This post is the second of five regarding an ongoing Floyd Rose to Hardtail (fixed bridge) conversion on a used ESP GrassRoots G-HR-49 solidbody. In this post, we'll talk about what needed to be done; as per the owner’s instructions: “install a Strat-style nut, strip the paint from the back of the neck and refinish it natural.”
I started off by cleaning the fretboard and frets of all gunk, dirt and grime. Following this, the back and sides of the neck and headstock were sanded and scraped down to bare wood. It was a pleasant surprise to discover that the neck was maple with some attractive striping and figuring.
Now it was time to fashion a fretboard extension that would fill the “shelf” vacated by the locking nut, and provide a slot to seat the new nut. Several prototypes were created using solid mahogany; as I did not have any rosewood in stock. The last one proved the most suitable, and it was duly glued and clamped in place.
Once the glue had cured, the clamps were removed and the extension carved and sanded to the shape normally seen on rosewood-board Strats. As a finishing touch, the extension (except for the nut slot) was sealed with Tru-Oil. I dare say that the final color of the mahogany extension closely matched the rest of the fretboard.
That having been taken care of, the next task was to refinish the back of the neck. Firstly, StewMac ColorTone Liquid Stain #5033 (Medium Brown) was applied to the raw wood and allowed to dry overnight. The result was a very dark-looking neck indeed.
After sanding off the #5033 stain, most of the maple returned to its original pale hue except for the stripes and figuring; which had retained the stain and were now more noticeable. Yes, that was the effect I was after.
Next, the back of the neck was restained with #5030 (Vintage Amber). After overnight drying, the maple had taken on a vintage amber hue; and this pleased me to no end.
The final step was to seal and refinish the wood with Tru-Oil. I reckon about 15-20 coats were applied, with some light 0000 steel-wooling every three coats or so. The neck was then set aside to give the Tru-Oil ample time to cure. Now, be a good sport and check out the YouTube video I've uploaded just for you. Muchas gracias :)
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