Unfinished neck help...

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koolaid

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I just got an unfinished strat neck from all parts. Its a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. I was wondering what is the best way to seal since Ive heard that leaving unfinished is a no-no. I have heard tung oil and tru oil. Are there any other substances and can anyone give me any techniques?

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Now playing: Emarosa - Heads or Tails? Real or Not
via FoxyTunes
 
koolaid said:
I just got an unfinished strat neck from all parts. Its a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. I was wondering what is the best way to seal since Ive heard that leaving unfinished is a no-no. I have heard tung oil and tru oil. Are there any other substances and can anyone give me any techniques?

----------------
Now playing: Emarosa - Heads or Tails? Real or Not
via FoxyTunes

I've used both tung oil and gun oil in the past. Zakk Wylde uses boiled linseed oil on all all of his Les Pauls that he's stripped the finish off of the neck. I sanded off the Nitrocellulose on the neck of my old '78 Les Paul Standard and sent it to Zakk's old tech to have it refretted. I had already used tung oil, but he also applied some boiled linseed oil as well. It worked great.
 
on all my custom necks, i use (2) thin coats of wipe on poly.

feels like raw wood, but it's protected.
best of both worlds.
 
MusicManJP6 said:
Gunstock oil and wax as used at EBMM factory works great.

that's what I use on mine and I believe that 's what Jackson/Charvel use on their "unfinished" necks as well.
Boiled Linseed oil smells horrible and takes a lot longer to dry and settle, and Tung oil takes even longer.
 
Minwax Satin Wipe On Poly. 4 coats.

I did a USACG Tele neck 5-1/2 years ago and a USACG Strat neck last weekend. They both were easy to do, came out great and the older one is aging gracefully with no maintenance to the finish whatsoever.

I followed Rob DiStefano's instructions on his Fret Tech website. He recomends that you apply a thin coat, dry 3-4 hours, buff with 0000 steel wool, remove steel wool hairs with a magnet, buff with a coarse paper towel, and repeat for 4-6 coats.

I did this to a USACG swamp ash Tele body as well.

Here's the Tele neck-
usacg_t_head_600.jpg

usacg_t_head_back_600.jpg
 
I am pretty sure that I am going to use Tru oil which is a gunstock oil.

I have a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard.
Do I wipe the oil on the top of the neck where the rosewood and maple meet or do i strictly only cover the maple. On my old neck it looks like the rosewood on top of the neck is finished. Of course I am not talking about oiling the fretboard playing surface, just the top of the neck where the maple and rosewood meet.

Anyone got any more tips to applying the stuff?
 
From EB's FAQ section:

How do I maintain the neck on my new Music Man guitar?
Since the neck is unfinished, it can be more susceptible to humidity changes. An annual (or so) dose of gunstock oil will help to keep the neck maintained; we use and recommend Birchwood-Casey Tru-oil, but any good quality gunstock oil will work.Clean the neck first. Use a small amount of Tru-oil, leave it on for 5 minutes, then wipe it off with a paper towel. After that, apply Birchwood-Casey Gunstock Wax. Be sure to douse the paper towel with water before disposing of it! Read the wax and oil manufacturer's instructions regarding disposal of these used paper towels.
Birchwood-Casey products are available at most sporting goods or gun stores, or now you can order them direct. Their web address is http://www.birchwoodcasey.com.

Rosewood fingerboards should not be treated with the gunstock oil; instead they should be treated with a high grade of lemon oil, or even better, with Ernie Ball Wonder Wipes Fretboard Conditioner. These wipes really work.

For cleaning, try using the same high grade of lemon oil to clean the entire neck, both maple and rosewood fretboards, and again our Wopnder Wipes Fretboard Conditioner. If the neck is very dirty, you can use a small amount of Murphy's Oil Soap, diluted 3:1, to clean it. Keep in mind that if the dirt has gotten into the wood, it cannot be removed except by sanding it down, which we do not recommend a lot of. It is better to keep it clean in the first place. Washing your hands first helps!

On an maple neck, some discoloration after many hours of playing is normal.
 
MusicManJP6 said:
From EB's FAQ section:

How do I maintain the neck on my new Music Man guitar?
Since the neck is unfinished, it can be more susceptible to humidity changes. An annual (or so) dose of gunstock oil will help to keep the neck maintained; we use and recommend Birchwood-Casey Tru-oil, but any good quality gunstock oil will work.Clean the neck first. Use a small amount of Tru-oil, leave it on for 5 minutes, then wipe it off with a paper towel. After that, apply Birchwood-Casey Gunstock Wax. Be sure to douse the paper towel with water before disposing of it! Read the wax and oil manufacturer's instructions regarding disposal of these used paper towels.
Birchwood-Casey products are available at most sporting goods or gun stores, or now you can order them direct. Their web address is http://www.birchwoodcasey.com.

Rosewood fingerboards should not be treated with the gunstock oil; instead they should be treated with a high grade of lemon oil, or even better, with Ernie Ball Wonder Wipes Fretboard Conditioner. These wipes really work.

For cleaning, try using the same high grade of lemon oil to clean the entire neck, both maple and rosewood fretboards, and again our Wopnder Wipes Fretboard Conditioner. If the neck is very dirty, you can use a small amount of Murphy's Oil Soap, diluted 3:1, to clean it. Keep in mind that if the dirt has gotten into the wood, it cannot be removed except by sanding it down, which we do not recommend a lot of. It is better to keep it clean in the first place. Washing your hands first helps!

On an maple neck, some discoloration after many hours of playing is normal.

This is all great help....I plan on doing 4 or 5 coats...does that seem like an ok amount to you?
 
One coat should be sufficient IMO. That's all they apply at the EB factory...

FWIW, I have not applied an oil/wax coat to my EB JP's neck ever and I bought it 3 years ago. I just lightly rub it with #0000 steel wool two or three times a year and it makes it soft as a baby's bottom.

Since your neck is completely unfinished then I would definitely do the oil/wax treatment!
 
yep, what don did, is exactly what i did.

on a USACG neck too!
LOL




it's so simple, it works, you should try it.
much less trouble than all that oil stuff.....


yes, i know.
i did a project with danish oil.


took forever to dry, in wetter climates, it'll actually feel a bit sticky, at least mine did.

zebrawood neck.
 
Well you guys converted me...I went out and bought the minwax poly today. But I have heard coat ranges between 2 and 6...So is there a magic number?
 
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