Finished Neck vs. Raw Neck????? - Guitars101

GuitarsAndTacos · 01-03-2005, 10:07 AM

I've heard that a finished neck will last a heck of a lot longer than a raw neck, but I can save a hundred bucks on my new neck if I leave it unfinished... What do you guys reccomend?

El_jalepeno · 01-03-2005, 10:58 AM

True, finished should last quite a long time, but an unfinsihed will as well as long as you take care of it. It really boils down to preference. I love my finished neck on my Les Paul, but the new strat I recently built has an unfinished neck. Finsihed necks take some time to get broken in, but they are like a warm knife through butter. Try both and see what you like

**SteveS235** · 01-03-2005, 01:55 PM

I think it depends on the person playing it. The only thing I can suggest is to find an unfinished neck and try it out.

Personally, I've sanded the finish off of almost every guitar neck I've had. I prefer the feel of bare wood. Seems smoother and faster to me. I even had one Strat where I sanded the finish off of the maple fretboard as well.

GuitarsAndTacos · 01-03-2005, 03:09 PM

hmm... Well right now I'm leaning more on an unfinished neck because of that natural wood feel, and not to mention it fits into my budget better, but how would one go about taking care of an unfinished neck? Is there a traditional-sort of everyday thing such as wiping it or spraying it with a liquid and such? Also, I am one of those unfourtunate fellows who have palms that perspire A LOT ... So I just need a few pointers before I decide on finished or unfinished

**VHF** · 01-03-2005, 07:17 PM

I have both types and I actually like the unfinished necks better....it just feels better sort of like a nice well worn baseball bat in the old days. They can and do get dirty and some people like the well played look. I don't so I clean it with Endust and then rub in Formby's lemon oil about 1 time every month. Not much to it really.

Zappa · 01-03-2005, 11:04 PM

I prefer unfinished because my hands stick to much on finished neck. After playing my wolfgang I've stuck with unfinished necks. Just treat it with lemon oil a couple times a year and its good.

metalnick · 01-04-2005, 04:04 AM

I had a finished neck on my guitar but I very carfully sanded it(the finish) off and it plays a lot better now. It can get kinda gunky and I play every day, so about once a month I'll use ordinary guitar polish to clean it up and nurture the wood. No complaints so far...