Warmoth Satin Clear Neck — Refinish?

[croquet hoop]

Hi guys,
I have just received a Warmoth neck for a Strat project and I have a few questions about it. When I received it I was struck by the finish, or perceived lack thereof: I thought there was none, as the wood felt raw, but after a search on this board I found about the red dot under the heel that showed that the neck was actually finished. Right, so the satin finish is almost matt, and clear is clear — the maple is nearly white. Which is not a bad thing per se, except that I now think it's a pity that the figure of the wood is not brought out more.

So, here are my two questions:

1. The clear satin finish clearly needs some more work — it is obviously made to protect the wood, not to enhance it. The finish seems uneven and there are visible sanding marks. Here is a picture to show you — I had to take it against the light so that the camera could capture the marks:

From what you can see, what would you suggest? Shall I just sand it lightly with 600-800-1000-and so on (or maybe just steel wool straightaway) to remove the marks and finish the work, or do you think it needs a few more coats? I do not have nitro on hand, so is there an alternative that would be compatible with the existing finish, or should I strictly get nitro finish?

2. Regarding the figure of the wood and considering the rough finishing work, I was thinking about refinishing it entirely: dyeing then sanding the wood to bring out the figure and give it a bit more warmth (or maybe just using denatured alcohol) then a few coats to protect the neck, aiming for a satin finish that would be smooth to play.

From my understanding, I need first to remove the current finish before I can dye the wood to make the grain pop out; the problem is that I would like the color/finish to be even, and so I'll have to refinish the fingerboard too. Is there a way to refinish the whole neck as described without touching the frets (I believe most re-finishings on one-piece maple necks are made before a refret) or is it going to be too difficult an endeavour ? (I do not intend to tinker with the fretwork)

 

[mullyman]

Every neck I've ever ordered from Warmoth was a satin finish and NONE of them looked like that. I'd ring them up and send that pic to them.
MULLY

 

[croquet hoop]

Thanks, I'll try and send them an email. The problem is that since I live in France, I cannot afford to send the neck back it that's what is implied. Having already paid $160 just for shipping and custom fees, I'd rather do the rest of the work myself. Especially since the woodwork/fretwork looks good. The only thing is that I know what I can do, starting from the current finishing state of this neck.

I forgot to add that this is a showcase neck, not a custom order. Could that be an explanation of the sub-par finishing ?

 

[SustainerPlayer]

Thanks, I'll try and send them an email. The problem is that since I live in France, I cannot afford to send the neck back it that's what is implied.

Hi - I had body a while back I had to send back because of a finish that went bad. Warmoth paid for the shipping back.

So I think you should shoot them an email.

 

[mullyman]

Yeah, man, that looks horrid. The ones I've gotten were smooth as silk. The finish was so nice that at first I thought they forgot to put it on. haha!! Too bad that happened to yours. I hope you can get it resolved.
MULLY

 

[croquet hoop]

Actually, the finish feels rather smooth, it only looks bad. But as you said, I doubt it is meant to be like this.

Anyway, I have just sent them an email (at sales[at]warmoth.com, hope it's the correct address), I'll report when I hear back from them!

 

[croquet hoop]

I have taken some more pictures to show the extent of the problem (they have only been resized, no contrast increase or accentuation). I'll mail them to Warmoth if they want to see what the whole neck looks like, but I hope they won't shrug it off as a minor or acceptable defect.

It is a bit more difficult to capture the marks on the face of the headstock, but it is pretty much the same as the back:

There are also two or three marks on the fretboard, although I think they might disappear with a bit of steel wool. Yet, given the overall quality of the finish, I'd be worried about using any kind of abrasives on the thin coat of nitro.

So, that's pretty much it. I'll let you know how it turns out when I hear back from W.

 

[bagman67]

Wow - looks like someone did some scuff-sanding between coats, and the next coat never went on.

 

[JaySwear]

Yep! Send them an email and those pictures. I think Bagman might be right. I've had 2 satin necks and they're both smooth as hell.

 

[croquet hoop]

Thanks for the feedback, I am currently waiting for their answer.

Oh, one last thing, which I almost forgot due to the issue of the finish — there is also what appears to be either a knot or a burn in the wood, treble-side, which did not appear on the showcase pictures.

