Thinning a neck

[Rollin Hand]

I'll preface this by saying this is purely theoretical at this time.

My Kramer 5150 project guitar has a neck that's, well...

elastigirl-mirror.gif

...a little thicc.

Has anyone here ever made a neck thinner? Could it be done well by sanding? I know that a spokeshave can do it, but I have never used one, so that seems like a bad idea. Just ordering another neck is not an option.

[deeaa]

Oh yes I've done it many many times..Even to Gibson and other more expensive ones.

You definitely need a rasp to create rte basic rough shape rather quickly,of you want to thin it by several mm. Or a coarse wood file. But make sure any grooves are shallow enough to shave flat later. I would say something like 19mm thickness at 1wt fret is the absolute minimum end result you want to aim for or you risk baring the truss. With a rasp you want to leave it at like 21mm or so and sand the rest

Then just use 80 grit, followed by 120 to make the grooves vanish,, 240, 320, maybe like by 300 the shape should be finalized.
And all the grooves from coarser sweeps gone.

The difficult part is where you have to make the transition to other parts of the neck, it's quite hard to get a smooth change if you can't really sand the headstock and heel, you'll need like round wood bits or such and lots of care sanding and smoothing those areas. It's super hard if you intend to leave original paint/lacquer to headstock etc.I would not even try, meanings I'd sand the entire neck by the time I get to 240 or so grit - maybe it is possible to leave the front of the headstock intact but at least gotta sand the sides and back to make the whole backside uniform.

I prefer to make them more like V shapes if they're really thick ..like Gibson necks aren't the most stable and hard, and can become too lax if made too thin. V shape males them comfy for the thumb but also sturdy to hold.

But yeah, it's definitely doable. Like one evening job. Just go easy and keep checking the progress and start with a coarse enough file or rasp or it'll be exhausting work.

For years now, all the finish I've used for neck backs is Tung Oil.

After the shape is great and sanded with like 300 or so grit, apply plenty of tung oil and let it soak..sand it with 400-500 grit and apply again, let it dry some. Sand with 600-1000 until it feels like newborn baby skin and rub it with tung once more.

If you like a more woody satin feel, just keep sanding with 400 or so after tung oil coats.

It will keep dirt off and leave it feeling great, but can easily be also reapplied if need be. To me, by far the best neck treatment,

[toomanycats]

This post is very timely because over the last couple of months, in painfully slow and incremental-stages, I have been thinning the neck on my Ktaxon HH Strat.

https://aguitarforum.net/viewtopic.php? ... lit=ktaxon

@deeaa obviously has extensive knowledge about this process, and I appreciate him sharing the wisdom of his experience.

My own anxiety and caution as I undertake this ongoing modification are related to the following considerations:

Assuming that dimensions are equal, and accounting for the inconsistency of a natural material, a quarter sawed neck should be more stable than a flat sawed neck. Some 80's Superstrats specifically used a quarter sawn maple neck to counter the flex which can result from a thin profile. Both the Peavey Predator and the Ibanez Wizard used multiple pieces of wood to counter the flex which is inherent in a super thin neck. Some manufacturers like Charvel/Jackson use embedded graphite rods to ensure that a thin neck is stable.

I own newer Kramer Focus VT-211S, which has a thin, flat sawn maple neck. It's feels wonderful in the hand, though it flexes as though it's made of rubber. What concerns me about the Ktaxon is how thin can I go before it similarly loses stability?

As previously noted, I'm dealing with a natural material which varies in the consistency of it's material properties. That is precisely why . . .
A) I'm using an inexpensively acquired guitar to conduct this experiment.

B) Why I am going sloooowly.


As far as the analogy to a woman looking in the mirror and asking, "Am I fat?" According to my own personal preference, when a woman poses this question it's usually my opinion that she needs to add about 10 pounds.

[tonebender]

Yes, I have done it with sandpaper. I did it on a build back in the day. It took a long time but I finally got it down to the comfort zone for me.

