Neck refinish requires fret removal, right?

[RoboChrist]

I'm talking a maple oil finished neck to a satin finish.

[Wyatt]

No, not really, Fender sprayed the lacquer right over the frets. Actually almost all aftermarket necks are bought fretted and then finished.

You may have a lot of sanding to do first; depending on the oil used, you have to get it off the wood completely if you want another finish to adhere. On the other hand some finishes may be apply directly over others without removing the original finish.

Do lots of research on your materials before you start.

[raviolio]

This site (ReRanch) may prove invaluable in your research on refinishing:

 

http://www.reranch.com/reranch/viewforum.php?f=1&sid=43377de8325ec008ced9f23259f5a83f

 

 

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[RoboChrist]

No, not really, Fender sprayed the lacquer right over the frets. Actually almost all aftermarket necks are bought fretted and then finished. You may have a lot of sanding to do first; depending on the oil used, you have to get it off the wood completely if you want another finish to adhere. On the other hand some finishes may be apply directly over others without removing the original finish. Do lots of research on your materials before you start.

Thanks

I was planning on getting it done by a pro, but was curious about the frets. This will be done on a new bass actaully, a musicman stingray. They used to have a wonderful satin lacquer finish on their guitar necks until about '92 when they switched to this gunstock oil rubbish. I want something that's easy to maintain, I'm a wipe on wipe off kind guy when it comes to guitar cleaning. {censored} that lemon oil and steel wool BS.