difference between satin and unfinished?

[UnderDogbassist]

hi i am a complete noob when it comes to neck finishes, but i'm ordering a new neck for L2000, and i was wondering which finish i should get. I really want one that resembles a stringrays neck, not the glossy ones, the one where its like smooth to the teach, because imo my neckwork is alot faster and smoother when i'm playing one of those necks, compared to say one of those geddy lee jazz bass necks. so what kind of neck is that? is it simply unfinished, or is a satin finish because i was under the impression it was satin. but i'm probably wrong haha.

[tangentmusic]

An unfinished neck is just that: un-finished or no finish at all.
A satin finish is the non-glossy lighter finish that many players like due to its smooth feel.
I have a bass with an un-finished maple neck, and the sweat, skin oils & dirt really tend to get into the wood and stain /dis-color it. I prefer satin.
If you dont like the gloss feel, my advice is to go for a satin finish.

[Hugh Jass]

Like tangentmusic says, satin is just a different type of finish. It is still poly. keep in mind that if you play a satin finish neck long enough it will actually get "glossy" as your hands polish the finish. The inverse to this is that you can also use a bit of steel wool or a SOS pad to make a glossy neck "satin". A fully unfinished neck will stay pretty slick feeling if you leave it alone.

My Spector Rebop has an unfinished neck and body but I wax both. Between the waxing, polishing and playing the neck is now glossy! Doesn't bother -me- one bit.