Satin Finish for Warmoth Roasted Maple & Rosewood Neck

[Mark the Moose]

Like it says, I'm looking for an appropriate finish for a Warmoth roasted maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard. Don't want something glossy. Needs to be applied by hand, such as a wipe on, as the temps are too low in my garage this time of year and my basement ventilation is poor.

Also, mask off the rosewood? Just the face? Also the edges?

 

[Fretting out]

Isn’t one of the points of a roasted neck that it doesn’t need to be finished and has a satin feel already

I guess just use wipe on poly, I’d probably just mask off the face like you say, there’s techniques you can use with tape so it doesn’t make a hard edge

 

[Mark the Moose]

Isn’t one of the points of a roasted neck that it doesn’t need to be finished and has a satin feel already

I guess just use wipe on poly, I’d probably just mask off the face like you say, there’s techniques you can use with tape so it doesn’t make a hard edge

This is my first guitar finish, but my background in woodworking makes me think it should have some measure of protection. Maybe I'm wrong.

 

[Freeman Keller]

From the Warmoth site

Roasted Maple is maple that has been heat treated to remove sugars, moisture, and other impurities that can affect its stability. The result is a neck that is slightly lighter than normal and extremely stable. Because of its enhanced stability a finish is not required, making it the maple of choice for those who prefer the smooth, quick feel of natural wood. The roasting process also brings out a beautiful caramel color in the wood.

Also note their cautions about cracking around tuner holes.

 

[pi]

As others have mentioned, with roasted neck you have the option of keeping it unfinished. I have one, but I actually wish I had it finished. Most people love the raw wood feel, but it hasn't been my cup of tea.

Previously, I had a Warmoth neck with their satin finish, and I really liked the feel. If you haven't ordered it yet, you should just choose that option and save yourself the trouble.

If you already have the neck, then you'll have to do it yourself. I haven't tried it, but most people use either Tru-oil or some kind of Tung or Linseed oil with success.

 

[moskasound]

True Oil is my go-to finish on maple necks, period. Easy to wipe on thin coats using inexpensive coffee filters.
I usually don’t bother masking off the fretboard either...just hold the neck with one hand and wipe the finish with the other, right down to the fretboard edge. I rarely get any finish on the board, but when I do it is easily removed with steel wool(000).
Allow to dry two days and smooth with steel wool, taking care not to remove all the finish.

 

[lammie200]

It might be nice to leave the maple unfinished but it will absorb any type of liquid if you do. Oil, grease, blood, etc. Finishing or oiling a rosewood fretboard is subjective because, technically it be left unfinished. It is a less susceptible to absorbing liquids because rosewood inherently has some oil in it but the possibility still exists. If it is streaky in appearance you can go the oil maintenance route to darken it and make it appear more uniform. However, I usually like to use one coat of something like TruOil because it dries and remains but also doesn't fill the pores so I can still feel the rosewood character.

 

[dpang2836]

I am a Fan of Watco Satin in a Can from Walmart. They have been out of Stock for weeks! They had a Matt Satin I loved and of course they stopped making it. I hate Gloss! Lay down some newspaper and spray outside. Dries fast enough and you can bring in to finish drying by putting a string through top Tuner hole. No touching! I usually mask nut and about 4-5 inches of the Board. I spray Top and Sides of Top. Let that dry, then you can lay down on Board Side and do the Back and Sides. No Tape! What little you get on Rosewood can be Steel Wooled off. Couple of thin coats and then I Wool it smooth on the Back a little. Need to warm and shake well (Watco Lacquer).

 

[CapnCrunch]

Wipe on Satin Poly or Waterlox(which is a polymerized tung oil) is what I would use. Both build quicker than TruOil and are a harder finish. Both are simple to wipe on.

 

[Mark the Moose]

Wipe on Satin Poly or Waterlox(which is a polymerized tung oil) is what I would use. Both build quicker than TruOil and are a harder finish. Both are simple to wipe on.

I’ve used Waterlox on a number of projects, really nice to work with.

 

[RomanS]

I've got three Warmoth roasted maple necks - two with maple boards, one with rosewood.

I didn't use any finish at all on my first one - because, according to Warmoth, you don't have to (due to the crystallized cell structure of torrefied wood, it won't absorb liquids - at least that's the theory, but I'm not a scientist). This one has a maple board, and as I have played it a lot, you can see the areas on the fretboard where I'm playing most of the time - they are darker, kinda like on vintage guitars (or on relic#d new ones). I've tried removing the stains with steel wool, but you can see them; I did apply a coat of TruOil for protection recently.

The next one I got also had a maple board, and I finished this one with TruOil - the fretboard still looks like new (but I've only had it for a little over a year, and due to Covid, it has seen much less live and rehearsal action than the other one). Even with the TruOil (about 2-3 coats), it still feels pretty much like raw wood.

The third one I got is a roasted maple neck with a rosewood board - on this one I tried a burnishing technique I had read about somewhere: I applied a few coats of TruOil, but always sanded them right away (just a few minutes after application) with very fine grit sandpaper (800, I think). After about 4 or 5 coats, and a couple of days of drying time, I "burnished" the finish with a piece of leather (simply rubbed it quite vigorously for a couple of minutes); this one has a lustrous sheen, and feels super-smooth - not as glossy as a painted neck, but not like raw wood, either....

 

[old wrench]

I've finished a number of necks with T-O including a few with nice hardwood fret boards (2 rosewood, 1 ziricote, 1 ebony) and never masked off anything.

T-O gives the fret board edge a beautiful finish which gives a nice accent to the finished neck. It goes on thin and it's easy to manage keeping it off the face of the board.

If you don't care for the gloss, a little bit of gentle rubbing with synthetic steel wool (scotch brite), will knock the gloss down to a matte finish.



I'm always on the look-out for anything that might work better than what I've been doing, so I recently picked up a can of the Osmo satin finish.

I haven't had a chance to try it out yet, but I've seen a couple of necks and bodies finished with it and they really look nice. It's a wipe on finish and not supposed to give off nasty fumes.

There are a couple of threads about it on this forum.

The folks that have used Osmo say Yay, and the folks who haven't used it say Nay.

I'm curious, so I'll have to find out for myself .

It's the hard wax/oil stuff.

.

 

[RomanS]

I've used Osmo Hartwachsöl on a Warmoth alder body.
Easy to apply, has to be renewed every couple of years (it will show dirt after some time - I used it first some time in the late '00s, I think I had to reapply it twice since, because that body started to look a bit grimey.)
Different look than TruOil - no shine/ gloss at all...

 

[eslover]

I’m surprised no one has mentioned this, but I strongly urge you to consider wiping on Howard’s Feed ‘n Wax straight on the roasted maple.

great feel, it’s what I did with my Warmoth roasted maple neck and I am very happy. I think you’ll be, too!