision but you.

If it was me? I'd be down in my basement right now with a stack of appropriately gauged sandpaper, working towards silky smooth. But that's me. I don't mind modding my guitars in any way - I have no interest in the affect on resale value. I'm not planning to ever get rid of either of my fantastic EBMMs. But you might.

Thank you and all the others for your quick replys! Seems to be a nice community in this forum

First of all: I will never EVER sell this guitar so please don't use words like "resale" talking bout my weapon of choice... Also i took this thing through hell and back with me so it's not really in mint condition anymore to say the least ;-)

Usually i would play on the safe side and get another one just the way i want it BUT heres the dilemma. Actually there was never a Black Sugar Shilouette with roasted neck made WITHOUT the laquer. That's what MM told me when i conntacted them bout my little problem. This run of guitars was like the first generation of roasted necks and was sold out/ran out of production before the unfinished roasted necks were introduced. THAT's the problem.

And taking in account that it took me quite some patience to find one of those guitars im hesitating to potentialy do any harm to it. Im pretty sure i will like the outcome but cause i never tryed sanding a guitar with such a dense, thick layer of laquer im somehow "scared" to funk my beloved axe up (For some weird reason im having a vision the fretboard will come off if i take of the laquer). Usualy i don't think twice when it comes to changing my instruments in every possible way to make them play, feel and look how i want them too but THIS time it's a special case

Any one ever did something like that to one of his MM guitars?

And thanks again guys! Feels good to get in touch with people who can appreciate these fine instruments as much as i do!

 

[banjoplayer]

Hi Fabi,
first - were are you from? Not that many Germans here: It seems that you are a pro when playing 300 shows in 2 years? What are you doing?

second - what a nice guitar. I only got to touch a roasted maple neck with finish on it once when Tommy Alderson handed me Steve Morse´s guitar in 2012. And it felt like a thick coat of laquer, BUT sooo smooth, although...

You made your point very clear.... you would have liked an oil/wax-neck but the first roasted were only offered with finish...resale is not an issue. Why don´t you hesitate?

Sanding it down is not a real big issue if you do it carefully and decide how far you will sand it away (the back of the headstock is usually finished) and will use very fine sandpaper in the end or 0000 steeelwool, Then you may follow the oil/wax instruction as said here (there are so many threads about on this forum).

The fretboard is NOT held by the laquer I didn´t do it to any of MY Ebmms so far (maybe one day to my SUB1) but I did the same thing to a Strat copy and to the SUB4-Bass of my Band-mate. It wasn´t that difficult and I´d say it is possible to reproduce the feeling of an original EBMM oil/wax-neck!

 

[kestrou]

Years ago, I sanded the back of my F***r Eric Johnson's neck because it was sticky as hell. I never regretted doing it.

Go ahead!

I sanded the neck of a T****r T5z/Koa and oiled/waxed it - being sapele wood (very similar to mahogany) it's not nearly as nice as an EBMM maple neck, but I like it way better than it was.

Man up, buttercup - no Dremel tool required - this is an EASY mod!

Kevin

 

[joe web]

Fabi, i own a Y2D from this run...and totally like it, but the lacquer....i was thinking about sanding it down so often, but have nearly the same worries like you have...
haven't done it yet, but if you do it, let me know how it sounds and feels afterwards...maybe I'll jump on this train as well...

and btw. welcome to the forum!
ein weiteres deutsches mitglied kann nicht schaden

 

[Fabi507714]

I'm some what of a pro player i guess (making a good living out of playing on stage) but really nothing fancy or famous!!! Just a working Axe-Man ;-) I live in the Nbg Area (Ansbach) for all fellow german residents

Back to topic: I really think I'm gonna give this one a try cause theres one more thing I didn't mention before. I really like the used, worn out/broken in look of the necks of my previous main guitars (all with unfinished or sanded necks) and it kind of annoys me to see this guitar that i played like crazy show no wear at all on the back of the neck... Much different than the other parts of the guitar

 

[DrKev]

Rather than immediately taking the finish right down to the wood, you could first try taking the shine off it. 1200 grit wet and dry paper and or steel wool. I did on my strat and much preferred it.

 

[Jack FFR1846]

I have a less destructive suggestion based on having modified and/or restored dozens of guitars. I often sand and oil/wax but with some of the guitars I work on, they simply are not worth the effort to carefully sand off all of the poly. With those, I sand with 400 grit to make them even and smooth. I then wax with a good carnauba car wax. Try this. It won't disturb the looks of the neck and it'll be slick and nice as it can be with the poly still in place. Yes, I do love the oil/wax and my thread about modifying my sub 1 way back is proof of this. But I'd never do this with a guitar as valuable as yours is.

Good luck

 

[joe web]

A Frange!!!
I'm from Nürnberg!

Please let me know when you are through with it. Would be cool to see the result in real.

 

[jzeijen]

Very interested in this! Been thinking about doing the same to my Albert Lee HH. My worry is the ebony fretboard, can the sides just be oiled and waxed like the maple neck?
I already did this process with a SUB guitar, great result.

 

[xjbebop]

Rather than immediately taking the finish right down to the wood, you could first try taking the shine off it. 1200 grit wet and dry paper and or steel wool. I did on my strat and much preferred it.

This, except I prefer to use the grey (fine) scotch pads.
Put blue/green masking tape at the base of the head stock and end of neck to give a pro look finish, then cross hatch sand just enough to take the shine off (or to taste...)
I've done this w/ a few other necks. They self-polish with playing after awhile, and you can repeat the process.
Plus with this method you can (usually) re-polish the neck later and it will be like you never touched it.

You could try this for awhile before going full out down to the wood....

 

[Lou]

This, except I prefer to use the grey (fine) scotch pads.
Put blue/green masking tape at the base of the head stock and end of neck to give a pro look finish, then cross hatch sand just enough to take the shine off (or to taste...)
I've done this w/ a few other necks. They self-polish with playing after awhile, and you can repeat the process.
Plus with this method you can (usually) re-polish the neck later and it will be like you never touched it.
You could try this for awhile before going full out down to the wood....

this.