which neck finish for best playability

[Smpl9]

i'm spec'ing a new warmoth neck and want to know which finish for best playability?

i have the high gloss on the current neck and at times my hand seems to get stuck on the neck with slides and such. like a bit sticky for lack of a better explanation.

is like a satin finish more conducive to sliding the hand on the neck? or does it just depend on the player technique?

 

[kboman]

Like all things in life, it depends on what you prefer! Lots of people here like unfinished, oiled or satin finished necks. One or two swear by their high gloss necks. The only way to know for sure is to go to your local music store and try a few out.

Personally I don't really care for gloss finished necks but have had little say in the matter so far. I intend to change that in the future.

 

[Cagey]

i have the high gloss on the current neck and at times my hand seems to get stuck on the neck with slides and such. like a bit sticky for lack of a better explanation.

is like a satin finish more conducive to sliding the hand on the neck? or does it just depend on the player technique?

I tend to put it more on technique than anything else. I have both gloss and "satin" finish necks, and by "satin" I mean natural. I don't have any with an artificial satin finish. They just turn glossy anyway, and then they look shopworn. In any event, I've not had any trouble with sticking, skipping, stuttering, etc.

I mean, think about it. When you want a slick surface, do you polish it or rough it up? Better still, shouldn't you just stay off the surface? Ever heard of air bearings?

One of the reasons Wenge is thought to be so slick is because it has such a coarse grain that you're not 100% in contact with it. Less friction to slow you down. It's also a very hard/waxy wood, which helps a lot.

Anyway, putting a death grip on the neck is a sure way to hang up your hand. Ideally, all you want on the back of the neck is the ball of your thumb.

Of course, that's not always practical, but it is to strive for. The less contact you have, the less friction, the less you hang up, the more accurate/articulate you can be and the faster you can go. If you find your thumb wrapped around the top of the neck, or the palm of your hand in contact with the back of the neck, you're headed down the rosy path to ruin.

That said, if you like the feel of a satin neck (and it's hard not to), then you want a natural neck. My first recommendation is always Pau Ferro, but there are others. I recently got a Bloodwood neck that is just titties. I have a feeling that's going to be a long-term favorite. There are many others. Wenge, Goncalo Alves, Bubinga, Canary - all excellent choices. And lest you think the exotics are too expensive, bear in mind you don't have to throw $100+ at a finish for them. So, they're not as bad as they seem when you're just looking through the Showcase. A $200 Maple neck might look like a bargain, but you still have to finish the little rascal, while the $300 Pau Ferro neck won't require that. So, it's often a wash.

 

[line6man]

Having played two raw necks, I will never waste my time with another finished neck.

 

[duosonic]

Try satin if you want the warranty.  If you're more adventurous get some tru-oil.

 

[Steve_Karl]

If you find your thumb wrapped around the top of the neck, or the palm of your hand in contact with the back of the neck, you're headed down the rosy path to ruin.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAAAAhorses%it! 
(it's not easy to fake a comic sneeze in text)

Quite a few great players do thumb over top to pin the low E in certain situations, and palm on the back of the neck happens for many others, with no dire consequences, depending on what's happening at the moment.
Of course ball of thumb is the general rule of thumb, but the only roads to ruin are the 4 that go down to the cross roads, and I bet if we find an original vid. of that tune Wille's thumb be all over da place.

It's like my friend the violin teacher said (she's been playing since she was 3) over and over, that all good players play keeping their wrist back, never letting the neck rest in the space between the thumb and first finger.
The only way I could get her to modify clarify was by showing her a video of Joshua Bell doing exactly that. His thumb could'a had a plumb stuck on it without ever getting the neck or strings sticky with plumb juice 'cause it was wavin' up there pointing at Pluto. Of course her advice is good for her students.

And you are correct to say ball of thumb is best correct technique.

I've only had (past tense) one really bad finish for playability, and it was a gloss and water based.
It was an evil needy junkie for cleaning products.
It has been refinished with master-gel ( satin ish ) and is now very well behaved, and only occasionally needs
a wipe with a lightly dampened hand, (squeeze an ice cube for 3 seconds) and then quick dried with a clean rag or towel.

The best one I have is my raw bloodwood, second is raw padouk, 3rd is maple under master-gel, 4th and 5th and 6th are probably factory nitro being a G&L a Music Man bass and an Ovation Adamas.

 

[Cagey]

I think you'll find that many teachers practice a "do as I say, not as I do" attitude about how things are done. The thinking is you can't break the rules unless you know what they are and how to follow them. So, you teach and enforce proper method, then only allow creative license once proficiency is obtained.