Do you think it is another reason to consider the neck faulty, or would mentioning it to my contact at W on top of the finishing problem make me look like a huge pain in the arse? I don't want to look like I'm pushing  it, but I'd rather know to which extent what I ended up with is acceptable or not.

 

[bagman67]

Mineral streaks in maple are not uncommon, but often they'll put a neck in Screamin' Deals when the streak is egregious.  You should mention it.  The photos on the website are from angles that don't permit you to see whether such streaks are there, and if it would have caused you to buy a different neck had you known about it, it's something you should inquire about getting a discount for.  At this point it looks like you're considering returning the neck anyway for them to fix the finish - but if you'd prefer a neck without the dark streak, say so.

 

[croquet hoop]

I see, thanks Since I intended to use this neck for a no-compromise built (no cheap parts — Warmoth body and neck, Gotoh hardware and EMG pickups) I guess a return/exchange would be the way to go. Although I can see them being displeased at having the neck shipping back to the US and then to France again... I'll see that with them.

 

[SustainerPlayer]

Although I can see them being displeased at having the neck shipping back to the US and then to France again... I'll see that with them.

I forgot to mention in my post above that I am in Denmark. So if W acknowledge the problem they will cover your costs.

 

[leo12.]

That Neck is not what you ordered, Like Bagman stated as scuffe sanding, personally any
prep sanding I do or between coat sanding looks more consistent than that. I have 3
Maple backed necks I always got them unfinished & they looked better than that raw out of
the box. I'm suprised that left the paint room & didn't get picked up at packing.

 

[croquet hoop]

Well, since it is a satin finish, the marks do not show under indirect light so I can understand why it didn't get picked up at the last stages, but I don't see how it left the paint room in the first place either.

Out of curiosity, how quick are they to answer emails from customers?

 

[JaySwear]

Usually within 24 hours. Before my first build I was probably sending them 2 emails a day and they were usually about a day wait for a response.

 

[croquet hoop]

Right, I just got an answer from Rob. According to him, the satin finish is not meant to be smooth after spraying, and the scratches must be the result of the contact with the packing foam (made worse by the overseas shipping).

So, he offers me either to return the neck or to be granted a $80 refund. I might go with the refund, half-heartedly, because I still doubt I should have received the neck in this state in the first place — I have no reason to distrust Rob, but there is no reason why I shall doubt your (positive) experience with their satin finish either. Plus, I've seen $300 made in China guitars with better finish work on the neck, so I have a hard time believing that this is the standard at Warmoth.

I'll see with him what are my options for a return — namely regarding shipping costs and custom fees for the new neck : if they ship it as a warranty/replacement neck it shall be OK, but if they ship it as a new purchase, I don't want to pay another another $100 in custom fees for a single neck (that would double the fee for a single item in the end).

Sorry if I look like I'm whining, but I have to admit that I feel a little bit let down 

 

[croquet hoop]

Update! Rob informed me that if I want to have the neck exchanged, they will cover all shipping costs and mark the new one so as not to impart new custom fees. So I feel a bit better about it. Now my solutions are :

- agree for a refund, keep the neck, and either leave/play it as it is, or smooth-sand it, or strip it and finish it anew (my initial decision, and the reason why I opened this discussion actually).

- proceed with an exchange at no cost (provided a chose a neck of inferior or equal price of course).

Given that I am not sure where to begin with the current finish and that the mineral streak is bothering be, I'm heavily leaning towards the second solution. Now if I go this way, let's hope the replacement neck will not be as troublesome (or maybe I am ?) 

I'll take a few days before I make a decision, maybe a few day's rest will clear things up. Thanks for your feedback guys, and who knows, maybe by the end of the week I'll be starting over a refinishing thread to report the progress on this neck!

 

[leo12.]

I don't think of your discussion thread as troublesome, the neck arrived in a condition
not matching the specs. For myself I would return. I would discuss it with Customs in
your Country, get a name of the Clerk to reference your story keep details of its return, alert them to the arrival of the replacement.
Perhaps SustainerPlayer could shed some feed back on his return with Warmoth & Customs
in his country. Good Luck.

 

[AutoBat]

From my understanding of the satin clear finish is that it should clear up & polish a bit just from general use.