finishing a neck

[King Elvis]

I just had to replace the neck on my Fender. The neck I got is unfinished. Any tips on what to use and how to finish it??

[Bass Freak]

im guessing some clear varnish or some other type thing....but im just guessing....i wouldnt stain it, that could get ugly....

freak

[TheGuitarMan]

Unfinished Strat necks are off the heazy. Seriously. Leave it.

[KaBudokan]

Originally posted by TheGuitarMan
Unfinished Strat necks are off the heazy. Seriously. Leave it.

NO.

Seriously.

I'm assuming your neck is maple. You basically HAVE to put some kind of finish on it or it won't last. The only woods you wouldn't have to finish are ones like rosewood. (Not the fingerboard, the neck itself.)

A friend of mine swears by tung oil, which he has used after getting a Carvin with a tung oil finish.

A LOT of people use Minwax polyurethane. You can either get a wipe-on or brush-on. Most people either do a satin finish, or do the gloss and then on the final coat they buff the back of the neck lightly with 0000 steel wool to take away the shine.

I just finished a neck with Minwax. It's really easy to use and offers great protection, and it has a decent feel.

I've also heard very good things about Waterlox. Supposedly it offers great protection but still feels very much like the natural wood.

I wouldn't recommend nitrocellulose (for the neck), because it can get sticky when you play.

[King Elvis]

so how many coats do you use. Does anyone know what is used on Strat necks at the Fender factory??

[KaBudokan]

It kind of depends on what type of Minwax you use - wipe on is thinner than the brush on.

Check out this site: http://www.rfd.cc/aa/

Look in the rap section. He does all poly finishes and does a nice job. Tommy, from USA Custom, recommends just throwing on two coats of brush on Poly and you're good to go. Rob at the site above recommends anywhere from 4-6 wipe-on coats.

[TheGuitarMan]

Let me elaborate on unfinished necks...

Poly sucks. Seriously. Hate it.

[philboyd studge]

Whatever you use, a professional looking finish is going to come from a lot of sanding and polishing.........working your way down from 220 or 280 grit on the first few coats to 400 grit and 0000 steel wool and then polish. Don't rush. You'll be proud of yourself when it's done.

[KaBudokan]

Originally posted by TheGuitarMan
Let me elaborate on unfinished necks...

Poly sucks. Seriously. Hate it.

So I provided four different options, only one of which was Poly. You can keep repeating your opinion until the cows come home, it doesn't make it any safer to leave a maple neck unfinished.

Warmoth won't even warranty their necks if you don't put a hard finish on, let alone leaving it unfinished. Elvis - if you need any other advice or guidance, you can drop me an email - I'll be happy to try to help you out.

[King Elvis]

One more question...
Is it possible to take the Fender logo decal OFF of my old neck. Is there a way to strip the finish on the headstock and even so, would the decal survive and be able to be transferred??

[TheGuitarMan]

Originally posted by KaBudokan
So I provided four different options, only one of which was Poly. You can keep repeating your opinion until the cows come home, it doesn't make it any safer to leave a maple neck unfinished.

Warmoth won't even warranty their necks if you don't put a hard finish on, let alone leaving it unfinished.

I was just saying that I don't like a hard finish on my guitar necks, that's all. I wasn't trying to change anybody's mind about it. I have a tung oil finish on my acoustic neck and it feels great.

[crawdad]

A variation of the above is a formula that Alembic used to use on their instruments. Its 1/3 linseed oil, 1/3 polyurethane and 1/3 turpentine. You apply the finish with a a clean rag, then wipe it off. Steel wool with 0000 between coats. One coat a day. You gradually build up the finish until you have done 10 or so coats, which are very thin. After they have all dried, then buff again with the 0000 steel wool.

The nice thing is if you get a scratch, you just add another coat and your back to new. Oh, and it doesn't feel like poly either. Its a much thinner, yet strong finish that will take abuse and not get gummy.

[Even]

No no, you do not use polyeurythane. You use Tung oil. Poly is a coat that covers up as opposed to the oil witch penetrates the wood.

[KaBudokan]

Well, this is all a matter of opinion as to which finish gives the best feel with the most protection. LOADS of manufacturers (including some top notch builders and custom luthiers) use poly finishes. Many use tung oil. My personal favorite, which I don't know how to duplicate, is the Ernie Ball finish, which is a special "gunstock oil and wax blend."

The only thing I would strongly recommend against is going with no finish at all. After that, it is up to your preference.

[zer0sig]

i am a near-fanatical proponent of tung oil. i hate those fender factory gloss finishes. i have a fender musicmaster bass that was in horrid shape (it's still not reassembled, because i'm slack) that really needed a good cleaning of everything around the neck. i took all the hardware out (except for some of the tight-fitting rings that the tuners go through), and sanded all that shiny shit off of the back of the neck (i left the front of the headstock so i wouldn't mar the logo) and tung-oiled it. 2 or 3 coats a day, letting it cure for the rest of the day until i got back around to it. i think i did that for a few days-then i sanded it again, ever so lightly, leaving a nice smooth, woody-feeling finish. i also olive oiled it to even out any perceived variations in the finish-doesn't take much. i took steel wool and scrubbed the shit out of the fretboard, before olive oiling it, too. the neck, in my opinion, is now vastly superior to anything with the fender name on it, as far as overall feel and appearance, but everyone has their own taste. i know i will do this again to any guitar i'm going to regularly play, unless it is worth quite a bit to collectors, in which case, i'll probably just sell the damned thing.

i also let all the hardware soak in little ziplock baggies wrapped in paper towels soaked with lots of wd-40. when i took all the little bits out for a few days, they cleaned up very easily.