Sheldon will probably have a more complete answer to this question, but as far as I know, Dingwall necks are finished with oil or wax only, inherently a very thin finish. In that case, you would only need steel wool or Scotchbrite pads to remove the wax finish, then use denatured alcohol on a clean rag to remove any residual wax. Careful- you could really mess the neck up with sandpaper . So, then, you have an unfinished neck. What do you do now to finish it? I'm confused on what you are trying to accomplish. If the necks of you Dingwalls aren't very smooth after a proper wax job, then you likely have a bunch of gunk (old, dirty wax, sweat, and body oils) built up on he neck making it sticky. You would probably need to remove the old wax as above and re-apply a fresh coat per Sheldon's maintenance instructions. Mark

Mark has pretty much nailed it. Use some 0000 steel wool (the finest) to gently scuff off the dirt and wax buildup while putting a slight scratch pattern on the surface will make the neck feel really fast. Keep in mind you'll be removing some finish as you do this so you don't want to do it too often. Also steel wool dust and pickups don't get a long even though they are so attracted to each other. It's best to do this work outside with the help of a friend to hold the bass headstock-down so that the dust falls away from the bass.

Cheers, 0000 steel wool was what I had in mind as well, just wanted to hear it from you too.

For anyone interested, I just did it... I'm happy with the results so far, although I was afraid of damaging the bass and didn't dig in too much, so I might repeat the process in a few days. As it is, it feels a little smoother and I think that the maple on the neck seems a bit brighter (probably because of gunk removal). I used a Scotchbrite green pad I found in the kitchen.

[quote="Sheldon Dingwall":302uer0l]Mark has pretty much nailed it. Use some 0000 steel wool (the finest) to gently scuff off the dirt and wax buildup while putting a slight scratch pattern on the surface will make the neck feel really fast. Keep in mind you'll be removing some finish as you do this so you don't want to do it too often.[/quote:302uer0l] In case I've removed most/all of the finish, what happens? I mean, in what way is it bad for the bass and how can I re-finish it?

[quote="Dragonlord":371fxzx4][quote="Sheldon Dingwall":371fxzx4]Mark has pretty much nailed it. Use some 0000 steel wool (the finest) to gently scuff off the dirt and wax buildup while putting a slight scratch pattern on the surface will make the neck feel really fast. Keep in mind you'll be removing some finish as you do this so you don't want to do it too often.[/quote:371fxzx4] In case I've removed most/all of the finish, what happens? I mean, in what way is it bad for the bass and how can I re-finish it?[/quote:371fxzx4] The wood must be finished to resist body oils and humidity. You need a carnauba wax with no silicone in the formula. Sheldon uses Kiwi neutral paste shoe polish. I use Trewax carnauba paste wax www.trewax.com It is available online now, but I'm not sure about shipping to Greece since it it flammable. I use a small square of cloth to apply the wax to the back of the neck, then buff it out with an old t-shirt immediately - no drying allowed. Then I do it all again. Make sure you wear rubber gloves to save on clean-up hassles: soap will barely faze the wax once it's on your hand, and if you wax your neck, then go to the gig with any leftover wax on your fingers, you will be really bummed I've done it once and it was a very long night Mark