Am I crazy? (Roasted Maple)

[Fender.Fan]

I can’t tell if I’m crazy or not. It just seems like the area on the back of the neck, closest to the pocket, is more dry. Where my hands play is a lot more shiny/smooth/wet. Obviously our hands are oily, but am I right or am I seeing stuff?

 

[Cagey]

I can't tell anything by those pics, but I can tell you that skin is mildly abrasive. Look at any neck that's got some real play time on it and you'll see where the hands spend the most time. On satin-finished necks, those areas get glossy. On raw necks, they get slightly darker/shinier. Gloss necks usually don't show wear for a long time, but given time...

 

[dmraco]

From that photo it almost looks like a reflection from the body on the neck making it look lighter.

I will say that oils will make it a touch darker.  My necks do get a touch darker over time.

I have noticed one of the small issues with necks left unfinished (raw) is they do get dirty a bit.  This is especially common with my son on both a canary and roasted maple necks he plays.  I always clean with Howards Orange oil when we change the strings.  It cleans the necks and leaves them just a touch darker.

 

[Rick]

Absolutely not crazy!  Overtime, oils and rubbing from skin will slowly burnish and darken the neck.  On a finished neck it slowly wears down the finish.

 

[Fender.Fan]

I figured i wasn’t too crazy  :tard:

This is a better picture to see what I’m talking about. It’s a lot more distinct in person of course.

The black arrow points to a line where it shows my hands don’t touch past. The white arrow shows what I’m talking about