Oil for J/C Oil finish neck.

[åron]

Bottom line: I'm new to oil finish necks. I'm looking for recommendations for cleaning and maintaining the oil finshed neck on a Swee Tone.

I've done searching on the forum, so I've got a few workable solutions. In my research I discovered that the factory oil finish is thin, while other makers might use several coats.

Is there a clear winner for J/C factory oil finished necks? Tung, Tru, Gun maybe Bore Oil?

I'd like to keep this amazing mahagony straight and true. Any advice is greatly appreciated as far as products and how often they should be used.

[straycat]

Jackson uses gun stock oil.I build a lot of guitars with raw necks and I use 3 thin coats of Birchwood-casey gun stock oil.Heres the method I use wipe the neck down to get any loose dust off.Apply a thin coat with a paper towel rub it in by hand let it dry until its not tacky.Take 0000 steel wool and buff it down smooth repeat 2 more times and you will have plenty of protection for years.

[Bengal65]

Mike Kotzen, Custom Shop Coordinator with Jackson/Charvel, told me last year they use the Birchwood Casey Gunstock Tru-Oil, wipe on and wipe it right off. Then wait for a short period between coats for a total of 3. Using the 0000 steel wool between coats as Straycat suggested is a good idea too.

[Dreamland_Rebel]

yeah, i perfer boiled linseed oil. i rub 0000 steel wool up and down the neck to smooth out any raised grain and get any grit off it. then wipe the steel fibers off. apply oil and let sit for 10 minutes then wipe off anything that hasn't soaked in immediately. after i put the strings back on i buff the back of the neck with a polish cloth. i do this about 2 times a year if i play this guitar regularly.

[Robert Burns]

Mike Kotzen, Custom Shop Coordinator with Jackson/Charvel, told me last year they use the Birchwood Casey Gunstock Tru-Oil, wipe on and wipe it right off. Then wait for a short period between coats for a total of 3. Using the 0000 steel wool between coats as Straycat suggested is a good idea too.

********IMO your adding a ton of "Black" oxide to the fretboard later...
that 0000 steel wool just makes a mess of things. Its adding an oily base
to the fretboard that i personally could NOT get out for about 3 months.
I would have a perfectly mint new looking fretboard, and in 20 minutes...
Dark black oxide all over the fretboard. IMO (and im just a rook with
this stuff) Paper towel for the 3 parts, only!

This picture shows it after only 1/2 hour of playing with clean hands! From mint new..
to this...everytime untill i was able to get rid of most of the 0000 residue...yuk!

[toejam]

********IMO your adding a ton of "Black" oxide to the fretboard later...
that 0000 steel wool just makes a mess of things. Its adding an oily base
to the fretboard that i personally could NOT get out for about 3 months.
I would have a perfectly mint new looking fretboard, and in 20 minutes...
Dark black oxide all over the fretboard. IMO (and im just a rook with
this stuff) Paper towel for the 3 parts, only!

This picture shows it after only 1/2 hour of playing with clean hands! From mint new..
to this...everytime untill i was able to get rid of most of the 0000 residue...yuk!

They're only putting the gunstock oil on the back of the neck, not the board itself.

[slash]

Use micro-mesh pads instead of steel wool. No fuss, no mess...

[Bengal65]

They're only putting the gunstock oil on the back of the neck, not the board itself.

Is that true? That's insane IMHO. Mike Kotzen didn't get that specific when I spoke to him, but all my new maple necks get the treatment on the board as well as the back of the neck. My new Music Zoo natural seems to have oil on the board. It seems like the neck could be prone to warping after awhile being not completely sealed.

[toejam]

Maybe I'm mistaken, but it doesn't feel like there's any oil on the board of my Charvel Star, just the back. It's basically a raw maple neck, and the oil wouldn't really seal it too well anyway.
I know some companies, like Warmoth, require that you at least get a matte satin or high gloss finsh on the back and won't warranty it otherwise.

[Mr Metal]

Maybe I'm mistaken, but it doesn't feel like there's any oil on the board of my Charvel Star, just the back. It's basically a raw maple neck, and the oil wouldn't really seal it too well anyway.
I know some companies, like Warmoth, require that you at least get a matte satin or high gloss finsh on the back and won't warranty it otherwise.

How would you clean a raw maple board? Is there any chance of getting it to look like new again after it darkens from playing?

[Bengal65]

I would imagine there is some on there. At least one coat to seal the open pores in the wood. Maple has very small pores or open grain, I might add, but they are there. When I spoke to Mike about the finish on the necks, he said it very thin. The Gunstock oil isn't just oil, but a combination of ingredients, modifiers etc. It's almost a varnish. Mike said that's why J/C wipes it off almost as soon as it's wiped on. I had a neck in which I put too many coats on and it looks like a hard finish, but has that vintage look to it. Not too bad. They rest, I put on 3 thin coats and still it looks like bare wood.

[toejam]

I would imagine there is some on there. At least one coat to seal the open pores in the wood. Maple has very small pores or open grain, I might add, but they are there. When I spoke to Mike about the finish on the necks, he said it very thin. The Gunstock oil isn't just oil, but a combination of ingredients, modifiers etc. It's almost a varnish. Mike said that's why J/C wipes it off almost as soon as it's wiped on.

Oh, that makes sense. Interesting. It definitely is very thin then.

[toejam]

How would you clean a raw maple board? Is there any chance of getting it to look like new again after it darkens from playing?

Lemon oil or naptha. I haven't cleaned my Charvel's board yet (I kinda like the slightly darkened look ), but when I eventually do, I'll just use a toothbrush with some lemon oil on the board and frets like I do on my guitars with rosewood or ebony boards.
The only other guitar I have with a maple board is my Carvin, and it's got a thin matte satin finish and doesn't ever show dirt.

[Bengal65]

How would you clean a raw maple board? Is there any chance of getting it to look like new again after it darkens from playing?

Good question! I use the 3M Scotch Brite sponges 800-1000 grit with some Naptha, cleaning with the grain. If the neck is really soiled it would have to be sanded, but usually I've found these work fine.

[Mr Metal]

Lemon oil or naptha. I haven't cleaned my Charvel's board yet (I kinda like the slightly darkened look ), but when I eventually do, I'll just use a toothbrush with some lemon oil on the board and frets like I do on my guitars with rosewood or ebony boards.
The only other guitar I have with a maple board is my Carvin, and it's got a thin matte satin finish and doesn't ever show dirt.

Good question! I use the 3M Scotch Brite sponges 800-1000 grit with some Naptha, cleaning with the grain. If the neck is really soiled it would have to be sanded, but usually I've found these work fine.

Thanks guys. The worst maple fingerboards I've seen (getting-dirty-quick-wise) were the HM Strats.....Could never get those to clean up once they got dirty, even with light sanding....Crud seems to really seep into them Charvels seem to be better, but still need a good cleaning after a few plays I'll try Naptha and the 3M sponge, and let you know