Questions and concerns about raw wood

[oldmanriver]

I'm looking into the possibility of a Goncalo Alves Warmoth neck with a Pau Ferro fretboard to go along with a Koa VIP body I'll be ordering eventually. I was originally going to have all Koa with Pau Ferro but then I thought, "Hey, it's a custom build, you may as well get your money's worth and go for something you can't get anywhere else," in this instance a raw neck. And the more I think about it the more eager I'm becoming to try out a raw neck for myself. I imagine that by how much praise raw necks get around here they must be fantastic, but I have some concerns. I know that rosewood, an incredibly popular wood for fretboards and necks, especially here, can get really dirty and grimy and can be very difficult to clean. Yet rosewood it still so beloved by everyone. I can't help but wonder if there are other popular woods used raw on guitars that can become contaminated by sweaty hands/natural body oils. I don't have particularly sweaty hands, but If there's any chance that my Goncalo Alves neck could become contaminated/greasy with regular use, then I don't want any part of it, and It'll be back to a Koa neck for me. Could you guys shed some light on this?

 

[elfro89]

Hey man

Whenever you have a raw neck, the fact it is raw means the pores of the wood are open to all the dirt and grime that comes from every day use, as you use it, it will gradually get discoloured in the areas you use it most. You can clean them but they will get dirty stains that are near impossible to get rid of... If that's something your not prepared to have happen a raw neck might not be a good option, but before you throw out the idea for good let me first say that all that grime and character you get goes straight into making your guitar that extra special, it's been played on. Used and abused and has become a real "players" guitar. In some peoples eyes that's the only real customisation that matters. That dirt and grime makes it your guitar because it's your dirt and grime, built up from years of your playing and music making. Looking back years ahead and seeing the evidence of all your work can make your guitar that extra bit special. Consider that before you choose to wipe it away with some lemon oil.  :sad1: ...I wish I still had my Kramer with the raw wood  :sad: *downs whisky*

Edit: Lets not forget that raw wood feels better then any kind of finish; and feel is the all important factor babeh!

 

[line6man]

If it gets dirty enough to bother you, sand it back a bit.

 

[Cagey]

Or, you could put a clear satin finish on something. That way, it wouldn't get filthy as quickly and when it did you could clean it up easily, all the while with it feeling essentially like raw wood. Not quite the same, but close enough for rock 'n' roll.

 

[Jusatele]

once you have played a raw neck you know why they are so popular. and know why guys will just go for it. My go to guitar has a one piece Goncalo Alves neck, raw, and I just clean it after playing.
Love the feel. Once you have gone raw, it is hard to go back.

 

[elfro89]

Or, you could put a clear satin finish on something. That way, it wouldn't get filthy as quickly and when it did you could clean it up easily, all the while with it feeling essentially like raw wood.

Satin finishes will become shiny and gloss-like over time and eventually feel nothing like it did originally. You could use a light oil finish but it will still get those dirty stains. I could be wrong, but it seems to me the only choices you have are the finished necks that lose the wood feel and take on different, stickier character that you can keep looking relatively brand new and clean; good or bad depends on what you like, or the natural wood or light oils that retain it's natural wood character but will dirty up and go discoloured; again good or bad depends on your point of view.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

The dirt and grimey thing happens because of lack of cleaning.  Well, I know, duh.  But it is a build up of grime.  It you wipe down a tad bit more frequently, it will not be a problem.  Antique furniture cleaners will help get rid of the build up quite quickly, and Formby's Lemon oil has quite a following for this as well.  As with the grime, be sure to wipe off as much of the cleaners/oil to leave the wood.  I have 6 raw necks, and they have not caused me any trouble, so I don't consider it much of an issue.  And my bocote neck is as close as you can get to rosewood.  It is very easy to deal with.
Patrick

 

[jrybicki]

my veiw is cleaning over a period of time with fine steel wool first the lemon fretboard oil second brings the wood back to new, also  the wool polishes oxidized frets!  maybe you dont like waxing your car either? :dontknow:

 

[anorakDan]

Instead of steel wool, consider using one of those green 3M abrasive sheets. Steel wool tends to break down as you use it, into tiny little metal filings. Your pickups have magnets. Less than careful scrubbing on your neck or frets with steel wool could easily have you cursing physics for all the little metal bits gathering on your polepieces.

Or try copper or brass wool. Both should be available at a well-stocked hardware store. Neither brass nor copper are magnetic.

 

[stubhead]

The green 3M sheets are what you can get for dishes and pots as well as sanding, but it's one of the coarser grades available. There are light gray pads from 3M that are the same basic idea, but less abrasive. A decent hardware store will have them.

I just tracked this down, there are actually a whole bunch of different colors/grits:

SCOTCHBRITE GRIT CHART
3M Scotch Brite Nylon Pads:
7445 - White pad, called Light Duty Cleansing - (1000) 1200-1500 grit
7448 - Light Grey, called Ultra Fine Hand - (600-800) 800 grit.
6448 - Green (?), called Light Duty Hand Pad - (600) 600 grit
7447 - Maroon pad, called General Purpose Hand - (320-400) 320 grit
6444 - Brown pad, called Extra Duty Hand - (280-320) 240 grit
7446 - Dark Grey pad, called Blending Pad (180-220) 150 grit
7440 - Tan pad, called Heavy Duty Hand Pad - (120-150) 60(?)
Blue Scotch-Brite is considered to be about 1000 grit.
(The value inside the parentheses is directly from 3M.)
3M Chart
Less Aggressive --------> More Aggressive
7445 7448 6448 7447 6444 7446 7440
Finer Finish --------> Coarser Finish

so the green ones are 600 grit, which is a little more aggresive than I'd want for just cleaning.