Why do I have to finish a maple neck?

[Lake Placid Green]

other neck woods apparently do fine without a finish rosewood, Pau Ferro, wenge, cocobolo, etc. so why does maple need to be finished and what would happen if I put an unfinished maple neck on my build?

 

[Peltogyne]

You can do it. It will be a bit more susceptible to moisture changes and it will get filthy.

Many people have removed or worn off the finish and the necks survive.

 

[howlin]

It's no big. I have a maple neck with a PF neck and treated it with Tru-Oil and it's fine. Plys, every 6 mos or so I go over it with Feed 'n Wax and give it a good rub down with some 0000 steel wool.Works great!

 

[Ricky D.]

A proper finish is a moisture barrier - reduces the chance of warping. That's a probability thing. Plenty of people get away with it. Some end up with a warped or twisted neck. I like the feel of an unfinished neck, but that's more risk than I want to take.

 

[Count]

Even the "unfinished" wood are sealed. Most, like Rosewood, have a natural oiliness that helps repel moisture but even that dries out with age and a "conditioner" such as lemon oil has to be used to replace the natural oil.

 

[Ira7]

Even the "unfinished" wood are sealed. Most, like Rosewood, have a natural oiliness that helps repel moisture but even that dries out with age and a "conditioner" such as lemon oil has to be used to replace the natural oil.

I learned this the hard way on my recent 12-string Tele build.

I bought a really inexpensive all maple paddle neck to drill and profile for 12, with the intention of using dye on the back. I had to apply dye and sand like 10 freaking times for it to hold the dye all over.

Although advertised as unfinished, it sure wasn't. There was some kind of sealant/protectant in there that really went DEEP!

It was an Eden neck, out of California, as cheap as you can get.

 

[telemnemonics]

Spill a beer on a raw maple board and it will soak up the liquid, buckling up frets enough to screw up the playability.
By "finish" we think in terms of a hard layer of some plasticky product, but there are options to seal the wood without really coating the surface, like oils or wax products.
I love an "unfinished" maple board, but not an unsealed one.
Unsealed maple will get spot stains easily.
Even drops of sweat could potentially seep into fret slots and swell the wood, raising the fret.
Oily woods are already sealed against water absorption, though some are still prone to swelling and shrinking with humidity changes, which is a different story. Even thick poly won't protect a neck from humidity caused moisture content changes.

 

[RoyBGood]

A maple fingerboard seems like a lot of trouble - does it sound any different to rosewood?

 

[Peltogyne]

A maple fingerboard seems like a lot of trouble - does it sound any different to rosewood?

Yes, maple has a voiceless bilabial stop and rosewood doesn't.

 

[Danjabellza]

My understanding is that maple, more so than other woods used in guitar building, is susceptible to moisture/humidity changes. If you want to go unfinished with maple, you could use roasted maple. The roasting process crystallizes the sugars and saps in the maple, sealing the wood from the inside out. It's hardly susceptibile to moisture at all. Then you can sand it smooth as you like or add whatever additional sealer you like.

 

[Count]

Wood is a porous organic material and so will absorb moisture. As it absorbs moisture it swells. Different species will absorb more than others. As the grain swell so the timber will twist and bend. Straighter grains do this less than figured grain but they all do it. The only solution, discovered thousands of years ago, is to, once the timber is seasoned, seal it. Sealing methods are many but the all have the same end function, keep out moisture.

 

[wabashslim]

Warmoth of course tells you upfront they won't warranty their necks unless a hard finish is applied, preferable theirs, and tung oil & such doesn't count as a hard finish. But Carvin's built to order necks offer only tung oil or unfinished as options, no problem.
Since I live in the southwest I think I'll skip the finish on any future Warmoth necks and just use the oil.

 

[Lake Placid Green]

Warmoth of course tells you upfront they won't warranty their necks unless a hard finish is applied, preferable theirs, and tung oil & such doesn't count as a hard finish. But Carvin's built to order necks offer only tung oil or unfinished as options, no problem.
Since I live in the southwest I think I'll skip the finish on any future Warmoth necks and just use the oil.

Part of what led me to this question is that Warmoth WILL warranty unfinished necks if they are the woods I named in the post. And most definitely won't warranty unfinished maple

 

[wabashslim]

Right, I should have specified maple.

 

[Silverface]

other neck woods apparently do fine without a finish rosewood, Pau Ferro, wenge, cocobolo,

As mentioned above these have natural oils and are regularly treated with fretboard-specific oils as part of regular maintenance. Maple does not have the same porosity and would discolor due to the light color.

A maple fingerboard seems like a lot of trouble - does it sound any different to rosewood?

Trouble *how*? Finished necks generally take decades to "wear through" - if they ever do at all. finished maple fretboards are actually easier to clean than rosewood and other "natural" boards.

Yes, they sound different - but it's a subtle difference. Simply Google the subject.

 

[RoyBGood]

I was being flippant re the sonic differences...

 

[Controller]

I was being flippant re the sonic differences...

Flippant or not, I thought it was very insightful.

 

[bradyhylla]

As mentioned above these have natural oils and are regularly treated with fretboard-specific oils as part of regular maintenance. Maple does not have the same porosity and would discolor due to the light color.



Trouble *how*? Finished necks generally take decades to "wear through" - if they ever do at all. finished maple fretboards are actually easier to clean than rosewood and other "natural" boards.

Yes, they sound different - but it's a subtle difference. Simply Google the subject.

Maple FB might be easy to clean once finished, but there a pain in the add until finished. They get grubby fast, and they show absolutely ever imperfection and mistake. And forget detailed inlays cuz maple dust filler and ca glue is horrendous. IMO Ebony and Rose wood is much easier to work with and WELL worth the extra few dollars

 

[Silverface]

but there a pain in the add until finished. They get grubby fast,

Uhh - that's WHY it's normally finished...unlike ebony and rosewood. They are completely different materials.

It might be worth your time to do some studying up on woods used in guitar construction.

 

[flyingbanana]

Order up a roasted maple neck, then just go about your day. They don't require a finish...although I'd apply a minimal coating of something anyway.

In my opinion, people everywhere have lost the desire to work towards something. The decline of civilization is an entitled mentality of wanting something for nothing. Sad really.