Sanding the neck on a Les Paul Custom

[hhcave]

Hey,

 

I have a Gibson Les Paul Custom but i prefer oiled necks so i was thinking of taking it to a luthier and having it sanded proffessionally like the Zakk Wylde model... the problem is i haven't ever seen anyone do it - is there a problem with dong it? It it not a good idea to have an oiled mahogany neck (Zakk Wylde's neck is maple)?

 

Thanks in advance

 

 

PS: Say i wasn't concerned with the guitars resale value; would an oiled mahogany neck really be that high maintenance? How often would i have to re-oil it? The reason i'd rather have an oiled neck is not only because i prefer the feel but also the finish on the top side (around where the thumb goes when bending) next to the 5th fret has started peeling (my fault)...the problem there is not that it affect playability in the slightest, it just looking really, really annoying whenever i look down at the 5th fret... and im not sure the satinising would mask that...

 

 

PPS: I heard the bare mahogany would feel "fluffy" - is this obvious or does it feel pretty similar to maple necks..?

[garythekiwi]

I have completely sanded a 1976 LP Custom. It was cosmetically challenged and came out great. As it was a '76 the neck was 3 piece maple. Zakk's guitars have maple necks not mahogany.

I removed the tuners, taped up the neck binding etc and used a varnish stripper to remove the nitro finish first. I then sanded to remove the paint, if yours is not coloured then it will be easier.

btw I also masked the serial number so as to leave it original.

Here's a couple of pics, before and after.

Hope this helps

[Raptor]

Mahogany has very fine fibres that do come off almost like fluff, unlike maple. Usually unfinished necks are maple rather than mahogany, so I can't say how it will turn out. Sanding the bare wood with extremely fine sandpaper, going down to 1800 grit or finer almost polishes the wood. That might help, but it may re-occur with some play. Sorry I can't offer any more advice, but I will ask around and see if I can find anyone else who has tried it. Eventually players can and do wear through the finish to the bare wood in places and they still play the guitar, so it should be fine. You can always refinish (the neck) it if it doesn't turn out the way you want.