Martin Bolt-On neck removal for finishing?
 

I want to "finish" the Stratabond necks on my cheap Martin acoustic guitars. They're all HPL anyway, so adding something to the backs of the necks shouldn't affect tone much, if any...

I've read that the oil-finishes aren't all that durable, so I want to spray a coat of clear over some black stain, then sand it to a nice matte finish.

It would be easiest to separate the neck from the body during this process. Is there a wooden plate that needs to be removed to access the bolt(s) that secure the neck to the body? (is it glued on?)

Might there be shims to worry about?

Or would you recommend taping-off everything, without disassembling anything? While were at it, spray finish -vs- oil-finish on a Stratabond neck?

These are cheap guitars, so I'm thinking some rattle-can clear-coat would work okay - any recommendations? Thanks!

If I was going to do that I'd tape it off and spray it with black nitro and then satin nitro after prepping the neck.

I question why you would want to. IMHO, unfinished necks are the way to go. They never get sticky when your hands are sweaty. If the grain raises, just smooth it with fine sandpaper or 0000 steel wool. Done.
BTW, the Martin 'bolt on' neck is also glued, so you would have to steam it out.

Thanks for that info. I'll take your advice, since you know a lot more than I do about these things. I'll just smooth it out and hope it stops happening after I "burnish" the wood from excessive playing, after a while. (like an old, worn-in handrail on stairsteps)

A few little splinters/chips came out of the neck, when the grain raised the first time. I can feel the little divots when I play - it's not that bad, but I'd like to fill them in with something and stop this from happening.

Go to a hardware store, and look for the little tins of wood filler. These come in all sorts of colors, so you should be able to find something that will match the color of the neck.

This filler comes in several colors, and cleans up with water.

http://www.google.com/shopping/produ...B2caAgKf8P8HAQ