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A. Barger - Posted - 09/27/2009: 14:39:01
I went to the Gibson store in Nashville over the weekend and played a $4500 Custom Granada (My current banjo is a $850 Gold Tone, so I pretty much fell in love and got big doe eyes...). This particular banjo had a 'speed neck', which I had heard about before but had never seen or played before. It made jumping between chord inversions so easy because my thumb slid so easily along the back. My current banjo has the regular finish, and I was wondering if there was any easy way to just kinda get that off of there... If it is possible to get the finish off, would I be done at that point and have my own makeshift speed neck? Or would some new kind of finish work have to take place? And how much, in theory, would all of this cost?
Thanks,
Andrew
If you make a mistake once, it's a mistake. If you make a mistake twice, it's jazz!
Pepper Laing - Posted - 09/27/2009: 14:46:11
Buy some sandpaper and get to sanding. Start with some coarse paper to get the finish and paint or stain off and work your way down to a fine paper to smooth to your likeing. There are oils you could treat your neck with for some protection. I`m not an expert but I have done this on mamy guitars over my 30yrs of playing and never had a problem. I hate finish on a neck!
www.myspace.com/pepperlaingt...nestarkillers
bluegrassbrant - Posted - 09/27/2009: 14:57:35
Hey the speed neck conversion for me was pretty simple. I got instructions from fellow hangouter gibson1933. It's tedious but is easy to do. Email me and I'll send you instructions. Cost would only be around 25 dollars.
1Peter 4:10,11
He Lives in Me!
BA
derekanjo - Posted - 09/27/2009: 15:09:03
Two methods that I've used. The second is my favorite, and is in use by a luthier friend of mine.
1) As mentioned, get some sand paper and sand it off. I treat with tung oil just to keep it sealed.
2) If you want to keep the stain color, this method is better. Get a piece of broken glass and shave off the laquer (it will look messy, and be careful not to scrape off the stain). Once the laquer is off, sand with 400 grit (at least) sandpaper until smooth. Then, dab some fine steel wool in rubbing alcohol and rub the neck down. Alternate between the sandpaper and steel wool until desired smoothness is achieved. It takes a while, but it works well.
Derek
kevin0461 - Posted - 09/27/2009: 16:16:22
C'mon now Brant? $25.00??? Most advice on here is free... GEEZ!!! Did you pay for those instructions?
Andrew... I would just send a private message to Gibson 1933 and see if he'll share his $25.00 secret with you for free. Also, Derek's method sounds like it'll work. Be careful with that broken glass though!!
jefrs - Posted - 09/27/2009: 16:32:49
I have done this with guitars that have sticky varnished necks, bust the varnish by rubbing back with 800 to 1200 grit wet, then go over it with automotive cutting compound. You do not need to remove all the varnish to get a fast neck, although I did get carried away with one and so completely stripped it with chemicals to bare wood, sanded, buffed and oiled it ('finishing oil' but I think tung will do nicely).
Kentucky5 - Posted - 09/27/2009: 17:58:46
kevin0461 I think Brant was just telling him the overall cost for materials, not charging for the e-mail instruction's
"You can see the fields of bluegrass where I roam"
RB5 - Posted - 09/27/2009: 18:43:42
Don't do it. How would you like it if someone took your skin off with sandpaper. I think the speed neck thing is all a bunch of hooey. Just put a bit of powder on your hands and it will make things speedy.
That's my story and I'm sticking with it!
Robert.
kevin0461 - Posted - 09/28/2009: 02:08:51
Thanks Kentucky5.... and I apologize Brant! I guess I misread that one. Oops!!!!
Kevin B - Posted - 09/28/2009: 11:08:39
Caution, It is a lot harder to reverse the results once the damage (err. . . improvement) is done.
Kevin ( )=='=~
'Possum, It's what's for dinner . . ."
gibson1933 - Posted - 09/28/2009: 18:51:19
Send an email to me and I will email instructions w/ pictures. It's easy, makes playing a dream, no more sticky necks, no more white powder getting all over your pants making you look like a cocaine addict. And no, Kevin, there is NO CHARGE for the instructions! I didn't even give an estimate of the cost of materials, but think that even $25 is pretty high. You don't need much and probably have some of the materials lying around the house.
Just my opinion.........
Dick
www.sawmillroad.net
kevin0461 - Posted - 09/29/2009: 02:35:09
Hey Dick!! You're a good man!
gtaunton - Posted - 09/29/2009: 06:03:55
I've done two of my banjos. I did my Gold Star first for practice and was so pleased I did my Gibson Blackjack. Here's what I did:
1)Tape off the heel and neck with blue making tape.
2)Cover any parts of the banjo that you can with plastic or cloth
3)Put lacquer thinner in VERY lights coats on the neck - DO NOT LET IT RUN!
4)Scrape with NEW straight razors with the razor at a 90 degree angle - do not tilt the razor. Once you’ve used the razor for more than a few minutes and it starts feeling dull, get another new one.
5)Sand smooth when you are done with fine sand paper and/or steel wool.
BUT! If you aren't good with your hands, take it to someone who is - you can't reverse this once its done!
The LORD will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the LORD (Isaiah 38:20).
Edited by - gtaunton on 09/29/2009 07:23:32
gibson1933 - Posted - 09/29/2009: 09:09:14
Not exactly true..........almost anything (except death and paying money to the IRS) can be "reversed". It takes re-finishing the entire neck, true, but it still isn't anything that can't be undone. Unless you are a banjo "voyeur" who only wants to LOOK at his/her banjo versus picking the snot out of it......you will quickly find (as so many others have, including MANY pros) that it makes the neck sooooo much easier to play on. But far be it from me to tell ANYONE what to do.......to each their own. Not trying to cause any kind of $#&@storm here......just give my opinion.
