Ordered a raw wenge neck w/ ebony board from Warmoth. I want to finish the neck with a light oil so that it still feels very raw. Dont want any seep lines through the masking to the ebony. I have done several Warmoth builds but never done any finishing. Any advice?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Finishing Raw Wenge
- Thread starter rx2enemy
- Start date
I just oil my wenge and ebony neck with Danish teak oil. So you don't want oil on the ebony FB?? Why not?
Drake Custom
Commercial User
- Aug 24, 2010
- 440
- 1,083
- Disclosures
- Builder/Owner:Drake Custom Bass Guitars
For Wenge I just oil it with fretboard oil which is just a very thinned oil varnish. Fret board finish is not thick and will not leave any seep lines on your fret board. In fact you wipe it on and then after 10 minutes wipe it off. It does not build in thickness nor does it dry hard or have any shine to it. I get my stuff from Stewmac and use it on all of my fret boards. It will make your Ebony look great and keep it dark.
As far as Wenge goes, it really does not need to be finished at all. I think even Warmoth's warranty allows Wenge necks to go without finish. It is a pretty self stable wood. The only reason I put any oil on is to make the color uniform in appearence.
The pics show a guitar with just the fretboard oil on it. The guitar has seen use for almost a year of heavy use and does not look any worse for wear.
As far as Wenge goes, it really does not need to be finished at all. I think even Warmoth's warranty allows Wenge necks to go without finish. It is a pretty self stable wood. The only reason I put any oil on is to make the color uniform in appearence.
The pics show a guitar with just the fretboard oil on it. The guitar has seen use for almost a year of heavy use and does not look any worse for wear.
Attachments
The title of this thread made me wince in pain. Oils are fine, but whatever you do, don't ever shoot it down with a hard finish!
Why don't you want any oil on the Ebony?
Is it too oily to take any more?
Why don't you want any oil on the Ebony?
Is it too oily to take any more?
I was told by a trusted source that un-oiled ebony retains a more crisp high/high mid tone. Is that not the case?
If it makes a difference at all, you probably aren't going to hear it, you don't really need to finish the wenge neck, or the ebony fingerboard. If it were me, I'd give it a coat with some boiled linseed oil, or something of that sort like the fretboard oil that drake custom suggested.
I have a wenge neck with a pau ferro board. I sanded it to about 800 and have left it. Because wenge is so coarse you cant really tell much difference between 800 and 400. I might sand it a little finer if I was you but I wouldn't bother finishing it.
+1 and your are correct on warranty requirements. Wenge does not require a finish.
Thanks for the advice. Now I'm thinking no oil for neck or board. Just dont want my skin oil to gunk up the open grain in the wenge. Sweaty hands. I have never built a bass w/ a completly raw neck and board so I just wanted to make sure this was an acceptable plan. I'll stop overthinking it.
I have heard of people doing a very fine wet sand with 800 grit paper and a light amount of linseed oil.
I have two wenge necks (Warmoth) and am delighted with them unfinished. The reason I chose Wenge was I wanted a good, fast raw neck. If I wanted to use a finish, I'd have picked some other wood.
I do use mineral oil on the boards about 2 x each year.
I do use mineral oil on the boards about 2 x each year.
