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In my Scalloped Thread someone mentioned an unfinished maple neck. I decided to pass it up, but after thinking about it I decided I have not really explored this idea.

How much smoother are they compaired to a finished neck?
How do I properly take care of them? What products do I need to use? How ofter do I need to clean them? What is the life expectancy? How do I need to store it? What about Humidity? ETC?

thanks,
edm

There are people like myself that prefer raw wood to a finish... For a neck to be usable quot;rawquot; it MUST be properly dried, otherwise you´re just asking for problems, so don´t try this with a cheapo MIC strat, I wouldn´t attempt it on anything quot;lowerquot; than a MIM Fender or high grade Epiphone at the very least, preferably something better like a Warmoth neck.

The neck needs to be sanded and handled as if it were a finish itself, I go up to 2000 grit wet and then polish the neck with 0000 steel wool, you can literally see reflections in the raw wood the way I do it.

Clean your hands before you play, and polish the back of the neck with 0000 steel wool every few months or when it starts to feel quot;slowquot;.... If you want to do a quick lemon oil rub every year or so it definitely won´t hurt... But other than that, there´s really no difference in care to any other guitar.

BUT: it WILL get dirty with time, and you will not ever be able to stop it.... If your guitar has a scarf joint, this will be most noticable just after the joint towards the headstock, wher the open grain quot;gathersquot; sweat and microscopic dirt, which just builds up after time..... but it will take a few years

is this the same technique as frech polishing?


Originally Posted by ZerberusThere are people like myself that prefer raw wood to a finish... For a neck to be usable quot;rawquot; it MUST be properly dried, otherwise you´re just asking for problems, so don´t try this with a cheapo MIC strat, I wouldn´t attempt it on anything quot;lowerquot; than a MIM Fender or high grade Epiphone at the very least, preferably something better like a Warmoth neck.

The neck needs to be sanded and handled as if it were a finish itself, I go up to 2000 grit wet and then polish the neck with 0000 steel wool, you can literally see reflections in the raw wood the way I do it.

Clean your hands before you play, and polish the back of the neck with 0000 steel wool every few months or when it starts to feel quot;slowquot;.... If you want to do a quick lemon oil rub every year or so it definitely won´t hurt... But other than that, there´s really no difference in care to any other guitar.

BUT: it WILL get dirty with time, and you will not ever be able to stop it.... If your guitar has a scarf joint, this will be most noticable just after the joint towards the headstock, wher the open grain quot;gathersquot; sweat and microscopic dirt, which just builds up after time..... but it will take a few years

Here is what an unfinished neck looks like after about 8 years of gigging, doesn't look so good ,but the feel is superb.

Nothing feels better IMO. Most people will tell you approx. 10% of unfinished necks will eventually warp. My attitude has always been I'll just buy another neck and move on. Even a neck with tung oil will eventually look pretty rough. My old mutt neck looks pretty nasty these days.

Almost every old Charvel I have played had an unfinished neck. They may have all come this way?? Lee Garver at GMW makes most of his great stuff with an unfinished neck. You really can't beat'em for playability. They feel broke in from day 1. But, if I am jamming with a tube amp and it is very hot I grab my finished neck clad ESP M-II. No sense loading down an unfinished neck with perspiration so it can soak it up. I wouldn't subject an unfinished neck to dampness and radical changes in temperature.

Zerb makes an excellent, excellent point about washing your hands before you play. I ate a bunch of shrimp one day and (without washing my hands) picked a guitar with an unfinished maple neck. You would have thought I was raising f-ing catfish in that guitar case!!!! It stunk for several months. I always wash now with some heavy duty anti-bacterial soap.


Originally Posted by ericmeyer4is this the same technique as frech polishing?No,a French Polish is a gloss finish that is achieved by multiple layers of a mix of Shellac,Linseed Oil and Varsol,(these days).a cotton cloth is soaked in this and then wrapped in cheesecloth.The clear is then tamped through the cheesecloth and applied with a series of different strokes.

looking at all my options i am very tempted to go rosewood neck ebony board.

what would be the tone of this in general? compaired to a maple neck rosewood board?
how would it work for blues, shred, rock, clean?

strat style neck,
rosewood w/ebony board
stainless steal jumbo frets
scalloped 12-22
fat back neck profilethanks,
edm

ps... if i could get some quick feedback on the tone of the neck it would be great... im going to try and order tomorrow.

rosewood neck ebony board will sound warmer or fuller or darker whichever term you like than maple/rosewood. b/c the majority of the wood is rosewood which is a darker sounding wood than maple.

this thread has me thinking about leaving my new neck that's on the way (all 1/4 sawn maple) unfinished...it's either that or oil...hmmm.

-Mike

hmmm.... i sometimes find my guitar a little muddy sounding with the maple rosewood. maybe i will go with Padouk/ ebony it has a simmilar tone to maple.

what's wrong with maple/ebony? i have that combo on a strat and it sounds great...very similar to all maple actually.

-Mike

nothing at all!... just everyguitar i have had so far has had a maple neck. i feel like changing it up a bit and that Padouk wood is red it looks so coooool

go with some purpleheart!! that stuff looks cool! dont' know how it sounds though lol.

-Mike

Padouk is great for necks, the feel is between maple and rosewood, the sound is more like maple but with some extra depth to it, somehow


Originally Posted by Boleslaw Gers 666Canada makes strats? Is it missing teeth? Can it go to the doctor for free?

i think he ment either china or ment to type a k for korea or thinks it's corea hehehe just bustin your balls zerb!

-Mike

what about the tone of a Pau Ferro with ebony board?

its suppose to be brighter than rosewood but not as bright as ebony.

Or a one piece, they also have a great sound.

scew it, go all ebony!!! that would look sweet...it may be just a tiny bit on the bright side though lol.

-Mike

Or do like Eddie, slab a piece of maple on instead, two piece and oil and wax it, love my Wolfgangs neck.


Originally Posted by XSSIVEscew it, go all ebony!!! that would look sweet...it may be just a tiny bit on the bright side though lol.

-Mike

that would be awesome and expensive as all hell