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5 string fan fretted 36"-34" all in Wenge

#106
Thanks!

IMG_0282_zps73436f48.jpg


Almost done! Just need to sand a little more and some fret work, but I will play it without finish for some days. I will rec som samples asap.
The weight (without strap buttons) is 3275gr (7.22 lbs)
I had a problem with a pot, the bridge Pu doesn't work with the jazz wiring, only alone, so I exchange the two volume pots and now everything works...

I'm thinking about the finishing: danish oil, boiled linseed oil, tung oil????????
 
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Reactions: gsnad2000, lbridenstine, Morten_B and 3 others
#110
My experience is different... Warmoth gives full warranty on wenge necks with no finish (they only do that because a finish is not needed). I have a 4 year old Warmoth Gecko with a wenge neck, no finish what so ever and it's like brand new. No dirt, crap or whatever... Just beautiful wenge... All Warmoth owners plays their wenge necks without a finish.

Tung oil turns wenge almost black, that would be such a shame on this beautiful bass IMHO
 
#111
Morten_B said:
I would keep it without a finish. Wenge does not need the finish, and I think it get's too dark with a finish... IMHO it's as beautiful as wenge gets as it is right now :thumbsup: And if you do want a finish then go with whatever darkens the wood the least...
Click to expand...

You are right that it doesn't absolutely need a finish, but it will absorb sweat and oil from your skin and be darker in some areas, like the forearm rest. This isn't really a problem on the neck. Also I think the wenge on this bass could stand to be darkened, to get the black and red look he is going for.
 
#113
Yes, if you want a dark look where the wenge is almost black, then an oil finish is perfect... Both the darker and the lighter areas of the wenge will be almost black with an oil finish.

The wenge neck I have has not absorbed any sweat from my hands, it looks like new after 4 years. People I know also play raw wenge necks, no finish what so ever, they look, feel and work as new. But again, that's just my experience. I'm not saying it's bad to put an oil finish on wenge.
 
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#115
OK, I did not realise you wanted the black look (beats me why anyone want wenge to look black and loose it's contrast ;-)) If that's what you're after I think tung oil will give you what you want. It will be really dark after 4-5 coats, but remember that it dries slowly. Apply thin layers and give it 12-24 hours to cure between coats...
 
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#117
Morten_B said:
Yes, if you want a dark look where the wenge is almost black, then an oil finish is perfect... Both the darker and the lighter areas of the wenge will be almost black with an oil finish.

The wenge neck I have has not absorbed any sweat from my hands, it looks like new after 4 years. People I know also play raw wenge necks, no finish what so ever, they look, feel and work as new. But again, that's just my experience. I'm not saying it's bad to put an oil finish on wenge.
Click to expand...

The wenge on the bass I posted did not loose its contrast. Of course it got darker, but the lighter grain is still the same number of shades lighter than the darker grain.

Like I said the wenge on the neck is exposed to the palm of your hand. Your forearm sweats much more, so parts of the body will soak up much more sweat than the neck, so it will look uneven after some time.
 
#118
Also, if you really think the neck doesn't absorb funk from your hands, try wiping it down with a clean white paper towel and some denatured alcohol. The wood is dark, so you can't see it, but it is there.
 
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#119
I have played raw-wood necked basses for years, not all woods are good for this of course, but wenge, ebony, pau ferro, goncalo alves, padauk and a few more are perfectly OK to play raw. Maybe you sweat from your forearms when playing - I don't, but I sweat from my hands quite a lot when playing during the hot summer. Sometimes the neck wood is soaking wet with sweat when playing. What I do after playing is to rub the neck with one of these pads (don't know what they are called in English) and the neck is like new again. Actually better because after playing / rubbing several times the neck get's an almost gloss and very smooth finish to it. These raw necks are the best feeling necks I've ever played...

Here are some pics of my raw necked basses. They have both been played for years. Nothing is uneven, dirty or whatever... (Of course a clean white paper towel and some denatured alcohol will make the paper dirty if I wipe it. It will also get dirty if I wipe the new pieces of wood I just bought for upcoming builds, or if I wipe any other piece of wood for that matter).

Let's not take this further, we will take the thread off topic... We have different experiences and different opinions and I guess that is fine..!? I was just making the OP aware, that a finish is not needed for wenge and personally I would never do an oil finish on that amazing bass, it kills the gorgeous look - IMHO. But if one wants are darker look - oil finishes are fine. We all agree on that.

IMG_6078.jpg IMG_6952.jpg IMG_7333.jpg
 
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