"Micromeshing" a Rickenbacker Neck

[Vertigho]

Has anyone ever tried "micromeshing" a Rickenbacker neck (to achieve a non-glossy/tacky feeling neck)? There's a detailed thread on TGP with many positive reviews for other guitars with glossy finished necks.

[jingle_jangle]

Works like a charm on Rick conversion varnish finishes; I've done it a couple of times prior to polishing in the case of touch-ups to neck finishes. Really slick, and can be buffed back to glossy without much effort.

Two things to be aware of:

1. Stay away from edges!

2. The whole process takes a lot of time and is very tedious.

I've found that you can get rid of the "sticky" gloss feeling by using Dr. Stringfellow's Lem-Oil on neck and fretboard and buffing with a clean cotton cloth afterwards.

[Vertigho]

1. Stay away from edges!

Thanks Paul.

My apologies for being rather dim, but, by "edges" in this context, do you mean (a) where the fretboard meets the neck; (b) some other edges; or (c) both of the above? And, if the answer is (b) or (c), could you provide more enlightenment?

[jingle_jangle]

Any abrasive (including rubbing and polishing compounds) will cut through edges--all edges--much faster than they cut or dull flat or slightly crowned surfaces. There are two reasons for this: an edge concentrates force applied to a surface, and edges resist paint and clearcoats--they tend to flow to either side, so the paint or clearcoat finish on an edge is thinner than anywhere else on an object.

Thinner paint + force concentration + abrasive material = Proceed with caution.

I will sometimes mask off an edge if it's adjacent to an area that is going to require a lot of rubbing, to avoid rubbing through the edge while devoting most of my attention to the surface next to it!

In any event, I do edges last when sanding, rubbing out, or waxing a guitar, car, or coffee maker...the edges need the least attention.

[vintagemusicgear]

so can this be done to a fingerboard alone to make it less slick?

[vintagemusicgear]

Paul, what's the best way to remove the glossy feel of the fingerboard, the Lem oil or micromesh? Or is there a better method? I never liked the slick feel of a finished fingerboard, so that is why I favor my capris which have an unfinished board...