Dunno why but there's a strong Bob Ross vibe here. "We'll paint a happy little tree right here. Just a few strokes. That's all you have to do...". Great vid.
I just use 3 - 4 lite-coats of Tru Oil. I did not like the feel of the wax, so I stopped using it. Great info presented here. I have a Sterling SS-4 Bass and it came out incredible. I also did a little fret-end filing - it now plays like a Custom Shop. oNe LovE from NYC
The information about this is the way MUSIC MAN does their necks is 100% true and can be proven by watching the Video titled "Inside Music Man | Factory tour" at the 12:26 mark of the video posted just 10 days ago. So the info is up to date. Music Man has oiled the necks this way for years and years.
Tru-oil takes several hours to dry and probably 24 hours or more to fully cure. I would wait a while before waxing, to make sure the Tru-oil has had a chance to harden properly.
As I said in the video that's not necessary here. We are not building a up a finish, we doing a very light surface treatment, it's just a small amount of oil spread very thin. And this is exactly as done in the factory. And I've been doing this for many, many years. Trust me!
I enjoyed this Kev & was actually rather therapeutic to watch 😁 Good style & approach .. I’m going to try this next time I change strings … oh & a big YES to videos on guitar set up !!! 😁😀☺️
I have done this quick and satisfying process on one of my telecasters and two of my acoustics. I start with P600 dry and then finish with a wet sand with P1500. A Dab of Tru-Oil and done. Thanks for this video. Hopefully more folks are trying this application. The results are satin smooth necks that are beautiful.👍
So cool, thank you for this video! I love my Music Man Silhouette, and I bought a different guitar recently with a completely unfinished neck which I plan to use this process on.
I got a Siggery Fury in trade for an amp some years back. The neck was absolutely stark naked and frankly a little rough for my taste. The previous owner didn’t seem to have played it much. The fret ends up high were rough too. I sanded the neck and rolled the edges of the ebony fingerboard and planed the fret edges with sandpaper mounted on a board. Then I applied gunstock oil in several coats to build up a bit of gloss, buffing with 000 steel wool between applications. I achieved a heavier finish than the one demonstrated here but still very thin. I might try this even more minimalistic treatment on another neck.
I threw out all the steel wool I had - I back sanded a bird's eye strat neck I'd stained to pop the grain and it got into the pores and turned all the grain an ugly gray. Luckily it hid well under some Stewmac vintage tint nitro; but no more steel wool for me!
If you wanna go à little further, you can actually apply your oil more liberally and wet sand it in the wood with very fine sandpaper, we're talking 1500ish. You then wipe off the excess oil and sand dust with a cloth in the direction of the grain, let dry for a few hours and then wax.
Hey man, great video! I’ve had my stingray a couple years now and, ehem, it’s probably time for some maintenance haha. Hey, don’t judge, been busy playin’ it! Anyway, perfect video - never done this process before in 20 years of playing bass haha!
Does the wax finish make the satin-y finish of the tru oil any less slick? Or does it help make the neck feel even smoother? I'm thinking I may just go with a tru oil finish instead of oil and wax, but I'd like to hear your thoughts, if you don't mind. Hopefully, long COVID is no longer giving you any issues!
The wax reduces friction even more. By all means just stop at the oil if you like it like that. Sadly, I’ve passed my one year anniversary with Long COVID with no end in sight. Crossing my fingers for improvement I the next few months. I appreciate your good wishes. Thank you!
Aw, man, sorry to hear that. Hopefully, you get some relief sooner than later. Thanks very much for your video and your thoughts on oil and wax. Take good care!