 

[Steve_Karl]

I think you'll find that many teachers practice a "do as I say, not as I do" attitude about how things are done. The thinking is you can't break the rules unless you know what they are and how to follow them. So, you teach and enforce proper method, then only allow creative license once proficiency is obtained.

Totally agreed

 

[Torment Leaves Scars]

Got a gloss finish on the back of the neck of my Warmoth, Jackson USA KV2, and B.C. Rich Mockingbird.  Then I have a semi-gloss finish on the backs of the necks of my Fender Tele, Jackson and JS32 Warrior.

For me, I love the way the gloss necks look and feel.  Given the opportunity for both, I'm gonna go with the gloss because it looks nice.  I don't notice a significance in the way they play.

 

[AutoBat]

Try satin if you want the 2 year warranty.  If you're more adventurous get some tru-oil for a 1 year warranty.

FTFY

 

[The Norwegian Guy]

Having played two raw necks, I will never waste my time with another finished neck.

AMEN

I've got a raw neck on my MusicMan Steve Morse sig, and it's freakin' amazing!

 

[Smpl9]

Like all things in life, it depends on what you prefer! Lots of people here like unfinished, oiled or satin finished necks. One or two swear by their high gloss necks. The only way to know for sure is to go to your local music store and try a few out.

Personally I don't really care for gloss finished necks but have had little say in the matter so far. I intend to change that in the future.

i haven't been playing long but i have found out most all of this is up to the player's dna. some of these trial and errors for me though are expensive. LOL so i gotta ask, you know how it is. cheers

 

[Smpl9]

well, that is how me guitar teacher teaches me, and what i try to do. i'm sure not all the time.  ;-) more of a classical form than a rockers form.

appreciate the advice and the wood choices. i'll certainly look into that.

 

[Smpl9]

Having played two raw necks, I will never waste my time with another finished neck.

did you need to do anything to the neck after it arrived? just keep it polished?

 

[Smpl9]

Try satin if you want the warranty.  If you're more adventurous get some tru-oil.

hadn't heard of this till recently a poster here with his superstrat mentioned it and how much he liked it.

i'll look into this more, it may be the way to go

 

[Smpl9]

Got a gloss finish on the back of the neck of my Warmoth, Jackson USA KV2, and B.C. Rich Mockingbird.  Then I have a semi-gloss finish on the backs of the necks of my Fender Tele, Jackson and JS32 Warrior.

For me, I love the way the gloss necks look and feel.  Given the opportunity for both, I'm gonna go with the gloss because it looks nice.  I don't notice a significance in the way they play.

i choose it on the first neck due to it looking good in my opinion. could be the "v" contour isn't exactly right for my hand, or technique.  i'll eventually find out after a big drop in me wallet. takes awhile to find one's "fit" i reckon. kinda like girls, gotta try a few out to find what fits

 

[Smpl9]

Having played two raw necks, I will never waste my time with another finished neck.

AMEN

I've got a raw neck on my MusicMan Steve Morse sig, and it's freakin' amazing!

how do you maintain it, just a bit of polish or ... ? just curious

 

[line6man]

Having played two raw necks, I will never waste my time with another finished neck.

did you need to do anything to the neck after it arrived? just keep it polished?

If you can feel the sanding sealer, sand it off, or play it until it wears off.
Then just keep it oiled every few years or whatever.

 

[Cagey]

how do you maintain [a raw neck], just a bit of polish or ... ? just curious

I don't really do anything to mine. Maybe wipe with some Naptha once in a blue moon.

The exotic woods that work well as necks/fretboards often don't need finishes because they're typically pretty hard, dense and tight-grained, so they don't need as much attention as one might imagine. Of course, nothing is immune to the sweat, oils and dead skin cell deposition that frequent handling incurs, so you need to get that off once in a while. But, Naptha. It's like duct tape. Everyone should have some around. A quick wipe with that, and you're good to go. Some guys will add some mineral oil after the fact in an attempt to keep the wood from getting too dry, but I'm not sure it accomplishes that. Seems like it just shortens the amount of time you can go between cleanings.

It's possible I may be sorry for that treatment 25 years from now, but I'm pretty sure I'll be dust at that point, so I'm having a hard time getting worked up about it.

 

[Smpl9]

Having played two raw necks, I will never waste my time with another finished neck.

did you need to do anything to the neck after it arrived? just keep it polished?

If you can feel the sanding sealer, sand it off, or play it until it wears off.
Then just keep it oiled every few years or whatever.

interesting. appreciate that.