[Rollin Hand]

Oh yes I've done it many many times..Even to Gibson and other more expensive ones.

You definitely need a rasp to create rte basic rough shape rather quickly,of you want to thin it by several mm. Or a coarse wood file. But make sure any grooves are shallow enough to shave flat later. I would say something like 19mm thickness at 1wt fret is the absolute minimum end result you want to aim for or you risk baring the truss. With a rasp you want to leave it at like 21mm or so and sand the rest

Then just use 80 grit, followed by 120 to make the grooves vanish,, 240, 320, maybe like by 300 the shape should be finalized.
And all the grooves from coarser sweeps gone.

The difficult part is where you have to make the transition to other parts of the neck, it's quite hard to get a smooth change if you can't really sand the headstock and heel, you'll need like round wood bits or such and lots of care sanding and smoothing those areas. It's super hard if you intend to leave original paint/lacquer to headstock etc.I would not even try, meanings I'd sand the entire neck by the time I get to 240 or so grit - maybe it is possible to leave the front of the headstock intact but at least gotta sand the sides and back to make the whole backside uniform.

I prefer to make them more like V shapes if they're really thick ..like Gibson necks aren't the most stable and hard, and can become too lax if made too thin. V shape males them comfy for the thumb but also sturdy to hold.

But yeah, it's definitely doable. Like one evening job. Just go easy and keep checking the progress and start with a coarse enough file or rasp or it'll be exhausting work.

For years now, all the finish I've used for neck backs is Tung Oil.

After the shape is great and sanded with like 300 or so grit, apply plenty of tung oil and let it soak..sand it with 400-500 grit and apply again, let it dry some. Sand with 600-1000 until it feels like newborn baby skin and rub it with tung once more.

If you like a more woody satin feel, just keep sanding with 400 or so after tung oil coats.

It will keep dirt off and leave it feeling great, but can easily be also reapplied if need be. To me, by far the best neck treatment,

Thanks for this. My thinking is that if I do this, I will go the sanding route because while the material movement would be more difficult, the transitions will be easier to manage. I won't be able to avoid the headstock finish issue as the paint extends past the nut, a la Eddie.

I was thinking (again, big "if" on whether I do this) I would use either a "mouse" sander with steadily decreasing grits, or fasten the neck somehow to a sawhorse and use lengths of paper to sand side to side up and down the neck, putting constant tension to keep it nice and rounded.

The biggest thing is I don't want to screw it up. And that may keep me from doing it at all.

[BatUtilityBelt]

You guys are brave (especially @deeaa ). I'm not afraid of fine woodworking, but I've seen a few videos and posts from people who went too far and found (exposed) the truss rod channel. Just the potential for that would freak me out a bit during the process. It makes me very glad I prefer fat necks.

[Rollin Hand]

You guys are brave (especially @deeaa ). I'm not afraid of fine woodworking, but I've seen a few videos and posts from people who went too far and found (exposed) the truss rod channel. Just the potential for that would freak me out a bit during the process. It makes me very glad I prefer fat necks.

I wouldn't be going that deep, I hope. Just down a bit closer to, for example, a Fender Modern C, which is just about perfect to me.

[SamIV]

I have used a contour gauge to get the right thickness and carve of a neck I already have that I like. Sand the new neck as close as possible to the sample you have. Also used a palm sander with 320 grit sandpaper. You don’t take off too much at a time with 320 and it’s very efficient. You just have to be judicious with sanding and check the gauge often. You measure up and down the sample neck often while sanding using the contour gauge verifying often. Smooth it out with lower grit sandpaper in succession by hand after you get your thickness and neck carve right.

I typically just use wipe on poly as finish. I just a few very light coats. I also take steel wool to it once dried. Some poo poo steel wool, but I don’t have an issue with it. I like the way poly dries compared to oils others use. I have used rattle can lacquer with great results as well. Use an adequate respirator when spraying lacquers.