@@DrKevGuitartried this method without wax but the problem is I immediately used the guitar. Somehow it is a bit tacky. Idk if it is my sweat or I need to dry it out for few minutes? Will the wax will help? Love the satin-y feel thank you
I’ll be treating my first unfinished neck. No tuners installed yet. Would I use the oil on the headstock and fretboard as well? The wax? Great video for a rookie like me. Thank you! (Btw, I had Covid in 2022. Took a long time to get energy back. Trusting you are feeling well now that time has passed)
Super! I just wish you'd have published this video 13-14 months ago instead of 9, as I let both the oil and the wax to sit for way too long and therefore should redo the process for my 3-piece guitarobe. Although I agree - the process is really quick and pleasant especially with a coffee at hand - having a day job and a family with small kids, it's a rare occasion to have enough patience and me-time to remove the necks, create a suitable workspace for sanding and make all the other preparations before getting into the process itself, as what I really should do is to play the guitar instead of a playing a IRL RPG as a wannabe-luthier. :)
Can I use the wax process after using boiled linseed oil instead? Yes, I would like to learn more stuff from you, please continue to show us other tricks.
@@kcsvantasticvoyages9729 yes you should be able to use the wax after the linseed oil. Follow Naeder instructions correctly when it’s properly dried/cured you’re good to go.
I have used this method to coat the neck of my bass which I sanded down the matte paint off of, which eventually turned gloss by all the playing and the grease of my hands. But I am curious to see if this would also help with the feel of the neck of the bass I play all the time which already has some sort of oil finish on it? It is a maple neck and it doesn't look dry like an unfinished wood, would it hurt to try?
No, the worst you could do (if the finish was thick) is make on oily mess which you would just clean off. Personally, I would start as I did here with a light sandpaper clean and take the shiny finish back to matte, then oil. Go lightly first, and maybe just a small part of the neck near the heel to see how it goes on. 👍
@@DrKevGuitar Thanks man, right now it is not that bad but it is uneven and it gets glossy and sticky as the grease of my palm polishes the the back of the neck. I sand it down lightly to get rid of the dirt when it happens but it goes back to its usual state since there isn't a properly sealing finish. Previously I used a combination of beeswax and mineral oil (baby oil) since they were the only types of agents that I had and could work as surface finish. This attempt like my previous attempt will be out of curiousity as much it is a need for the bass. I will come back with the results.
Would your typical guitar lemon oil + carnuoba wax work? I want to restore an old mahogany neck on a Charvel I have and can't find either gunstock tru-oil and wax where I reside, sadly (Chile, SoutAm). I do have the sandpaper, a P1200 labeled one.
No, simply because mahogany is not a wood that works well with this kind of finish. Mahogany necks and bodies are always given a lacquer or varnish finish. You should look for advice specifically on finishing mahogany.
Yes, but I prefer Ernie Ball “Wonder wipes” fretboard conditioner. Each wipe has a lot of oil so i keep them in a ziplock bag and I can reuse them 8 or 10 times. Just wile the fretboard, let sit for a few minutes and then use paper towels to clean and wipe off the excess oil.
Very good video! That finish is the best. But please, never ever throw a wet oily paper towel directly in the garbage! Tru-oil, tung oil etc can self combust and burn down your house. No kidding. Stay safe and keep posting great content!
Can you do this to a roasted maple neck? I have a very light scratch going the length of the fretboard maybe three inches long. I'm unsure how it got there. Was thinking of doing a light sand and then this. would you use the same grit for this? For reference its a Q series 5 pc maple/bubinga neck.
In principle yes you can of course do this to roasted maple same as plain maple. BUT you have to be sure your neck has an oil finish. I thought the Q series necks were satin varnish? Also, trying to sand the fingerboard you may end up making it worse, introducing a lighter color to part of the board where it was sanded compared to the rest of it, because it may have darkened with age and oils from your fingers. I would suggest just leaving it alone. In time you may not even see it.
@@deanallen927 great question. I think a body would be better to have a full oil finish on it, that means putting on a coat of oil, letting it dry, sanding it back and repeating five or six times to build up an actual finish. Look for how people do oil finish on gunstocks.
Not really. It's not really necessary in this case we are specifically after the feel of (almost) raw wood and a light surface coat of oil is all we need to protect it against moisture. It's not durable, offers no real protection against knocks, but is very easy to maintain and repair scratches or dents. In general woodworking terms, multiple layers of oil create a real oil finish is midway between a light single layer and a real lacquer or polymer varnish. Real varnish finishes offer best protection and minimum maintenance but repairs of chips or deep scratches is more difficult.
