Shoot the neck pocket?

[bobsessed]

I've seen hundreds of them...unfinished neck pockets and some with so much paint you'd think the the neck wouldn't go on. So what do you all think? Would a light coat be enough to seal the wood, and still allow a good neck fit? I'm beginning my first real build and I want to do it right.

 

[dmraco]

When using Warmoth, I never paint the neck pocket.  It will get too tight.  Warmoth tolerances are too high. 
If you want to seal the pocket, a LIGHT coat of what ever you are finishing with will be fine.  However it is not needed.  It usually keep it taped off the entire time.

 

[Tonar8352]

I hang bodies on a stick like Fender did in the 60's so it gets lacquer over the edges and on one half of the pocket. (see pic) DMRACO is correct about tight tolerances so I never put a neck into a body before it is ready to get bolted down because it will chip finish off of the edges of the neck pocket when I pull it back out. If it is too tight to push in I take a drum stick and wrap 320 sandpaper around it and carefully sand the edge of the pocket so the neck slides in more easily.

 

[Cagey]

I don't paint neck pockets, either. As DMRACO said, Warmoth keeps such close tolerances that you probably wouldn't be able to get a neck installed if the pocket was painted. Doesn't need to be sealed, either. Bodies don't warp or twist or any of that fun stuff.

 

[AirCap]

Bodies don't warp or twist or any of that fun stuff.

Never say never. I worked on a Dean Caddy once with a body warped like a potato chip from the finish. Can't imagine how it passed inspection.

 

[Cagey]

You're right; I shouldn't speak in absolutes. But, it's rare enough that you can probably attribute its occurrence to unusual circumstances. Naked neck pockets are as common as dirt.

 

[BigSteve22]

I realize that I'm still pretty new to scratch builds, but neither body I bought from Warmoth appears to be sealed inside the neck pocket.

 

[bobsessed]

Good...I'm not spraying it.