Are There Any Risks To Buying An Unfinished Neck ?

[ragamuffin]

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.

Hmm, mine's unfinished and I haven't had that been a problem at all... I did polish/burnish the back to a high grit though

 

[aarontunes]

@aarontunes

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

Roasted Maple does not require a hard finish for warranty.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

I would always recommend a clear Satin at a minimum on a rock maple neck, but my default will always be Roasted Maple.

If I were to get a non finished, it would only be because I live about 15 miles from Warmoth so I’m in the same humidity conditions currently. If lived further out, I would definitely go for a finish to be Warmoth applied.

 

[Edison Chase]

Roasted Maple does not require a hard finish for warranty.

Thanks Aaron !

Been watching all your YouTube videos on build options.

Great stuff !

 

[Rick]

You need to click around and explore, you won't break the website. When I'm over there, I'm clicking on it like a monkey writing hamlet.

 

[Strat Avenger]

I did polish/burnish the back to a high grit though

That may have something to do with it.

 

[Spud]

I had an unfinished neck (not Warmoth) once bow backwards overnight under string tension until the head stock was sitting approx 1 inch above the bridge over the body. It was crazy!

 

[oliviaadair]

Splinters and swelling?

 

[Rick]

Splinters and swelling ... not a chance. Only if you beat yourself with it. O risk.

 

[Ma77]

I had an unfinished neck (not Warmoth) once bow backwards overnight under string tension until the head stock was sitting approx 1 inch above the bridge over the body. It was crazy!

That is crazy

 

[oliviaadair]

I had an unfinished neck (not Warmoth) once bow backwards overnight under string tension until the head stock was sitting approx 1 inch above the bridge over the body. It was crazy!

That is pretty unbelievable, would that mean that the neck was made from a softer wood?

 

[Bruce Campbell]

Roasted Maple does not require a hard finish for warranty.

Would Tru Oil invalidate it, or simply not matter for warranty unless brazen/improperly done?

 

[Spud]

Would Tru Oil invalidate it, or simply not matter for warranty unless brazen/improperly done?

Tru oil isn’t warranty friendly.

 

[Rick]

Warmoth will be open in 3 hours. Call them.

 

[Bruce Campbell]

Aaron said it doesn't require a finish, and that Tru Oil does not satisfy warranty requirements - but he did not yet say whether the oil would actually invalidate it.

So, Spud, while it might not be be sufficient to OBTAIN warranty, the question is: does it render it invalid?

Out of interest to others who may be interested in the same information - a fundamental utility of a forum - I'll refrain from calling in but will await a reply from Aaron here so that more people than those currently involved will benefit.

 

[Strat Avenger]

No' TRU-OIL DOES NOT invalidate a warranty. If that is the ONLY finish on a non-roasted maple neck, then there is no warranty against warping. You're making this far more complicated than it is. Just get a roasted maple, canary, rosewood, ebony, or some other wood that does not need a finish if you're really worried about it. The Warmoth maple neck on my yellow Strat is now 10 years old. I ordered it without a finish. It has a polyurethane clear coat on the fretboard and face of the headstock, and a Tru-Oil finish on the back of the neck. 10 years later the neck is stable and has never needed a truss rod adjustment.
Of course I don't live in a swamp.

 

[Edison Chase]

I have spec'ed out the roasted maple neck for my guitar, based on Aaron's answers.

Thanks guys !

 

[Bruce Campbell]

No' TRU-OIL DOES NOT invalidate a warranty. If that is the ONLY finish on a non-roasted maple neck, then there is no warranty against warping. You're making this far more complicated than it is. Just get a roasted maple, canary, rosewood, ebony, or some other wood that does not need a finish if you're really worried about it. The Warmoth maple neck on my yellow Strat is now 10 years old. I ordered it without a finish. It has a polyurethane clear coat on the fretboard and face of the headstock, and a Tru-Oil finish on the back of the neck. 10 years later the neck is stable and has never needed a truss rod adjustment.
Of course I don't live in a swamp.

I'm not necessarily in the situation of needing this warranty on a roasted maple neck, but I do live in an area volatile to humidity with local river/creek stuff etc. I'm interested in the specifics of these policies just in case me or someone else is in this exact situation. I am currently enjoying a Warmoth maple quarter sawn neck finished with Tru Oil that has been stable, similar to your experience. So I'm not overly spooked by the prospect of roasted maple losing warranty with oil, just looking for official confirmation.

 

[Strat Avenger]

I'm not necessarily in the situation of needing this warranty on a roasted maple neck, but I do live in an area volatile to humidity with local river/creek stuff etc. I'm interested in the specifics of these policies just in case me or someone else is in this exact situation. I am currently enjoying a Warmoth maple quarter sawn neck finished with Tru Oil that has been stable, similar to your experience. So I'm not overly spooked by the prospect of roasted maple losing warranty with oil, just looking for official confirmation.

'Sorry, I think I interpreted some of your comments as being overly concerned (paranoid) about it.
A regular maple neck definitely needs a finish of some kind in a humid climate (I live in a dry climate), but in any case, simply having an unfinished neck shipped to you is not going to create a problem. Once the neck is under string tension and in use, it needs protection from moisture. I believe Tru-Oil is sufficient if enough coats are applied, but it makes sense that Warmoth would not warranty such a finish since there are so many potential variables, and it is not as hard a finish as polyester or polyurethane. I'm actually surprised they would warranty nitrocellulose lacquer, but I imagine it's at least thicker than gunstock oil.

 

[ruscio]

'Sorry, I think I interpreted some of your comments as being overly concerned (paranoid) about it.
A regular maple neck definitely needs a finish of some kind in a humid climate (I live in a dry climate), but in any case, simply having an unfinished neck shipped to you is not going to create a problem. Once the neck is under string tension and in use, it needs protection from moisture. I believe Tru-Oil is sufficient if enough coats are applied, but it makes sense that Warmoth would not warranty such a finish since there are so many potential variables, and it is not as hard a finish as polyester or polyurethane. I'm actually surprised they would warranty nitrocellulose lacquer, but I imagine it's at least thicker than gunstock oil.

I'm now curious to hear the official answer, too, but my guess is that adding Tru-Oil to a neck that doesn't require a finish won't invalidate the warranty. With regard to "at least thicker than gunstock oil", that would really depend on how much is applied--how many coats, and how much is sanded back between some of them.

My dad has used Tru-Oil on actual gunstocks for decades, and he produces a thick, glassy, beautiful glossy finish. The early coats sock into the wood, and sometimes it'll take tens of coats to build up to the finish he's seeking. He did this for a one-piece maple Warmoth neck for me, but he vowed not to do it again because he's a perfectionist and getting the finish just right between all the frets was a PITA. Also, I'd scalloped the fretboard, so that probably didn't make the work any easier!

Some folks like a super-thin Tru-Oil finish on a guitar or neck, and I can see that this might not offer much actual protection, but a thick finish absolutely can. I can see why Warmoth won't allow this for warranty purposes, though, as they'd have no way to ensure that someone applies a sufficiently protective amount of the Tru-Oil.

Unfortunately, I didn't take any good pics of the neck and don't own it any more, but here it is on a Warmoth body (which I also deeply regret moving on from):