I don’t know what you mean by “rosewood is a maple wood” but yes, you can use the oil on any wood. I’m a very tight grain hardwood like Ebony maybe very little oil will soak in to the surface at all, it may not be necessary. But you are wiping off the excess oil before it thickens or hardens so that’s not a problem.
I have a few guitars most of which are in different stages of modification. I was thinking of sanding the neck of one down to bare wood and applying the oil and wax. What do you think.
Thanks for the Great Video! I have a Fender neck that ive unfinished with 150p-220p-320p-400p sandpaper (Canada 3m). do you recommend using ony one coat of Tru Oil and buff it right away? (Im not going to use the wax didnt like the feel on my other neck) Thanks in advance! Matan
@@Matan2222222 No, you can go for the wax right away. there’s really very little drying to be done. The wood soaks up a little right away and the excess comes off on the paper towels (which is really what the buffing is about).
It prevents the need to remove the tuners to do this maintenance. And since you don’t play on the headstock there is no advantage to this type of finish. Just makes sense to gloss it
I think so. Personally, I prefer the Ernie Ball Wonder Wipes fretboard conditioner for all fretboards. It's like a "wet wipe" for unfinished fretboards but oil impregnated. One wipe allows we to condition and clean 8 to 10 fretboards. Wipe on, then buff off with paper towels. On really dry fretboards, leave it a few minutes to soak in, repeat the application if necessary before buffing off.
Is a said in the video, so people never feel the need, some people do it once every year or two, I do it once or twice per year. It’s entirely up to you.
Any alternatives to Birchwood products? They are insanely pricey where I live and can only be ordered with 2 week wait time. Also, if I were to only use one product, which one would it be?
Any quality gunstock oil would work fine. Personally I would use the oil rather than just the wax. In fact I plan to next time, just to see what difference it makes, if any.
you can easily mix your own with blo, a bit of urethane, and spirits. test the ratios out on scrap. danish and tung oil finish are similar, too. they're all just various ratios of the basic ingredients.
Fretboard? On the fretboard use fretboard/ fingerboard conditioning oil. I like the Ernie Ball wonder wipes for that. If a neck is finished and you try to oil and wax it, you’ll just make a mess. Try on a small unobtrusive part of the neck first. Or just contact Ibanez and ask them first.
Dunno why but there's a strong Bob Ross vibe here. "We'll paint a happy little tree right here. Just a few strokes. That's all you have to do...". Great vid.
I just use 3 - 4 lite-coats of Tru Oil. I did not like the feel of the wax, so I stopped using it. Great info presented here. I have a Sterling SS-4 Bass and it came out incredible. I also did a little fret-end filing - it now plays like a Custom Shop. oNe LovE from NYC
The information about this is the way MUSIC MAN does their necks is 100% true and can be proven by watching the Video titled
"Inside Music Man | Factory tour" at the 12:26 mark of the video posted just 10 days ago. So the info is up to date. Music Man has oiled the necks this way for years and years.
I followed your advice on an unfinished neck i got from Warmoth and i love it! Thank you very much for the video.
Tru-oil takes several hours to dry and probably 24 hours or more to fully cure. I would wait a while before waxing, to make sure the Tru-oil has had a chance to harden properly.
As I said in the video that's not necessary here. We are not building a up a finish, we doing a very light surface treatment, it's just a small amount of oil spread very thin. And this is exactly as done in the factory. And I've been doing this for many, many years. Trust me!
@@DrKevGuitar I will trust your words on my next project.
Thanks a bunch! This made daring to reshape a nitro neck that I ordered and the applying oil instead! Thank you!
