I have a maple neck that looks like plastic against the body of my telecaster. The body has been stripped and oiled and is full of the character of the grain of the ash . Now my neck looks like it does not belong to the same guitar.
I have 2 options 1) get a new neck and 2) create some character to my existing neck to blend it in with the body.
If I get a new neck I think rosewood would be better but I would prefer to do something with the maple neck as it is a lovely neck and feels right.
Has anyone had experiences with ageing and basically removing the bland factory look on a maple neck?
The back of the neck has already been rubbed down so it is the front (mainly) that I am looking to do something with. Has anyone ever used controlled heat from a heat gun to enhance/warm (pardon the pun) the look of maple?
Any thoughts, ideas, experiences welcomed
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You can try stripper but beware of the inlays. Scraping and sanding is sometimes the only option.
easiest way to get a bit of age is with a tinted overspray.
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Got the razors out - it's amazing what you can achieve when the wife is at work
@WezV ;
I'm not much of a sprayer, so could I use a dark wax? Or is wax a no-no. I've got tru-oil but I don't think the colour will darken/change much....
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Think I'll give it a go
http://www.rothkoandfrost.com/tinted-coloured-nitrocellulose-guitar-lacquer/
It worked well, I used clear lacquer and mixed in the tint until it looked right and sprayed it with a compressor and gun. They sell the same stuff pre-mixed in a rattle can.
There are others on here who rate Northwest too, I've yet to try them but gather they're good.
And yep, there's a string tree missing, it pinged off the headstock one day when I was tuning up, like a bullet from a gun. Mrs. R. found it on the other side of the room, I must put it back.
Either way, it's very well made, light, resonant, and the neck pocket is *tight*. It's my security blanket
I used instant coffee on mine. Only on the back, but sanded off the nitro, rubbed in in instant coffee paste, then wiped it off and just did 1 layer of true oil, knocked back with wire wool.