New Charvel owner, how are the necks supposed to feel?

[themetalhobbit]

Brand new to Charvel ownership and to the forum, greetings all!

I recently bought a used but dead-mint Pro Mod San Dimas HT off of Reverb. The guitar is everything I'd hoped it would be but the neck finish or lack-there-of feels a bit odd to me. It feels very raw, almost as if someone lightly sanded it. Is this the normal factory feel? I will say it feels great to play but the seller didn't mention anything about modifying it and I'd like to know.

I'm also not knowledgeable on just how necessary oils and such are on non-painted necks such as this. If future problems are imminent then naturally it would be super important to know. My Ibanez RG1527s or Carvin DC727 for instance both have an almost, laminated type of feel to them.

Any and all input will be sincerely appreciated, thanks!

[Vass]

Came that way from the factory. Absolutely love mine for exactly that feel.

[Number Of The Priest]

The Charvel website says the neck finish is "hand rubbed urethane" for current Pro-Mods.

The specs sheets for the American and possibly Japanese Pro-Mods of 2008-2011 had gunstock oil finishes.

[themetalhobbit]

Came that way from the factory. Absolutely love mine for exactly that feel.

Thank you kindly for the response! That's great to know, I really love the feel as well. Do you know if they require any special maintenance? I'll also say that the rounder neck feels way more comfortable than the mega flat Ibbys I've been playing for so many years now. Blossoming Charvel mega fan here for sure haha.

[themetalhobbit]

The Charvel website says the neck finish is "hand rubbed urethane" for current Pro-Mods.

The specs sheets for the American and possibly Japanese Pro-Mods of 2008-2011 had gunstock oil finishes.

Thank you for the input! I'm shamefully devoid of knowledge on the different options for bare necks. Is anything better or worse? The feel really is awesome on this thing so I'd have to wonder why other companies haven't tried this type of finish!

[Vass]

I've heard that some neck makers say that unfinished necks can twist or something and that they won't warranty them. These are sort of finished I guess. Mine has no problems 5 or more years in and I've not done anything special to it. They get a little grimy looking after a while but I guess that's mojo or something.

[toejam]

I've heard that some neck makers say that unfinished necks can twist or something and that they won't warranty them. These are sort of finished I guess. Mine has no problems 5 or more years in and I've not done anything special to it. They get a little grimy looking after a while but I guess that's mojo or something.

Has Charvel ever had a truly raw neck? They've got some kind of either oil or satin finish on them.

[Vass]

Has Charvel ever had a truly raw neck? They've got some kind of either oil or satin finish on them.

Dunno. I know these aren't completely untreated. I assume the OP has heard something about untreated becks having problems potentially & I've heard the same thing. Nothing to worry about on these though.... unless you're a neat freak, in which case they do seem to look a little funk even if you wipe em down pretty regularly.

[toejam]

I've also heard the same about unfinished necks. As far as being oiled, yes, they'll get dirty and funky looking after awhile.

[slayer]

I`m not sure what`s on my Jackson Fusion H-H neck but it has been great since the early 90`s. I am guessing a really light poly or something. I just wish the danged thing wasn`t so darn thin. I am selling it soon. It`s in great shape with the trans cherry mahogany body.

[phragle]

Yeah, Charvel IMO got it right on the neck thickness, Jackson went overboard. I will say I was in Sweetwater a couple weeks ago and played a couple new Charvels hanging on the wall.. the neck prifle is good, but the finish on a couple of them was weird, not like finsh, paint, urethane or whatever but the wood itself, A couple had a funky almost porous raised grain type feeling, like they missed the final sanding station on their way down the line or something. They just didnt feel like they were finished and ready for the floor.

[toejam]

I`m not sure what`s on my Jackson Fusion H-H neck but it has been great since the early 90`s. I am guessing a really light poly or something. I just wish the danged thing wasn`t so darn thin. I am selling it soon. It`s in great shape with the trans cherry mahogany body.

Yeah, those have a nice thin satin finish. My '94 Dinky HX has the same, and it's also got a thin neck which I don't care for either these days.

[xenophobe]

A raw neck is susceptible to twisting due to humidity and temperature changes. Oil finished help keep the moisture in, but can still breathe. Satin or cleared are probably best for stability.

I don't consider this a real issue as wood will eventually dry out regardless. With cheap guitars, it's a deal breaker, but on high end and custom guitars, as long as it's not an extreme twist, a Plek will usually solve the issue without having reoccurring problems. A $175+/- is really nothing to bring a USA or CS guitar back to playability... I'd rather have a minor complex twist than just an extreme simple twist.

My ESP CS Strathead had a minor complex twist that even a highly skilled luthier could not fix with a fret level... it had minor complex twist in two directions and the 'hump' slightly bulged, a Plek brought it to perfection and is now the nicest neck I have ever played. It was a $3k+ guitar, so the cost of the Plek to fix it was a no brainer.