I enjoyed this Kev & was actually rather therapeutic to watch 😁 Good style & approach .. I’m going to try this next time I change strings … oh & a big YES to videos on guitar set up !!! 😁😀☺️
I have done this quick and satisfying process on one of my telecasters and two of my acoustics. I start with P600 dry and then finish with a wet sand with P1500. A Dab of Tru-Oil and done. Thanks for this video. Hopefully more folks are trying this application. The results are satin smooth necks that are beautiful.👍
Great job
Thank you, Wayne!
So cool, thank you for this video! I love my Music Man Silhouette, and I bought a different guitar recently with a completely unfinished neck which I plan to use this process on.
You’re very welcome!
I did it..... thank you ....worked very well 🎼🎶🎵💯💯
I got a Siggery Fury in trade for an amp some years back. The neck was absolutely stark naked and frankly a little rough for my taste. The previous owner didn’t seem to have played it much. The fret ends up high were rough too. I sanded the neck and rolled the edges of the ebony fingerboard and planed the fret edges with sandpaper mounted on a board. Then I applied gunstock oil in several coats to build up a bit of gloss, buffing with 000 steel wool between applications.
I achieved a heavier finish than the one demonstrated here but still very thin. I might try this even more minimalistic treatment on another neck.
same here. I did too many applications and buffing and waxing. Next project will be the minimalistic treatment
I threw out all the steel wool I had - I back sanded a bird's eye strat neck I'd stained to pop the grain and it got into the pores and turned all the grain an ugly gray. Luckily it hid well under some Stewmac vintage tint nitro; but no more steel wool for me!
If you wanna go à little further, you can actually apply your oil more liberally and wet sand it in the wood with very fine sandpaper, we're talking 1500ish. You then wipe off the excess oil and sand dust with a cloth in the direction of the grain, let dry for a few hours and then wax.
Thank you so much.Just what I needed🙏
Hey man, great video! I’ve had my stingray a couple years now and, ehem, it’s probably time for some maintenance haha. Hey, don’t judge, been busy playin’ it! Anyway, perfect video - never done this process before in 20 years of playing bass haha!
Great video. Show us how to do a whole neck, oil and wax back, lacquer headstock.
thank you,needed this!
Does this darken the wood or enhance the grain? I just ordered a quarter sawn roasted maple neck and searching for the best way to finish it.
Yes it will enhance the grain and wood color and yes darken a little too.
Cool video, thanks for the info.
You’re welcome!
Does the wax finish make the satin-y finish of the tru oil any less slick? Or does it help make the neck feel even smoother? I'm thinking I may just go with a tru oil finish instead of oil and wax, but I'd like to hear your thoughts, if you don't mind.
Hopefully, long COVID is no longer giving you any issues!
The wax reduces friction even more. By all means just stop at the oil if you like it like that. Sadly, I’ve passed my one year anniversary with Long COVID with no end in sight. Crossing my fingers for improvement I the next few months. I appreciate your good wishes. Thank you!
Aw, man, sorry to hear that. Hopefully, you get some relief sooner than later.
Thanks very much for your video and your thoughts on oil and wax. Take good care!
@@DrKevGuitartried this method without wax but the problem is I immediately used the guitar. Somehow it is a bit tacky. Idk if it is my sweat or I need to dry it out for few minutes? Will the wax will help? Love the satin-y feel thank you
I’ll be treating my first unfinished neck. No tuners installed yet. Would I use the oil on the headstock and fretboard as well? The wax? Great video for a rookie like me. Thank you! (Btw, I had Covid in 2022. Took a long time to get energy back. Trusting you are feeling well now that time has passed)
Super! I just wish you'd have published this video 13-14 months ago instead of 9, as I let both the oil and the wax to sit for way too long and therefore should redo the process for my 3-piece guitarobe.
Although I agree - the process is really quick and pleasant especially with a coffee at hand - having a day job and a family with small kids, it's a rare occasion to have enough patience and me-time to remove the necks, create a suitable workspace for sanding and make all the other preparations before getting into the process itself, as what I really should do is to play the guitar instead of a playing a IRL RPG as a wannabe-luthier. :)
LOL! Yes, I know exactly what you mean. Thanks so much for your comment. 🙂
Can I use the wax process after using boiled linseed oil instead? Yes, I would like to learn more stuff from you, please continue to show us other tricks.
