What's your preference finished vs unfinished necks

[glpg80]

Tru-oil is a sealer - i do not like them on guitar necks at all.

Linseed oil is a variant of danish oil and is not a sealer. It does not protect against moisture. It leaves a satin finish once absorbed. Over time you can wear a satin finish down and will need to repair it as needed. This is from ESP custom shop's mouth themselves in regards to my satin finish maple neck.

Danish oil is polymerized linseed oil and is a sealer as it has solvents added to it. It is not the same thing as pure linseed oil.

Tung-oil or danish oil dries when exposed to air. When cut with a solvent it leaves a satin matte finish that can be polished with fine steel wool to get the feel that you like.

Tung-oil cut with a citrus thinner or pure linseed oil is the way to go. Boiled linseed will bring out figured maple finishes really really well but also show dents. You can add waxes to add moisture protection if you desire. I do not use waxes on satin finished necks but it is an old school charvel trick. Some like it others dont.

Tung-oil in its purest form is getting harder to find but is my preference. Cut it with a citrus solvent and apply a few thin layers followed by steel wool.

Also note that if you cure a neck with an oil + varnish/solvent you should only cure the neck with the same solvent oil mixture from then on. This goes for you Tru-oil guys. If you attempt to oil an oil/varnished neck you will get a gum-buildup since the solvent will repel the pure oil.

 

[Anonymous]

I have a few truly unfinished necks that I love...I just rub them down with a conditioning oil occasionally (Fret Dr). The drawback is that they are more susceptible to warpage and climate issues.

Like Code001 mentioned, linseed/tung/gunstock/danish/etc oils are true hard finishes...they aren't simply oiled wood. I've seen some that actually appeared to be varnish.

Man, I've been using Danish oil on unfinished necks for years and it is about the farthest thing from a true hard finish I've felt. I defy anyone to do a blindfolded test of an unfinished neck and one of the ones I have put the Danish oil on and tell me which is which...

Steve

Send me two necks...I'll tell you It's all in how you apply it, but bottom line is that it IS a hard finish that seals the wood...you're probably just applying an uber-thin coat and/or sanding/steel wooling it quite a bit. Follow the directions on the can and see what you get.

I dunno, man... I applied as per the directions every time. Put TONS of the stuff on because I was trying to get a deep golden oak finish on some very white maple. Left it on the required time and cleaned it off with a lint free cloth. No steel wool, no sanding. Repeat as per instructions. Neck feels completely unfinished. Here is what I used:

Perhaps my fingers and hands are numb?

Steve

 

[IceMan]

I did a couple coats of tung oil to the neck of my les paul, so it still feels unfinished but protects the wood from sweat, beer, bourbon, etc.....

I'm with you here. I have a Carvin Bolt kit I did a few years back and just did tung oil on the whole thing. Just enough protection from the elements, but doesn't "weigh" down the guitar/tone from tons of paint/lacquer. The neck stays silky-smooth with very little maintainence save a rub with a little lemon oil from time to time.

 

[Zap]

There are a few different finishes, so the poll is like "unfinished vs urethane satin, nitro gloss, oil, etc.". I like a urethane satin with Dark Rosewood myself.