Are There Any Risks To Buying An Unfinished Neck ?

[Edison Chase]

Would prefer to have an unfinished neck and rub it down with gunstock oil when I get it, but I'm concerned with problems that might occur during shipping.. warping, etc.

 

[Spud]

You won't encounter any problem.

 

[aarontunes]

It will arrive just fine and you'll likely never have a problem with it.

Warmoth's warranty requires that a hard finish is applied, either by you or by us. People ignore this and apply oil finishes all the time, and as I said almost never have any issue. Just be aware that if by some twist (pun intended) of fate you run into a problem, you'll have no warranty protection.

 

[Edison Chase]

It will arrive just fine and you'll likely never have a problem with it.

Warmoth's warranty requires that a hard finish is applied, either by you or by us. People ignore this and apply oil finishes all the time, and as I said almost never have any issue. Just be aware that if by some twist (pun intended) of fate you run into a problem, you'll have no warranty protection.

First build, and not wishing to tempt fate.

 

[Strat Avenger]

I buy all my necks unfinished.
I have the face of the headstock clear-coated, and use Tru-Oil & wax on the back.
If the fretboard is maple (and not roasted), I have that clear-coated as well.

It's not gonna warp during shipping. That could happen only under string tension. If the climate is extremely humid, some lifting of the frets could occur, but a fret-leveling job fixes that.

 

[Rick]

And of course, if you get a neck made from an exotic like goncalo or indian rosewood, no finish required, unless you want it.

 

[supertruper1988]

First build, and not wishing to tempt fate.

Then you should apply a hard finish.

 

[ruscio]

I'll second @Rick 's suggestion that there are plenty of woods that don't need a finish. Roasted maple seems pretty popular, and two of my favorites are canary and wenge.

 

[Rick]

I've used wipe-on poly successfully if you don't want to go the tru-oil route, though while not meeting the warranty, in over 25 years of doing this, I never had tru-oil fail me. That said, I apply over 25 thin coats of tru-oil to the neck. It's a project. And it takes about two months to fully harden after the last coat. For the poly, I'd say about a month. Probably, 10 thin coats.

 

[Spud]

I've used wipe-on poly successfully if you don't want to go the tru-oil route, though while not meeting the warranty, in over 25 years of doing this, I never had tru-oil fail me. That said, I apply over 25 thin coats of tru-oil to the neck. It's a project. And it takes about two months to fully harden after the last coat. For the poly, I'd say about a month. Probably, 10 thin coats.

I usually do about 5 on my necks, but I am a rebel.

 

[Rick]

after the first three coats of tru-oil, or one coat of poly, I thin them by 50% with mineral spirits.

 

[Strat Avenger]

I have 2 roasted maple necks and it is my new favorite neck wood in terms of appearance and stability.
It is also lighter in weight than more exotic woods.

 

[Edison Chase]

I'll second @Rick 's suggestion that there are plenty of woods that don't need a finish. Roasted maple seems pretty popular, and two of my favorites are canary and wenge.

@aarontunes

So, just to confirm.. roasted maple does not require any clear coating in order to maintain the Warmoth warranty ?

 

[Rick]

Yep. And you can confirm by going over to the warmoth website. Try building a neck over there.

 

[Edison Chase]

Yep. And you can confirm by going over to the warmoth website. Try building a neck over there.

Done that many times.

Nowhere is my question answered in that process.

 

[Spud]

Done that many times.

Nowhere is my question answered in that process.

From what I am divining from your inquiries is that you would be better off just getting a finished neck.

 

[Edison Chase]

From what I am divining from your inquiries is that you would be better off just getting a finished neck.

Does roasted maple require any clear coating in order to maintain the Warmoth warranty ?

 

[Scab Pickens]

Does roasted maple require any clear coating in order to maintain the Warmoth warranty ?

 

[Edison Chase]

View attachment 61398

Thanks !

 

[Strat Avenger]

You should still put a Tru-Oil finish on roasted maple -- at least on the back. Otherwise it will get dirty and look terrible. Easy enough to do.
I do mine that way. After several coats, lightly brush it down with 0000 steel wool and then apply a coat of gun stick wax. Feels like bare wood and super smooth.