Question About EBMM Headstock Finish

[CudBucket]

I was hoping Jon or someone else could tell me how a natural headstock is finished. For example, on my luke, it appears the headstock has a matte finish on it that the neck does not. I was wondering what the headstock is sanded or rubbed with to achieve that final finish.

Thanks.

Dave

 

[CudBucket]

bump

 

[Roubster]

I dont think it has any special finish on it. I think it's the same as the neck. I played a Luke today with a natural head, and it looked like it didnt have nay finish on it except probably the oil and wax.

 

[CudBucket]

Mine looks like the headstock was masked off from the rest of the neck and sprayed with some kind of clear. But it's not gloss it's matte. The reason I ask is that on the back of my Luke headstock towards the Low E and High E tuners, it has some swirl marks from the final rubbing/sanding process and I want to remove them. I was hoping Jon or someone in the know could tell me what's used in terms of sandpaper and grit so I could fix it. It's a very small area and would be easy to remove. I know some of you might think it's unimportant but it's a new guitar and I want it to be perfect.

Thanks.

Dave

 

[beej]

The headstock is masked off and sprayed. Just the playable neck portion is left bare. That line that you see, opposite the nut on the back of the neck, is where the magic happens.

Dave- you should feel free to sand 'er down and reapply the oil/wax. I do it once a year and when I first get one that doesn't feel right.

Here's what Jon has said in a previous post- and he's the authority:

"I would not sand the fretboard...You might try some acetone to thin out the oil, and wipe it off. When I sand the neck, I go from 400 grit, to 600, to 1200. The 1200 can make raw wood look like it's finished."

I couldn't find 1200 so I use 1500. It makes it super smooth.

If you're just doing the one spot, the 1200 and a little elbow grease should do 'er. You might want to dab a bit of wax on if you take it down too far, though.

 

[CudBucket]

The headstock is masked off and sprayed. Just the playable neck portion is left bare. That line that you see, opposite the nut on the back of the neck, is where the magic happens.

Dave- you should feel free to sand 'er down and reapply the oil/wax. I do it once a year and when I first get one that doesn't feel right.

Here's what Jon has said in a previous post- and he's the authority:

"I would not sand the fretboard...You might try some acetone to thin out the oil, and wipe it off. When I sand the neck, I go from 400 grit, to 600, to 1200. The 1200 can make raw wood look like it's finished."

I couldn't find 1200 so I use 1500. It makes it super smooth.

If you're just doing the one spot, the 1200 and a little elbow grease should do 'er. You might want to dab a bit of wax on if you take it down too far, though.

Thanks beej. That's pretty much how I did the neck on my home-made guitar. I even used Birchwood-Casey oil and wax. But I wonder if that's how the headstock is done? That's my question.

Dave

 

[beej]

Oh, sorry Dave, I misunderstood.

The headstock is sprayed in a clear gloss. I don't believe it's oiled/waxed at all, so those marks shouldn't be from that process - unless they're on top of the gloss as a remnant of doing the rest of the neck?

If the blemish is underneath the gloss I'd think you'll be taking off the finish to get at it. If it's on top, then you can probably wipe it off with some sort of cleaning agent. I suppose you could do a fine sanding without taking off the finish too.

 

[CudBucket]

Oh, sorry Dave, I misunderstood.

The headstock is sprayed in a clear gloss. I don't believe it's oiled/waxed at all, so those marks shouldn't be from that process - unless they're on top of the gloss as a remnant of doing the rest of the neck?

If the blemish is underneath the gloss I'd think you'll be taking off the finish to get at it. If it's on top, then you can probably wipe it off with some sort of cleaning agent. I suppose you could do a fine sanding without taking off the finish too.

That's it. It's cleared but not glossed. It's a matte finish.

 

[Tim O'Sullivan]

I beleive the non matching headstocks are matte finished, where as the matching 'stocks are gloss.