removing finish

[ifrestre]

if i removing the  finish on the frets (warmoth maple neck with SS 6230) , will the guitar have  fret buzz problems???


thnks

 

[Cagey]

No. In fact, you really need to do that. If it was me, I'd take it to a shop and have them do a fret dressing, as it probably needs it anyway. Kill two birds with one stone - get rid of the lacquer and smooth out the frets.

 

[JaySwear]

fret buzz is really more about the string height. the finish on a maple neck will come off eventually with play OR carefully if you want to remove it immediately, but raising the string height or making sure your neck's relief is just right is really the key to fixing your string buzz i think

 

[-CB-]

No. In fact, you really need to do that. If it was me, I'd take it to a shop and have them do a fret dressing, as it probably needs it anyway. Kill two birds with one stone - get rid of the lacquer and smooth out the frets.

I disagree on two counts. 

First, it probably doesn't need any fretwork beyond finish removal.  Second, its not lacquer...

 

[ifrestre]

No. In fact, you really need to do that. If it was me, I'd take it to a shop and have them do a fret dressing, as it probably needs it anyway. Kill two birds with one stone - get rid of the lacquer and smooth out the frets.

I disagree on two counts.   

First, it probably doesn't need any fretwork beyond finish removal.  Second, its not lacquer...

Thank you very much sir

 

[Cagey]

No. In fact, you really need to do that. If it was me, I'd take it to a shop and have them do a fret dressing, as it probably needs it anyway. Kill two birds with one stone - get rid of the lacquer and smooth out the frets.

I disagree on two counts. 

First, it probably doesn't need any fretwork beyond finish removal.  Second, its not lacquer...

Well, you may be right on the first, although Warmoth doesn't dress their frets, but on the second, it depends on what kind of finish he had applied, which wasn't specified in the question. There's a 50% chance it's lacquer.

 

[ifrestre]

what is the best way to remove the finish ?

:guitarplayer2:

 

[pabloman]

Just play it. It will come off. A belt sander works too.

 

[-CB-]

Do like Leo did - take a large nail, and cut a little crescent shape into it.  Run that over the frets and it will scrape the finish off.  Dont dig in hard, just enough to grab the finish and get to to begin to come off.  That will leave a bit of a ragged edge on the finish (just like Fenders have).  You can mask off the fretboard and rub the frets down with some 400 paper (keep using clean pieces) or 0000 steel wool.  DONT have the neck on the guitar if you're using steel wool - a sure way to get shavings all over the pickups!

Clean it all off before un-masking the fretboard and just play-in any remaining finish edge roughness.

 

[bagman67]

You can mask off the fretboard and rub the frets down with some 400 paper (keep using clean pieces) or 0000 steel wool.  DONT have the neck on the guitar if you're using steel wool - a sure way to get shavings all over the pickups!

Or you can just tape a piece of paper or put some plastic wrap over the pickups and save the trouble of removing the neck, if it's already installed.

Bagman

 

[-CB-]

I'm not into that taping over the pickup thing - the magnetism seems to find a way ...somehow... to get steel wool crap all over it.