@@kcsvantasticvoyages9729 yes you should be able to use the wax after the linseed oil. Follow Naeder instructions correctly when it’s properly dried/cured you’re good to go.
I have used this method to coat the neck of my bass which I sanded down the matte paint off of, which eventually turned gloss by all the playing and the grease of my hands. But I am curious to see if this would also help with the feel of the neck of the bass I play all the time which already has some sort of oil finish on it? It is a maple neck and it doesn't look dry like an unfinished wood, would it hurt to try?
No, the worst you could do (if the finish was thick) is make on oily mess which you would just clean off. Personally, I would start as I did here with a light sandpaper clean and take the shiny finish back to matte, then oil. Go lightly first, and maybe just a small part of the neck near the heel to see how it goes on. 👍
@@DrKevGuitar Thanks man, right now it is not that bad but it is uneven and it gets glossy and sticky as the grease of my palm polishes the the back of the neck. I sand it down lightly to get rid of the dirt when it happens but it goes back to its usual state since there isn't a properly sealing finish. Previously I used a combination of beeswax and mineral oil (baby oil) since they were the only types of agents that I had and could work as surface finish. This attempt like my previous attempt will be out of curiousity as much it is a need for the bass. I will come back with the results.
Would your typical guitar lemon oil + carnuoba wax work? I want to restore an old mahogany neck on a Charvel I have and can't find either gunstock tru-oil and wax where I reside, sadly (Chile, SoutAm). I do have the sandpaper, a P1200 labeled one.
No, simply because mahogany is not a wood that works well with this kind of finish. Mahogany necks and bodies are always given a lacquer or varnish finish. You should look for advice specifically on finishing mahogany.
Can you apply the wax the next day, or does it need to be done successively, as shown? Thank you.
@@srincident I don’t see why not. Shouldn’t make much difference.
Hello,tengo un bajo musicman con diapasón de arce,también lleva el mismo proceso en el diapasón?? Tru oil y wax?
Trank you😊
Yes, but I prefer Ernie Ball “Wonder wipes” fretboard conditioner. Each wipe has a lot of oil so i keep them in a ziplock bag and I can reuse them 8 or 10 times. Just wile the fretboard, let sit for a few minutes and then use paper towels to clean and wipe off the excess oil.
Trank You!!!!!!
Very good video! That finish is the best. But please, never ever throw a wet oily paper towel directly in the garbage! Tru-oil, tung oil etc can self combust and burn down your house. No kidding. Stay safe and keep posting great content!
Yes, that’s the standard advice. I always wet the oily paper towels before going to garbage. It’s perfectly safe like that.
Can you do this to a roasted maple neck? I have a very light scratch going the length of the fretboard maybe three inches long. I'm unsure how it got there. Was thinking of doing a light sand and then this. would you use the same grit for this? For reference its a Q series 5 pc maple/bubinga neck.
In principle yes you can of course do this to roasted maple same as plain maple. BUT you have to be sure your neck has an oil finish. I thought the Q series necks were satin varnish? Also, trying to sand the fingerboard you may end up making it worse, introducing a lighter color to part of the board where it was sanded compared to the rest of it, because it may have darkened with age and oils from your fingers. I would suggest just leaving it alone. In time you may not even see it.
Have you ever done this to an alder guitar body? I thought it would be nice on a parts tele.
@@deanallen927 great question. I think a body would be better to have a full oil finish on it, that means putting on a coat of oil, letting it dry, sanding it back and repeating five or six times to build up an actual finish. Look for how people do oil finish on gunstocks.
@@DrKevGuitar Cool, thanks.
Are there more benefits of applying multiple layers of oil?
Not really. It's not really necessary in this case we are specifically after the feel of (almost) raw wood and a light surface coat of oil is all we need to protect it against moisture. It's not durable, offers no real protection against knocks, but is very easy to maintain and repair scratches or dents. In general woodworking terms, multiple layers of oil create a real oil finish is midway between a light single layer and a real lacquer or polymer varnish. Real varnish finishes offer best protection and minimum maintenance but repairs of chips or deep scratches is more difficult.
