Neck finishes?

[pianoguyy]

Can anyone explain what the various neck finishes are like?

Some of them are simple -
Painted neck is obviously the same finish as the body.

But some of these could be anything.
Unfinished should be bare wood.
What is tung oil.
What is a sealed neck.
Hand-rubbed Urethane.

What is the waxy clear finish on many of the older imports (Dr3, DKmg, etc).


And then, so everyone can see this in terms we all can relate to -
What would an older Dk2 have? The modern one?
An 88 Strat?
The new Soloists that don't have a painted neck?
Charvel Desolation models?

[Hellbat]

I don't really know the differences but I stripped the nitro finish from my Strat neck and re-did it in Tung oil that I picked up in the hardware store and it's now my favorite guitar to play. It took about a week to fully dry but now it just feels natural. It's like it's already warm and comfortable as soon as you pick it up.

[Sephiroth]

Raw necks are awesome. That's why the Nuno Washburn is such an excellent player

However a little thing like the environment has a way of screwing them up, so you need some sort of soft satin finish to help it feel raw without actually being raw. Tung oil works nicely as Hellbat suggested.

[toejam]

The older imports were finished in matte satin. Over time they will get shiny from your hand rubbing over it, but it can always be buffed back to satin.

[Banjowarrior]

I boil it down to three, your painted, your varnished (basically clear coated) and your unfinished/oiled.
Painted generally glossy and shiny,
varnished vary from your classic 70's style with a clear coat so thick it looks like it's glazed to your satin finish which is much more subtle but is definitely there.
I suppose your cyanoacrylate/superglue finish fits that category.
Then you've got your raw/oiled finishes, where you're trying to get that naked wood feel by either leaving the wood unfinished or using an oil finish of some to give the wood some protection without losing that naked feeling.

There is overlap between them as a thick clearcoat can basically feel like a painted one, and a satin finish if it hits the right spot can feel like an oiled one.

Of course everyone is welcome to their opinions and will no doubt disagree with mine, but personally I get on fine with most finishes.

[Radiohead]

I prefer 2 thin coats of Birchwood Casey Tru Oil (Gun Stock) followed by a very fine polish with Birchwood Casey Wax. Feels great.

[charvel750]

I prefer 2 thin coats of Birchwood Casey Tru Oil (Gun Stock) followed by a very fine polish with Birchwood Casey Wax. Feels great.

You're talking about on your guitar neck, right?

[xenophobe]

You're talking about on your guitar neck, right?

I didn't know guitar wood was different than gun stock wood. Wow, maybe I should pay attention to trees more carefully. :p