Unfinished Guitar Neck for Strat?

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tonight, we ride
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Post by tonight, we ride »

I'm currently building up a project guitar from an 80's American Strat body I found for cheap (someone took a chisel to the entire backside to remove the clearcoat... and did not do a good job). I'm now at the point where I'm looking at Warmoth necks online and feel like I could go in two directions.

Either:

1) Get a cheap maple on maple neck with a Nitro clearcoat.
2) Get an "exotic-wood" unfinished neck, and leave it unfinished or coat with something thin like Tru-Oil.

I've played a few unfinished necks and have always enjoyed the feel of them, as well as the feeling that I can play faster on them more easily. I'm building this thing up to be a SHRED MACHINE, but am unsure about what drawbacks can realistically be expected from an unfinished neck in the long run.

Google searching has provided opinions from both ends of the spectrum, that seem to constantly contradict each other. Some people say their unfinished necks (such as on Charvel guitars) are fine without any maintenance, but I suspect that those necks are treated with Linseed Oil. Others are saying that a thin coat of Tru-Oil (which I have never used) does wonders for protecting the wood, while also maintaining the feel of an unfinished neck. Horror stories of warping abound everywhere.

I am not worried about warping since I'd be going with a quartersawn exotic hard-wood (such as solid Pau Ferro, or Goncalo).

I am, however, curious about whether people have any input/opinions/experience regarding unfinished necks, or possibly with using Linseed Oil, or Tru-Oil.

To what degree will an unfinished neck get "dirty" from the oils on hands? Will it require sanding down the road in order to clean it, or will the oils from my hands simply "break in" the neck and give it a protective coating? Should I just quit pining (pun intended) over an exotic wood neck and buy a god damned hard rock maple neck with a nitro coating?

Any opinions are appreciated! I know there's a lot out there on this topic already, but as I said above most of it is contradictory and I don't trust anything that's written on TGP.

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biliousfrog
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Post by biliousfrog »

There are a variety of factors to take into consideration.
  • Moisture causes wood fibers to swell. In the case of an unfinished guitar neck, the moisture from sweaty hands will primarily be on one side of the neck which would, in some degree, cause the neck to bend. Ironically, the minerals in sweat will also dry out wood, causing it to split.

    An unfinished neck will get dirty. The sweat from your hands, combined with any dirt (on hands or environmental such as dust and smoke) with "weather" the neck. The moisture will carry the oils and minerals into the wood fibers, making them difficult to remove without a heavy sanding.

    Some woods do not require finishing due to natural oils (rosewood), others would fail very quickly without any finish (mahogany) because of their open grain and large pores.

    Some "exotic" woods are already less stable due to the natural grain pattern - burl, bridseye, flame etc.

    The grain "pop" only happens when a finish is applied - if you want to showcase a nice grain pattern you'll want a gloss finish
Maple will silver and get dirty unfinished but is reasonably stable - even so, my preference is to finish maple necks with a thin oil which keeps them smooth and slick without the stickiness of a lacquered neck. Apply the oil in several thin coats with a rag (french polish fashion) and finish with some fine wire wool for an unfinished feel.

Pau Ferro is similar to rosewood and can be left untreated but would benefit from some lemon oil to prevent it from drying out and to clean it periodically - just like a rosewood fingerboard.

Goncalo Alves would benefit from a thin oil finish but could be left raw if you desired. I don't have any first-hand experience with it, just going by what I've heard.

Be aware that the neck wood contributes a lot to the sound & feel of a guitar, sometimes more than the body. The GA neck will give a much warmer, rounder, sound than PF which will be slightly warmer than maple.

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Post by JustinFun »

Don't forget that although Tru-Oil has a similar feel to an oiled wood finish it's not (despite the name) a 'true' oiled wood finish - it's a polymer-enriched oil that does seal the wood with a solid finish. So it won't get dirty from your hands. In fact if you apply enough coats of Tru-oil you can get a thick glossy nitro-like effect (that's kind of missing the point however). It could be the best of both worlds for your requirements.

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Post by alexradium »

my guitars are all true oil and wax,no dirt,no neck warping,i'm faster than ever,and i can repeat the process whenever i feel its necessary.

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Post by deltafred »

My '62 Precision has not a trace of nitro varnish on the neck, it went all orange and chewy with nicotine, sweat and age and scrapes off with your finger nail. Ok it is a bit grey looking but feels wonderful.

As far as stability goes I haven't touched the the truss rod for about 10 years.
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Post by tonight, we ride »

Thanks for sharing your experience/knowledge!

At some point during my head first dive into musical electronics I neglected to learn anything about the world of tone-woods, and, honestly, know very little about woodworking outside of the rudimentary. After hearing what you guys have had to say, and talking to a few friends that do some guitar building I think I'm going to go with either a Pau Ferro, or Goncalo, quartersawn neck and apply a couple of coats of Tru-Oil.

A buddy of mine that has a CNC router and has been making telecasters over the past few years recommended an All Parts neck, over a Warmoth, but only because he has more experience with them. Their necks definitely look like a great option as well, but I think I'll save trying one of those for after he makes me a Telecaster body.

For now the goal is to build a simple, monster of a shred guitar with some custom wiring, that looks beat up enough to not be attractive yet can be reliable enough to be my daily guitar for a new metal band I'm starting. I'll post pictures and a wiring layout once it's done!

Oh, and I'm assuming that there's probably a lot of info out there already on applying Tru-Oil to a neck, but if anyone would like to share further about their experiences with it, particularly in comparison to lemon or linseed oil, it would be much appreciated. Thanks again!

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Post by biliousfrog »

I learned loads from here: http://www.projectguitar.com/

There are a lot of pros on there and a wealth of resources.

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Post by BAARON »

If you want to learn more about wood finishing (why to do it, how they work, and how to do it), this is the best resource I've ever found. He goes into the chemistry of it without getting too technical for a layman to understand what he's talking about. A lot of libraries seem to have it, so check with your local library and borrow it long enough to absorb what you need to know.


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tonight, we ride
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Post by tonight, we ride »

Very cool! Thanks for the links on places to check out more info... I've decided to hold off on getting a neck until I've learned a bit more about wood/treatment/fret finishing/basically anything that isn't electronics on the guitar... Plus the SG seems to be doing just fine for now with a Super Distortion in the bridge!

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