Necks, To Finish Or Not To Finish?

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LooseCannon

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Hey all, i'm thinking of ordering a neck from warmoth, and I need some advice on which finish to use. I like the feel of bare wood in my hand but warmoth's warrenty covers only hard finishes, no oil finishes.
Could having the neck not finished at all cause problems?
What about oil finishes? Are they durabale? Will it be easy applying them myself?
What about satin finishes? How do they feel in your hand?
Are there any other finish types you recommend?
Thanks
 
Re: Necks, To Finish Or Not To Finish?

... That is the question...

Couldn't help it.

I think the problem is sweat and the effect it can have on an instrument. Some folks swear by them, others don't think it's worth it. Since I have zero experience with this I'm just bumping it to see whats the big deal and if it's worth it.
 
Re: Necks, To Finish Or Not To Finish?

I have a Tru-Oiled neck that I bought second hand off one of our forum bros. The oil does a fine job at protecting the neck from sweat, but the finish does have to be buffed and reapplied periodically depending on the climate in which you store your guitars. My studio is a touch on the dry side, so I find that I need to reapply the oil at least every six months, sometimes every three to four depending on how dry of a winter we get.

I wouldn't ever leave one totally unfinished. That's asking for a pretzel neck.

While it's a very fast playing neck, I find that I prefer the feel of a hard finish under my hands. Satin finishes aren't as sticky as glossy finishes so they feel faster, but they still feel nothing like an oiled neck. It's very much a personal "feel" issue. Get your hands on some oiled necks... if you like them then have Warmoth make you one.

All that said, some woods don't require a finish at all, like rosewood. Other woods shouldn't be played with anything less than a hard finish, like mahogany. This is typically a topic that comes up with maple necks.
 
Re: Necks, To Finish Or Not To Finish?

I just checked out the warmoth neck woods page and they have a few wood types that don't require a hard finish, but they are not common wood types and I assume would cost more since some of them are exotic, plus I don't have any expirience with them so I can't be sure if i'd like their tone.
 
Re: Necks, To Finish Or Not To Finish?

USACG doesnt care about finishes for all i know. I am not sure but i remember they dont weather its oil or gloss or whatever.

I am totally biased on this but there is NOTHING like a bare oiled neck. It is the best feel ever. Fast comfy warm organic. it is the best.

I am not an expert but if you lightly oil it then put Birchwood Caseys gunstock wax on it, you wont go back.

Pure wood man.
 
Re: Necks, To Finish Or Not To Finish?

Warmoth considers Tru-Oil to be a hard finish that won't void their warranty. Tung Oil they don't consider a hard finish.

Whatever neck you get, immediately put some tru oil on it. The more the neck sits, gets exposed to humidity, the bigger chance you have of the wood expanding/ contracting and have fret end poking out the side.
 
Re: Necks, To Finish Or Not To Finish?

I would want a finished neck. My hands sweat battery acid or something . . . I can tarnish gold hardware in a week, and regular strings that I play rot in a day or two. I wouldn't even want to think how crappy an unfinished neck would look after being exposed to that for a few months . . .
 
Re: Necks, To Finish Or Not To Finish?

Unless it's absolutely a wood that need none, I'd have to go for a finish, because my hands are quite sweaty.
 
Re: Necks, To Finish Or Not To Finish?

jmh151 said:
Warmoth considers Tru-Oil to be a hard finish that won't void their warranty. Tung Oil they don't consider a hard finish.

Whatever neck you get, immediately put some tru oil on it. The more the neck sits, gets exposed to humidity, the bigger chance you have of the wood expanding/ contracting and have fret end poking out the side.
Click to expand...

What's Tru-Oil? Is it durable as much as other hard finishes?
 
Re: Necks, To Finish Or Not To Finish?

I bought a warmoth neck without a finish and immediately regretted it, ended up having to sand down a bunch of burrs on the edge of the fingerboard. It played great but wasnt going to last at all so I sold it. I would spend a little money and get a satin finish on it.
 
Re: Necks, To Finish Or Not To Finish?

Can anyone tell me what's Tru Oil plz?
 
Re: Necks, To Finish Or Not To Finish?

personally i like to finish my necks in a few coats of nitro satin laquor. i dont sand the final coat and it has a real smooth vintage feel. Never tried tru-oil though so i cant compare it.

If you think you dont want a hard finish on your neck then jut remember maple fretboards have to be finished too, whereas rosewood, pau ferro, ebony do not
 
Re: Necks, To Finish Or Not To Finish?

Tru oil is a product that you can get at an home improvement place.

It's super easy. All you do is rub it on and wipe it off after a few minutes. It's basically the same thing as a Watco oil or something like that. It sinks into the fiber of the wood and hardens. It allows for the wood to look and feel naturally while still being protected.

I hope that answers your question...Z
 
Re: Necks, To Finish Or Not To Finish?

Looks like a lot of respondes like Tru Oil. I've done both nitro and a Minwax Satin wipe on poly. The wipe on poly is very smooth I like it a lot.
 
Re: Necks, To Finish Or Not To Finish?

Thanks man I didnt think there was really any finish on it:doh: :scared:
:chairshot
 
Re: Necks, To Finish Or Not To Finish?

I actually prefer a thin satin poly on the neck shaft with a rosewood finger board. I find that the resins in the rosewood react with nitro and produce a sticky, dirty feeling. A not too thick poly finish with a slightly rough up surface is okay and it's durable.

You need some kind of a finish on maple. Bare maple will discolor (read slowly rot) if left un-finished. This is more than it just getting dirty. It's actually a degrading of the wood deep in, shown as a discoloring.
 
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