Do I Have To Apply A Finish To My Wood?

[MasterMinds]

Right now the neck and body are just wood, nothing on them.

Do I have to apply some sort of protective finish to keep hand oil etc.. from discoloring the wood long term?

If so, what completely clear finish would you reccomend

And also, is there any sort of finish that can actually make wood lighter, versus darkening it?

PS: The neck has frets so I dunno if I can apply finish in that area? on the fingerboard?

Thanks!

[Nitefly SA]

You could bleach the wood to make it lighter, tung oil is a nice, easy finish, cheap aswell.

[Southpa]

Yes you should put some sort of coating over bare wood to protect it. You have lots of options, eg. translucent, solid paint, oil, etc. It depends on how you want your guitar to look and whether or not you have the abilities and equipment to do it right.

There is literally TONS of information in this forum, start doing some reading, lots of it. If you know what kind of wood you are dealing with then you can narrow your search down quite a bit. There is more than one way to skin a cat and most of those ways have been mentioned in the "Inlays and Finishing" chat and tutorial sections.

[MasterMinds]

southpa - thanks, let me be more specific.

the neck is maple, the fingerboard maple, and the body alder.

i want the would to look identical to how it is now - i just want to protect it, thats all!

given that I have little tools - but can spend a littl emoney if needed, what is the simplest way to protect it without altering it?

thanks!

Yes you should put some sort of coating over bare wood to protect it. You have lots of options, eg. translucent, solid paint, oil, etc. It depends on how you want your guitar to look and whether or not you have the abilities and equipment to do it right.

There is literally TONS of information in this forum, start doing some reading, lots of it. If you know what kind of wood you are dealing with then you can narrow your search down quite a bit. There is more than one way to skin a cat and most of those ways have been mentioned in the "Inlays and Finishing" chat and tutorial sections.

[Prostheta]

Without finishing, you'll pretty much be leaving your wood open to immediate climate changes which will at best mean regular setting up (hot day, wet day, cold day, seasons....) and at worst warping. Light oiling or waxing and rubbing back with steel wool should protect it, and give it the most natural look if you choose a finish close to the existing colours. Natural patina from usage would do this over time anyway, but I'd err on the side of "save your guitar from potential immediate weather-based wood scurvy"!

[tirapop]

This is Warmoth's take on neck finishing:

To Finish or Not to Finish?

All our necks are dipped in an oil based penetrating sealer which is compatible with virtually all secondary finishes. This provides enhanced stability; however, it is not adequate protection for playing. We strongly recommend you apply a hard finish to all Maple, Mahogany, and Koa necks. Oils do not validate our warranty requirements.

We understand the attraction of raw or lightly oiled necks. They feel fast and are not sticky. Unfortunately, they are much more susceptible to moisture related warping and twisting. Our experience is that hard finished necks seldom warp. Less than 1 out of 200 (0.5%) are returned for warpage. Raw or oiled necks don't fare as well. About 10% are rendered useless from the torture. The more acidic your perspiration, the higher the odds are against you.

If you must play a raw neck, that's cool; it's ok. A neck is just a tool. Just be aware of the risk. If yours does the pretzel act, we don't want to hear about it.

For a valid warranty, a hard finish must be sufficiently thick to completely cover the wood. That means no wood is exposed and you are actually playing on the finish, not the wood. Now, it does not matter to us who applies the finish. Of course we would like to do the finish for you, but if you choose to do it yourself or have it done elsewhere the warranty is still valid.

Just about any finish, even "water clear" lacquers and undyed wax will darken the color a bit. I haven't ever bleached wood, but, if you want pale finished wood, I think that's what you have to do.

[Mattia]

Honestly, I think Warmoth's claims re: finish affecting the stability of a neck are bull. I've yet to see, or even hear ANY first-hand accounts of necks warping due to perspiration, humidity, etc. A thin nitro finish (for example) does almost diddly to prevent humidity getting past it (lousy vapour barrier). Also, 'acid sweat' making wood magically warp? Look at the thousands of worn-finish necks out there, the millions of oil-finished necks out there, most of them doing just fine and dandy, thanks. Seriously, anyone seen oil finished necks go tits-up? Other than Warmoth's supposed warranty claims?

If wood's unstable, and it wants to warp, it will warp. No amount of finish is going to do anything to prevent that from happening.

[Southpa]

I did read that Rory Gallagher's neck was so soaked with his sweat (after the finish was worn off, of course) that it had to be replaced because it was warping. It was hung in a closet and took 2 months to dry out. But thats the only example I've ever encountered.

Basically, the idea is more to do with aesthetics. You wouldn't believe how much dirt and oil can collect in the pores, it just looks dirty. A solid poly or lacquer finish also protects against scratching, denting etc. to some degree. I guess the ultimate finish on a guitar would be what they use on the hulls of pleasure yachts. Polyurethane resin paint is the hardest finish I've ever encountered, damn near bulletproof. Unfortunately, its also extremely expensive and dangerous to handle.