Is Tru-oil the same thing as Gunstock oil?
Yes, Tru-Oil is a gunstock oil.
Would gun stock oil work with any wood? Including rosewood? Would I even need to oil a rosewood guitar neck since it’s a maple wood?
I don’t know what you mean by “rosewood is a maple wood” but yes, you can use the oil on any wood. I’m a very tight grain hardwood like Ebony maybe very little oil will soak in to the surface at all, it may not be necessary. But you are wiping off the excess oil before it thickens or hardens so that’s not a problem.
Good info.
Do you think that an unfinished neck that has been oiled feels better than a finished neck that has been sanded.
Yes, I do think so, but some people may not agree.
I have a few guitars most of which are in different stages of modification.
I was thinking of sanding the neck of one down to bare wood and applying the oil and wax.
What do you think.
@@Axen5986 It is irreversible and may affect the resale value but anyone I know who has done so has been happy with the result.
Thanks for the Great Video! I have a Fender neck that ive unfinished with 150p-220p-320p-400p sandpaper (Canada 3m).
do you recommend using ony one coat of Tru Oil and buff it right away? (Im not going to use the wax didnt like the feel on my other neck)
Thanks in advance!
Matan
Yes. That’s all you need.
@@DrKevGuitar Do you recommend letting the tru oil dry after buffing or to use the wax right away?
@@Matan2222222 No, you can go for the wax right away. there’s really very little drying to be done. The wood soaks up a little right away and the excess comes off on the paper towels (which is really what the buffing is about).
Why is the ebmm headstock normally left gloss? Is this a stylistic decision?
I guess so, they’ve been doing it since the early 90s when they started the oil and wax finished necks.
It prevents the need to remove the tuners to do this maintenance. And since you don’t play on the headstock there is no advantage to this type of finish. Just makes sense to gloss it
so on a maple neck do they do the fretboard and everything?
I think so. Personally, I prefer the Ernie Ball Wonder Wipes fretboard conditioner for all fretboards. It's like a "wet wipe" for unfinished fretboards but oil impregnated. One wipe allows we to condition and clean 8 to 10 fretboards. Wipe on, then buff off with paper towels. On really dry fretboards, leave it a few minutes to soak in, repeat the application if necessary before buffing off.
Triple boosted neck
Thanks
Tape clothes first.
Thank you!
What wax are you using?
Birchwood Casey Gunstock Wax
Do you have to repeat the process every now and then ? How long will the oil&wax finish last?
Is a said in the video, so people never feel the need, some people do it once every year or two, I do it once or twice per year. It’s entirely up to you.
Any alternatives to Birchwood products? They are insanely pricey where I live and can only be ordered with 2 week wait time.
Also, if I were to only use one product, which one would it be?
Any quality gunstock oil would work fine. Personally I would use the oil rather than just the wax. In fact I plan to next time, just to see what difference it makes, if any.
you can easily mix your own with blo, a bit of urethane, and spirits. test the ratios out on scrap. danish and tung oil finish are similar, too. they're all just various ratios of the basic ingredients.
I got an ibanez artcore and the fretboard seems unfinished, or nearly. Can i oil+wax it if i'm not sure how it was finished?
Fretboard? On the fretboard use fretboard/ fingerboard conditioning oil. I like the Ernie Ball wonder wipes for that. If a neck is finished and you try to oil and wax it, you’ll just make a mess. Try on a small unobtrusive part of the neck first. Or just contact Ibanez and ask them first.
@@DrKevGuitar Thanks so much!!
Here is Inside MUSIC MAN confirming the oiled necks ua-cam.com/video/z9jmUohv-h0/v-deo.htmlsi=1DA5vBXuf4XoaHW1&t=745
Technically you're supposed to buff in one direction, up with the grain
спасибо.привет из россии!