Tung Oiled Neck...

[lowrider5]

I am pretty set on getting an SX Bass soon, and I was thinking of shavin the neck down a tad and added a tung oil finish...has anyone done this? I am thinking it would be a great idea.

 

[Scott in Dallas]

Warmoth recommends that you put a hard finish on all necks that are not quartersawn to prevent them from warping. That's for warranty purposes, though. If you are going to try it, an SX neck is probably the best one to do it to because you aren't out too much if it warps.

I'd recommend doing a grain fill with Tru Oil instead. It's a lot of work, but you can get a fast, dry-feeling neck that's actually sealed.

 

[spade2you]

I'd suggest satin finish before an oil finish. I have gloss, satin, and tung oil on several basses. IMHO, satin is the best of both worlds in terms of feel and stability.

 

[Kindness]

Use tung oil on your furniture and French polish your instruments. A Tru-Oil finish would be my second choice. While I love satin finishes on prefinished necks, if I am doing it myself, I would always choose French polishing.

 

[lowrider5]

I have tung oil on my yamaha guitar, I like it but warping i have yet to think about. Crapppers.

Tru-oil is what Musicman uses on their guitars I am pretty sure.

 

[Scott in Dallas]

Use tung oil on your furniture and French polish your instruments. A Tru-Oil finish would be my second choice. While I love satin finishes on prefinished necks, if I am doing it myself, I would always choose French polishing.

French polishing doesn't stand up to wear particularly well. I recommended Tru-oil because you only have to do it once.

 

[bassman10096]

Satin polyurethane is the driest, smoothest, fastest finish I've played, including all the nice oiled necks (no knock on them - they're great). And it's totally impervious to moisture.

 

[Bass Viking]

Warmoth recommends that you put a hard finish on all necks that are not quartersawn to prevent them from warping. That's for warranty purposes, though. If you are going to try it, an SX neck is probably the best one to do it to because you aren't out too much if it warps.

I'd recommend doing a grain fill with Tru Oil instead. It's a lot of work, but you can get a fast, dry-feeling neck that's actually sealed.

Tru oil is a good choice because it's easy to work with and tough. Warmoth will even warranty a neck that's finished with it.

I have a fretless Warmoth neck that I finished with Tru Oil. I wet sanded the back of the neck for a slick feel.

 

[scotch]

I've read that tung oil can get very sticky in hot weather. If you do use it, make sure to buff it out well.

I recently sanded down & refinished my Warwick maple bass. I used boiled linseed oil on the back of the neck. It is honestly the fastest, least resistive finish I've ever played! I haven't had any problems with it since the refinish about 2 months ago. I'm considering doing all of my instruments in this manner (it is a lot of work).

Just another option. I haven't tried tru-oil yet. I believe tru-oil is essentialy linseed with a hardening agent.

 

[lowrider5]

Hmmm...how about some links or places to get tru-oil!

 

[Lindsey]

Its a Birchwood Casey product. Get it at any gunshop.

 

[Bass Viking]

Hmmm...how about some links or places to get tru-oil!

Walmart carries it.

 

[Scott in Dallas]

I believe tru-oil is essentialy linseed with a hardening agent.

Yep. Best of both worlds. There's more to the process of Tru-oiling the back of a neck though. You have to sand it and fill the grain at the same time. A lot of rubbing but a stable, dry feeling neck when you're done.

 

[fokof]

I had really good results on all my basses with tung oil finish.
It's good for about 7 years before applying some more.
Be sure to buff it well to have a perfect shine.