My New Warmoth

[Stratmeup]

Hey, check it out. I decided to build a new instrument so I could retire my jewel, a 1979/80 Schecter guitar. I discovered to my surprise that Warmoth built those necks and bodies for Schecter, and my prized guitar was not really a Schecter, but a Warmoth.

Anyway, I finally finished my new guitar, and it's a beaut. 1-5/8" nut and MIM bridge spacing, perfect for my small hands. The standard MIM bridges are crap, so I put on Graphtech saddles and have a brass block on the way for the trem.

The body is swamp ash, finished first with Mahogany, then with Cherry Varathane.

Last thing to do is to lightly finish the read of the neck with some sort of satin finish. Any suggestions?

 

[DangerousR6]

Welcome to the chaos, nice strat, I like it ... :icon_thumright:

 

[Stratmeup]

Thanks, it's working out real well so far. Might do something else with the pickups, but for right now the last real unattended issue is to make this neck feel like 30 years of greasy, sweaty hand oil on my old Schecter. Right now it feels too much like a piece of wood. (bare right now)

Is there any oil fellow players consider standard for the rear of the neck? Mine's Goncola Alves.

 

[Cagey]

It's not a "standard" finish, but Goncalo Alves doesn't need a finish so you could burnish it. You'll end up with a neck that's super smooth and perfectly natural. Plus, short of doing nothing at all, it's the least expensive and least messy/intrusive way to make a neck look/feel like a million bucks, and you don't even need any special tools other than what are on the ends of your arms.

 

[Day-mun]

I gotta agree with Cagey. My goncalo alves neck felt old and broken-in in a very short while of just playing it. to get that feel on "relic" jobs (which I do reluctantly from time to time) after the finish has been "worn away", I open the grain with a mix of IPA and water, massage in a very small amount of graphite, then wipe away any excess with a cloth ever-so-slightly-damp with naptha... then again, that has always been on maple. -I suspect the waxy tight grain of the goncalo would just chuckle at the introduction to moisture, and shrug it off like water on a duck's back. But if it worked, the powdered graphite may grey the color, giving it the look of grimey-ness (but without the stickiness), anddry-lubricate it for silky-smooth play.

 

[Stratmeup]

It's not a "standard" finish, but Goncalo Alves doesn't need a finish so you could burnish it. You'll end up with a neck that's super smooth and perfectly natural. Plus, short of doing nothing at all, it's the least expensive and least messy/intrusive way to make a neck look/feel like a million bucks, and you don't even need any special tools other than what are on the ends of your arms.

Thank you for that, and that is exactly what I will do today. My main complaint was that the neck felt slightly gritty, as though there were grains of wood at some spots on the neck. This sounds like just the right solution.

Appreciate the help.

 

[Cagey]

You're welcome.

Be patient with the whole process. It's slow. But, it's very rewarding, so take your time.

You might also consider breaking the edges on the headstock like Tonar does. Check out the headstocks on these things. They're beautiful!

The left 4, anyway. The CBS neck doesn't look like he did that. You need to use something a little more aggressive, like some 220 and then 320 grit to get that effect, then you polish it the same as the rest of the neck.

Anyway, it feels nice, and you're less likely to dent the wood since there are no sharp corners anywhere to concentrate any impacts you may have.

 

[Stratmeup]

So, I can say for certain....

Yeah, baby, oh baby!! That was absolutely the right solution.  The neck is perfect, and I mean perfect.  No oil, just a superb down home feel, no distractions or battles.

Thanks again for your help. I may call on you again when I am ready to think about pickups.
Cheers,

 

[Cagey]

I'm glad that worked out for you. I've only done it about 7 or 8 times now, and every time I'm amazed all over again.

 

[DangerousR6]

I'm a sucker for natural wood look, I hate covering it up with opaque colors. :headbang1:

 

[Stratmeup]

I'm glad that worked out for you. I've only done it about 7 or 8 times now, and every time I'm amazed all over again.

In this case not a lot was required. I took .600 grit wet sandpaper, dry wiped, and then hit the neck 2-3 times with .0000 steel wool. Then I grabbed the neck.

I don't want to sound foolish, but I sure haven't felt anything more comfortable that I can remember. This is a work of art.

Thanks again for your help. This really made a difference.