Finish nut shelf?

[gdgross]

Building meself a new strat to replace my recently stolen #1.  Parts arriving in a couple weeks most likely. I'll be doing all the finishing, electronics and assembly  myself.  This will be my about my fourth build depending on how you count.

Ash body, maple/rosewood neck, floyd rose, locking nut.

Do manufacturers usually finish the shelf cutout for the locking nut?  My instinct says not to but, I'm not sure. Does it depend on if the shelf ends up maple or rosewood? (Depending on how thick the fingerboard slab is?exposed maple ought to be finished, rosewood not? 

Not too worried about hurting the wood underneath, since the nut will protect it to a degree, thinking mainly about tone. Probably there are a hundred other factors that are way more important, but I figured id get y'all's opinion just the same 

Thanks!
Geoff

 

[bagman67]

If you get the thing finished from Warmoth, I think they finish the locking nut shelf.  Dunno how they approach rosewood in the locking nut context, but they finish rosewood north of the nut on a conventional slotted nut neck.


Of all the things to worry about, the effect the finish or lack thereof under the locking nut will have on your tone should be at about 1,903 on your list.

 

[Cagey]

I recently assembled a Strat for one of the members here that used a Floyd with the attendant locking nut, and it appears that Warmoth masks that shelf before finishing. I'm not sure that needs to happen, as the nut is bolted on and is therefore very tightly coupled to the neck, but that's the way they do it. So, no worries. It is as Bagman says - #1903 on your list of things to worry about.