I find I don't really care that much, as long as the feel of the neck is good. I have basses with glossy, satin and unfinished necks, and I like them all.
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(Poll)Finished vs Unfinished Necks
- Thread starter AngusHasMoxie
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- lacquer necks unfinished
Gaolee
Official leathers tester and crash dummy
There's finishes and then there's finishes. I found Ric necks would get sticky no matter what I did, including taking steel wool to them. My thumb would polish them up and then they got sticky again. Gibson necks feel great whether they are new or old. I don't know why, since it's the same nitro as far as I know. Epiphone necks are poly and need a bit of work with steel wool to take off the gloss. Then they polish back up with playing but don't get sticky again. Fender necks, especially poly, are just flat out sticky and hard to get along with. The only Fender necks I have really bonded with are a RW Precision and a 1985 Squier Bullet (Korean). The Precision's finish just flat wore off the back of the neck, making it feel even better. There's something special about that little Bullet guitar, as weird and as valueless from an economic standpoint as it is.
My favorite neck feel is the upright. I don't know what wood it is, but it is unpainted, and it has polished to being just about perfect. It was used when I got it, but whoever had it for the few years before I got it must not have played it that much. It sure has a lot of playing time on it now, and the playing time makes a huge difference in how it feels. If every neck felt like that one, life would be great.
My favorite neck feel is the upright. I don't know what wood it is, but it is unpainted, and it has polished to being just about perfect. It was used when I got it, but whoever had it for the few years before I got it must not have played it that much. It sure has a lot of playing time on it now, and the playing time makes a huge difference in how it feels. If every neck felt like that one, life would be great.
I have a Jazz bass with an unfinished Padauk neck, and a Strat with an unfinished Rosewood neck. I am never going back to finished necks. Raw wood is just so smooth!
Oddly enough, when I am playing a finished neck, I prefer gloss to satin. It sounds backwards, but I guess satin finishes just don't work for me.
Oddly enough, when I am playing a finished neck, I prefer gloss to satin. It sounds backwards, but I guess satin finishes just don't work for me.
I think what you really meant to compare was "high gloss" vs. "satin (or wax/oil)" finished necks.
My personal preference is oil/wax finished necks.
The thing about the gloss finish is that it wears down and loses that sticky feeling once you play for a while. The result is an awesomely fast, worn in neck that IMO, plays best of them all. I think this is why a lot of people like reliced necks. They want that feeling at purchase.
i don't like the feel of Glossy necks ... but that's easily remedied with some #0000 steel wool and/or a Scotchbrite pad ... !!
i have 2 necks that have been deglossed that way and they now feel great ...
a couple necks have a satin finish which feels fine ...
and i have a couple raw wood necks ... they are usually darker , harder , stiffer woods ... 1 bass has a naked wenge neck ... an Yamaha acoustic has some kind of open pore mahogany ... but on both , i still steel wooled and scotch pad buffed the grain a bit smoother ...
i have 2 necks that have been deglossed that way and they now feel great ...
a couple necks have a satin finish which feels fine ...
and i have a couple raw wood necks ... they are usually darker , harder , stiffer woods ... 1 bass has a naked wenge neck ... an Yamaha acoustic has some kind of open pore mahogany ... but on both , i still steel wooled and scotch pad buffed the grain a bit smoother ...
Doner Designs
Steve Doner
- Jun 2, 2012
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- Doner Designs is an alias for Steve Doner
I was 50/50 in my mind about how to vote which is how my basses shake out and how the overall vote came out too.
I like the feel of naked exotic hardwood (wenge, rosewood, ebony etc) but also like gloss and satin finishes. I guess it's not very important to me.
I like the feel of naked exotic hardwood (wenge, rosewood, ebony etc) but also like gloss and satin finishes. I guess it's not very important to me.
There is no way that 50% of people out there actually prefer unfinished necks. I'm just going to hope that this is a case of how people who prefer unfinished necks are far more vocal about it.
I mean, there are some finishes out there that are so wood-like that people actually think there's no finish (like even the Squier Affinity Series, and that's a poly finish), so I don't really understand the obsession with unfinished necks, considering most people aren't using woods that are OK with no finish. A thin satin finish protects the wood and shouldn't affect your ability to play the thing. A couple coats of satin poly, or a few layers of Tru Oil, etc. Even a couple layers of oil like EBMM, I don't know that I actually consider it unfinished, since you're not playing bare wood at that point, and you're supposed to maintain the wood with a couple coats every year.
If you really prefer having no finish, please do yourself a favor and get a neck made of wood that doesn't need a finish. Baked maple, rosewood, wenge, bubinga, padouk, those are just the first five I could think of, but the list is endless, really. If you don't want any finish at all, why insist on using wood that needs it? A lot of these woods that don't require finish are visually stunning, too.
I mean, there are some finishes out there that are so wood-like that people actually think there's no finish (like even the Squier Affinity Series, and that's a poly finish), so I don't really understand the obsession with unfinished necks, considering most people aren't using woods that are OK with no finish. A thin satin finish protects the wood and shouldn't affect your ability to play the thing. A couple coats of satin poly, or a few layers of Tru Oil, etc. Even a couple layers of oil like EBMM, I don't know that I actually consider it unfinished, since you're not playing bare wood at that point, and you're supposed to maintain the wood with a couple coats every year.
If you really prefer having no finish, please do yourself a favor and get a neck made of wood that doesn't need a finish. Baked maple, rosewood, wenge, bubinga, padouk, those are just the first five I could think of, but the list is endless, really. If you don't want any finish at all, why insist on using wood that needs it? A lot of these woods that don't require finish are visually stunning, too.
+1 on satin or oil finishes. I don't hate gloss necks, but they do seem to catch the thumb on my
fretting hand a tiny bit
fretting hand a tiny bit
I prefer unfinished everything if possible.
Obviously it isn't literally unfinished, but everyone knows that. It doesn't need to be said
Obviously it isn't literally unfinished, but everyone knows that. It doesn't need to be said
DiabolusInMusic
Functionless Art is Merely Tolerated Vandalism
I prefer a satin finish on maple, or unfinished exotic wood (wenge for example).
Not a huge fan of gloss poly, but the one's I've played didn't seem horrible. For me the shape of the neck is most important.
Not a huge fan of gloss poly, but the one's I've played didn't seem horrible. For me the shape of the neck is most important.
My main bass is painted but I far prefer oil or satin. It makes less of a difference to me on bass, but I have a new DiPinto (strat like) electric guitar and it has a gloss neck. I find it very difficult to play over the top bar chords and slide parts for funky strumming. I have a very old squire that has a gloss neck but it has been worn down to nothing and that is a dream to play. If I really had my druthers, I'd manufacture some wear on the dipinto, but I hate to intentionally damage an instrument.
I voted "unfinished" because I prefer satin necks and I think this is what the OP meant... I think it's just a comparision between high gloss necks and natural feeling necks.
The first satin neck I played was a Mighty Mite replacement I had ordered. I knew it needed prep work (installing tuners, drilling neck bolts, etc), but when it came and I didn't see the high gloss finish that I was used to, I freaked out. I was sure if I didnt finish it ASAP it was going to start twisting and bowing like crazy, LOL. I even posted a thread asking for urgent help... Well, it was just a satin finish on it and it played great.
I own both, but my favorite necks are the (what seems like) unfinished necks on my Musicman basses. My understanding it that they apply a Gunstock oil and hand-rubbed special wax blend.