Just my opinion.........
Dick
www.sawmillroad.net
gtaunton - Posted - 09/29/2009: 09:15:28
quote:
Originally posted by gibson1933
Not exactly true..........almost anything (except death and paying money to the IRS) can be "reversed". It takes re-finishing the entire neck, true, but it still isn't anything that can't be undone. Unless you are a banjo "voyeur" who only wants to LOOK at his/her banjo versus picking the snot out of it......you will quickly find (as so many others have, including MANY pros) that it makes the neck sooooo much easier to play on. But far be it from me to tell ANYONE what to do.......to each their own. Not trying to cause any kind of $#&@storm here......just give my opinion.
Just my opinion.........
Dick
www.sawmillroad.net
OK, it can be done, but not without a LOT of trouble. One more thing, both my banjos that have the speed necks are mahogany, so they look nice even after the process is done. To me, the maple necks don't look as nice although I've read that the maple will sand down to be a lot more smooth. The LORD will save me, and we will sing with stringed instruments all the days of our lives in the temple of the LORD (Isaiah 38:20).
Edited by - gtaunton on 09/29/2009 09:16:01
A. Barger - Posted - 09/29/2009: 16:22:47
Thanks all, for the advice. Dick sent me some good information, and as soon as I find a suitable work bench I'll give this a shot and let you all know how it turns out.
Andrew
If you make a mistake once, it's a mistake. If you make a mistake twice, it's jazz!
country frank - Posted - 09/30/2009: 01:57:36
Use fresh single-side-razors to get the finish off, not sandpaper. Lightly paper once all the finish is off, then wire wool, then tru-oil [or the finish of your choice].
Do not wade in with sandpaper to start with, you run the risk of re-shaping your neck!. It will take a few hours from start to finish but IMVHO well worth the effort, especially on a goldtone neck which tends to have a thick layer of gloop on..
Proud Union Man
Regards from London.
bluegrassbrant - Posted - 10/01/2009: 08:49:19
For everyone that misunderstood, I was not nor will I ever charge for any help that I give to anyone. I was only estimating what it cost me for the materials. I didn't have any of it lying around my house so I went and bought it all and I couldn't just find a little bit of anything. Anyway, Dick I meant no disrespect or anything. The instructions you sent me were what I was going to send for free. I followed your directions and they worked out great for me, I love the new speed neck on my banjo. I was just trying to do what someone else did for me, pass on a little help. Andrew, I hope everything works out great for you.
1Peter 4:10,11
He Lives in Me!
BA
Plastichead - Posted - 10/01/2009: 20:07:00
Dick, or anyone else: Is Tung oil the choice or one of the top choices for this process?
Thanks in advance: Keith.
" The More I Listen To Country Music, The Better I Like Bluegrass! "
Gomer - Posted - 10/01/2009: 20:28:51
One of the things you can do is to keep a bowl of First Press extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) close to your left hand so that rather than stripping the finish, you can just dip your hand in the bowl. Don't knock it till you try it.
( )=====’==::
Abundant Opinions - Speculative Advice - Marginal Judgment
jefrs - Posted - 10/29/2009: 16:08:59
quote:
Originally posted by Plastichead
Dick, or anyone else: Is Tung oil the choice or one of the top choices for this process?
Thanks in advance: Keith.
" The More I Listen To Country Music, The Better I Like Bluegrass! "
I have used 'finishing oil' on guitar necks and elsewhere to good effect. This is a mixture of tung and other stuff, probably terebrine driers. Whilst tung (used that too) is a good oil for finishing, 'finishing oil' dries quicker and harder, and can be buffed up to a high gloss that does not feel sticky like poly-varnish does. I have applied 'finishing' over tung or 'Danish', alone, they will protect the wood with an impervious coat once cured but they do not buff up to a hard gloss. A warning though, these oils can leave hard to remove smeary marks on a varnished surface it not immediately removed completely with a little white spirits on the rag. The problem with poly is that many of us find it too slick, too smooth and it sticks to the hand like cling-film. I have also found that it is not necessary to remove the poly to remove that slickness, merely to 'bust' the surface with wet-and-dry or wire-wool or powdered pumice. Buffed up with cutting compound it appears as glossy as ever it was but the slickness is gone. An accelerated ageing process.
Julio B - Posted - 10/29/2009: 16:45:48
I have used Minwax's product called, WIPE ON POLY with excellent results.
Put a little on a clean rag, massage it in. Allow to dry for 1/2 hour or so & repeat.
Finally burnish with some 0000 steel wool. Burnish once every year after that for about 20 seconds to clean and to maintain smoothness.
~Julio
"Is Tung oil the choice or one of the top choices for this process?"
ahsn36gp - Posted - 10/30/2009: 06:48:23
quote:
Originally posted by RB5
Don't do it. How would you like it if someone took your skin off with sandpaper. I think the speed neck thing is all a bunch of hooey. Just put a bit of powder on your hands and it will make things speedy.
That's my story and I'm sticking with it!
Robert.
I can attest to the fact that a speed neck is not a bunch of "hooey". I have 2 banjos one with and one without a speed neck. I will always play the speed neck on an outdoor, summertime gig. No amount of powder will let you slide like a speed neck. The way I sweat the powder turns into little balls in about 2 minutes. My banjo without a speed neck has a curly walnut neck and I dont want to diminish the beauty of it, so I will not turn it into a speed neck, however if I aquire another banjo, if it has a strait grain neck I will speed neck it. Marty
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