Best way to remove polyuréthane neck finish ?

[Xplorer]

Hello !

well, i'd like to remove the polyurethan finish of my 60' anniversary deluxe neck. Did someone try it already ? then i'd like to make it cellulosic. for now it's very white, i don't like it, and i heard that it's not the best lacquer for a guitar ...

i suppose that a chemical liquid would be used, but i hope that it won't damage the wood.
also, for the logo, it's made of metal, chrome, shiny, so it's not a decal that would go away, good news i think, then i could replace it before another varnish...
it has blue "nacre" dots, beautiful. then, getting amber it'd look very nice ...

thanks !
Adrien

[Xplorer]

well, i was wrong, not a good idea to try to remove the logo. called a shop that does it, and the polyurethan ( which in fact isn't bad ) could be a great first hard layer before the varnish. it could be slightly sanded before the cellulosic, and then a thin cellulosic varnish.

[chrisom]

I don't know if this is the same compound, but I wanted a Fender "spaghetti" vintage logo on my Classic-Vibe Strat neck, and couldn't believe how hard the polyester finish was on it. NO paint remover I bought would even touch it. It was like plastic.

Since it was a rosewood fingerboard, I hand-sanded the back of the neck & headstock to the wood & completely refinished. It was A LOT of work. Would have been impossible on a maple fingerboard. I wouldn't try it on yours.

On my all-maple Classic-Vibe Tele neck, I was able to lightly hit everything with some super-fine wet/dry paper & fine steel wool, then shoot it with lightly with Vintage Amber Nitrocellulose lacquer in a can (from Stewart MacDonald guitar supply), right on top of the polyester and it turned out great. That might be your best bet.

It sprays on right over your frets, and sticks to the neck finish, but falls right off the frets when you rub it (or scrape with fingernail) after drying. Looks professional.

To avoid rough overspray, spray the side edges first, then the face surface last. Let dry overnight, then repeat for back side. Most small runs will shrink & disappear as the lacquer cures & the thinner evaporates over then next few weeks. I have mine strung up by then. Yours is more expensive, so you might take a bit more time waiting & being meticulous- co

By the way, it lightens up as it cures. I try to go gradually with the spray, but sometimes it looks dark amber & I'm tempted to freak out, but as the thinner in it evaporates, it gets a bit lighter. But start a bit at a time, so it doesn't come out looking like a 70-year old Strat (?)

[Xplorer]

thanks ! unfortunately, i can't buy such product out of the us : it doesn't flight very well.

yes, polyester is the worst varnish for guitars. the pro i called told me that, and he doesn't like to work on nitro either, but he likes callulosic, and is ok with polyurethan.
i'm gonna have it made professionaly, it's better i think. he's gonna sand it slightly , not entirely, and perhaps not even sanded on the headstock front. then apply some lacquer. like you did in fact ; )

the gilmour strat from the custom shop has a yellow neck that looks so fake ! i don't want it. i hope that he'll show me some samples of his work before he does it.
thanks again,

Adrien

[Xplorer]

just seen your strat neck : it looks exactly like my 70' original strat neck ! great work !

[54strat]

The neck on my 87 American Standard is about the same color as the neck in that pic. I only had to wait 24 years for it to age. You youngsters just have no patience

[Xplorer]

your american standard is in nitro cellulosic, or in polyurethan ?
polyurethan never gets amber, darker, right ?