Neck Finish?

[axtrick]

Hey Folks,

Had to put my custom guitar build on the back burner for a while due to other projects and life.. I did finally decide on the body and neck style, an EVH Wolfgang. I ordered the plans, cut the templates out of 3/4" high density board, glued up the nicely figured walnut I salvaged from an old barn, ordered a birdseye maple stock for the neck along with an ebony fret board and bought some gold Schaller locking tuners and a Floyd Rose tremlo. I have cut the body out and routed the edges clean but haven't started to route out the cavities, mainly because I am still trying to decide on electronics. I did just finish up on the neck but I am trying to decide on how to finish it. I plan on finishing the body in a nitrocellulose laquer. But, I have heard of other builders finishing their necks with an oil finish because of the ease of playability. Not having ever played a guitar with an oil finished neck I just don't have any experience with it. I need a little help here and would like to get some feedback on what other players or builders have done to their necks as far as finish? Give me your $.02...

[newey]

I don't personally have any experience with oiled necks, but our resident pro, Cynical1, will no doubt weigh in on this topic. And, while I don't want to put words in his mouth, I suspect he will disabuse you of any notion that this is a good idea.

For a long, straight life, a neck needs to have the pores of the wood sealed against dirt, sweat, humidity, et al.. An oil finish on the neck doesn't cut it. Fretboards are one thing, but the neck itself is another.

[b4nj0]

Warmoth state that you can forget about any warranty if you insist on using an oiled finish. The two Warmoth necks that I have used in projects contained printed disclaimers within the packaging to that effect.

Originally, "hygrostats" in old fashioned mercury banjo-wheel barometers used grains of wheat to drive a tiny pointless humidity / moisture content / percentage saturation "dial". This was due to the half-baked linear response to humidity changes that such a morsel afforded. Your neck, being similarly organic in nature will eventually (when you've forgotten to re-apply the oil in a timely fashion) duplicate that unwanted characteristic.

Am I allowed to say banjo on here.... ; <D

e&oe...

[lpf3]

It depends on what you're calling "oil". Traditional penetrating wood oils will not provide any level of protection at all. They soak in and that's about it. There are products that have "oil" in their name that are not really oils at all, they are wiping varnishes- Homer Formsby's Tung Oil Finish and Tru-Oil are two that come to mind. These products, as well as other wiping varnishes and wiping polyurethanes do build a hard protective coat that will seal the wood and keep moisture and dirt etc. out. They are easy to apply, the secret is to wipe on several thin coats, letting it dry between coats and then adding more until you get the desired finish. I like to apply it with paper towels, I know of some guys who like to use coffee filters but you could use a rag, your fingers or whatever you want. I like to lightly sand or steel wool every few coats to knock down any rag marks or runs, and I like to do at least 10 coats. (some finishers do 15 or 20.....) After it's fully dry you can buff to a gloss or you can polish with some 0000 steel wool to cut the gloss. The latter gives you a very smooth, fast feeling neck- you'll probably love it. It's easy to maintain, too. Every once in a while just lightly sand with some 320 or 400 sandpaper,add a few more coats, polish & play.

FWIW, I know of a guy on another forum who got Warmoth to acknowledge that Tru-Oil is a hard finish and acceptable for their warranty requirements. At least he says so..........

[axtrick]

Yep, I should have clarified what I meant by "oil" finish. What I am thinking about using is Truoil. I have quite a bit of experience in applying Truoil on quite a few antique rifle and shotgun stocks that I have restored. As Lp3 mentioned, it isn't really an "oil" finish but a poly based rub on finish that requires several layers to achieve a proper protective finish. On most of those stocks I applied 12+ coats to achieve the desired look I wanted and of course it also depended on the type of wood. I just got off the phone with another novice guitar builder who I met while on the job and he just had his Les Paul build finished by a professional luthier. The luthier who did the work recommended not finishing his LP in nitrocellulose due to the high humidity that we experience here on the Atlantic coast. So now I am thinking Truoil on the neck and polyeurethane on the body. Thanks Lpf3 for the 0000 steel wool trick. I have actually heard of folks doing the samething to there factory finish to produce a slick and fast neck. Now, to decide on what pickups and pots to use for this build. I guess that will be my next ? for the pickup and wiring forum....

[Teleblooz]

Sept 28, 2013 11:27:36 GMT -5 lpf3 said:

It depends on what you're calling "oil". Traditional penetrating wood oils will not provide any level of protection at all. They soak in and that's about it. There are products that have "oil" in their name that are not really oils at all, they are wiping varnishes- Homer Formsby's Tung Oil Finish and Tru-Oil are two that come to mind. These products, as well as other wiping varnishes and wiping polyurethanes do build a hard protective coat that will seal the wood and keep moisture and dirt etc. out. They are easy to apply, the secret is to wipe on several thin coats, letting it dry between coats and then adding more until you get the desired finish. I like to apply it with paper towels, I know of some guys who like to use coffee filters but you could use a rag, your fingers or whatever you want. I like to lightly sand or steel wool every few coats to knock down any rag marks or runs, and I like to do at least 10 coats. (some finishers do 15 or 20.....) After it's fully dry you can buff to a gloss or you can polish with some 0000 steel wool to cut the gloss. The latter gives you a very smooth, fast feeling neck- you'll probably love it. It's easy to maintain, too. Every once in a while just lightly sand with some 320 or 400 sandpaper,add a few more coats, polish & play.

FWIW, I know of a guy on another forum who got Warmoth to acknowledge that Tru-Oil is a hard finish and acceptable for their warranty requirements. At least he says so..........

I recently did a build using Tru-Oil on a Strat-style neck with great results. I followed the procedure above and ended up with a nice satin finish that's a joy to play - nice & smooth with no stickiness. Basically it feels just like the neck on my #1 Tele (that I sand for the same effect). I suppose only time will tell about the longevity but I'm more than satisfied with the end product.