Neck oil advice???

[singlehum]

I just bought a Strat (maple neck/rosewood board) from the JCF classified section. The previous owner decided to "get rid of the sticky plastic feel" from the back of the neck. Well, most of it feels great BUT it looks as though he got a little too carried away with the sandpaper and sanded through down to the maple in a couple of spots (either the seller didn't know or didn't mention this before I bought the guitar [img]/images/graemlins/confused.gif[/img])
Anyway, now it looks I'm committed to making this one an oiled neck player due to the diminished resale. I believe I'll just do the back of the neck and leave the heel and headstock alone. My questions: I've seen the posts about using boiled linseed oil, minwax, or gunstock oil. What is everyones experience and recommendation? I want this neck to be protected...but can I just use a Minwax product without an oil first? Also, I don't want the neck to be light colored - I'm assuming it will darken over time BUT can I use a colored Minwax to give that "vintage tint"? Any input appreciated.

[Cleveland Metal]

Re: Neck oil advice???

Personally, I've always sanded mine down to wood and never used anything, haha... I like the feel of bare wood for some reason. I am anal and wash and play with clean hands too though... hehe..

I think Tung oil would be quite suitable. I've used that for lots of stuff and it dries nice and not feeling too "finish" like.

I believe Linseed oil is known to be sticky...

[rps14a]

Re: Neck oil advice???

tung oil is great, i used it on my rg565 and couldnt be happier.

chris

[DonP]

Re: Neck oil advice???

You could always re-spray the neck. Stew-mac sells clear laquer in cans.

I always thought of linseed for the fretboard, but anything is possible.

[sully]

Re: Neck oil advice???

best neck tint i've ever used was watco's golden oak tinted danish oil. it looks like liquified chee-tos when you get some on the cloth, but it goes on a different shade. i'll look for a pic to post for reference later.

[kmanick]

Re: Neck oil advice???

Linseed oil is not sticky, you just need to buff it out. I used to use Linseed but I've switched to Gunstock oil then the gunstock Wax as a finish (birchwood Casey products), I use that combo on my GMW neck and a couple of Charvel necks and I love it. Very smooth feeling yet still feels raw(kind of hard to explain) buff it out with a leather strap and you'll be amazed at how good it feels.

[Niccolai]

Re: Neck oil advice???

Linseed if VERY sticky without enough buffing though. That stickyness can even return with change in temperature. I would personally respray it with clear like DonP said.

[rocksoldier]

Re: Neck oil advice???

I used tung oil on my JRR94, works fine for me.

[singlehum]

Re: Neck oil advice???

I believe Stew Mac sells nitro lacquer in the cans - I usedit before with great results.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Re: Neck oil advice???

linseed stinks. gunstock oil is a bit thick and does have some tint to it. (probably really good for protecting the wood though since it dries hard and leaves a crusty stain on the rag instead of just a stain)

but i prefer natural watco danish oil. seals nicely, doesn't stick after its been buffed, doesn't tint the wood, and retains the true wood feel. (just leaves a soft yellow stain on the rag)

[Soloist1]

Re: Neck oil advice???

+1 for the Watco's natural danish oil. Worked great for the neck on my dinky.

[Twisteramps]

Re: Neck oil advice???

*boiled* linseed oil dries pretty quickly, isn't sticky, and protects very well. I've had much better luck with it than tung oil or gunstock oil.

Pete

[LouSiffer]

Re: Neck oil advice???

A bunch of good advice, but, I have some that you may find just as useful. Take your neck to a pool cue builder/repairer. Have them seal the neck and wax it with the same stuff they use on pool cues. I know it sounds silly, but, look at it this way:

Your neck is maple....so is the shaft of any decent cue.
The wax that is used on a cue is designed to stay slick under the worst conditions. I got the idea from playing pool in hot-humid bars. If the cue stays slick after hours of playing and holding condensation covered drinks, your neck will do the same.-Lou