How to Scallop a guitar neck Part 2

by Brian Calvert

So lets get finished!
By now you have probably noticed the attachments will wear out on the ends due to extreme heat and friction, don't worry you can always reshape them or purchase new one's from your local dealer or directly from Dremel.
If while replacing the masking tape you noticed your scallop wasn't going as close as you desire to any fret the 5/8" attachment is your best bet because you can use the edge and angle sand it in up against the fret. Just remember to go back and hit it with the 220 grit afterwards so it is a bit smoother.
From here on out were switching over to hand sanding starting with 320 wet/dry used in it's dry state. Cut some strips the width of your attachments and use them as sanding blocks going up and down the fret board completely. Remember it is easier to do one side then flip the guitar or neck if your just working with a bolt on that's been removed from the body.
Getting tired yet? Bet you can't wait till it's all over.
In some case's your going to start seeing the deeper gouges left from when you first started with the 80 grit and using the 320 doesn't seem to want to take it out. Just take your time and keep clearing the paper from buildup, it will disappear.
If need be switch over to using your finger as a sanding block since it will handle the contours better. Keep the old evil eye on your masking tape and change out as needed while your using the 320 grit, told you you would get tired of masking tape :)
Now take off the masking tape you had covering the other half of fret's 1-14 if your doing the custom style scallop and start knocking the sharp edge off using the 320 grit paper.
Time to clean your board for the first time, yes I said the first time! I use Murphy's oil soap and run a thin line straight down the middle from one end to another.
Then using a medium hard nylon brush I make sure I've given the board a complete scrub grabbing as much of the dust that has been pushed into the wood and side's of the frets as possible. From there wipe the excess off with a couple of paper towels or a clean rag and walk away from the project for at least 20 minutes.
When you get back from your break grab a clean piece of 320 grit and gently sand off any of the wood grain that raised up while you were away due to the fresh cleaning you just did. Wipe the board down again with another clean paper towel or the other end of the rag. At this point it's time to start stripping off masking tape. Yeah!
Now we can start fine sanding without having to worry about the dreaded masking tape! Grab a sheet of 600 grit and start at one end of the board and of course work your way up to the other. The sand paper will gum up quickly and you will also start to see shiny spot's on the wood which darken as you go, this is normal. Just so you know at 600 grit your actually polishing the frets as well, just don't over due it on them. Try to stay on the wood OK :)
-------If your doing this to a Maple finger board skip down to the note's at the bottom now!-------
Repeat the last process now using 1500 grit yeah the whole board once again, told you this was going to take some time. At this point the wood will actually start to shine as well as the frets, try to stay off the fret's I know there getting shiny but hey do you want to do a level and crown job now (I don't think so)...........
Yes! Time to scrub the entire board one more time using your cleaner and brush! If you see any area's that you need to refinish mask them up and repeat steps 1 through 20 now :) Don't forget to wipe the board down with a fresh clean towel!
OK hit the entire board with your buffing wheel now! If you don't have one don't worry about it, just grab a clean terry cloth buffing pad like you use to wax the car and use that (if your arm hasn't already fallen off from hand sanding).
There you have it a perfectly scalloped board any factory wouldn't match. String up and start getting use to it, they really do feel different when playing but don't worry you will get use to it and you'll love the vibrato bends.
Some notes for those of you that are doing this on a maple board

Chances are during the process you went through several of the black marker dots. Replace those at this point and smooth them out to match your scallop, if you don't have any you can order replacements from Stew Mac or Luthiers Mercantile. If you would rather skip having to go through the hassle and you plan to refinish the finger board with a nice clear coat you can grab a roll of electricians tape and a standard single hole punch and create your own marker dots. Don't sand down beyond 600 grit if your going to clear to do so is just a waste of time.

So replace your dot's and refinish your board giving it plenty of time to dry before you string it up and play.