How to finish a guitar neck 

Rather than use tape to fill your tuner holes, try using cheap foam earplugs. Not the cylindrical ones, the slightly tapered earplugs They seal up great and are re- usable, and really cheap.

Great info, thanks. The teak oil definitely looks better than the gloss in my opinion. Gonna give it a try and see how it works. Thanks.

Whether your hand squeaks on a gloss finish neck depends on your hand. Someone with dry hands like me prefers gloss necks because they glide smoother along my hand whereas matte/satin necks create extra friction against my dry skin and produce a sand-papery noise.

I’ve felt sticky gloss necks before, but I’ve also got an American professional and a silver sky with gloss maple necks and they play fantastic. I think it’s a matter of buffing a gloss finish and not leaving it straight from the gun.

I'm a bit late commenting on this but I've just started building my own guitar and I've only recently discovered your channel but for every question I have for self building you seem to have the answer. So stick with it my guy, and keep up the quality help and advice vids 👍

I used Cabot's Satin Clear & it's exactly the matte feel i need. Wish I'd found it years ago. Would have saved me a lot of sanding of brand new necks.

Brad, your videos are the best of their kind on RU-vid. Thank you for all of your help.

Wow! This popped up in time. I was prepared to wet sand the whole neck to super smooth glossy to 1000 but kept reading you may not want it too smooth. This will give me the look I want with less work - only one sanding at 400. Thanks Brad!

Since Im without a working guitar now, Ive started on the Tele. I ordered the pickups.. A Hot Tele 63 for the bridge, and a gold foil Tele for the neck. So, those are ready to roll. Got the locking tuners and bone nut also. Ive already got 2 coats of tung oil on the mahogany/ebony neck. Its the Formbys low gloss type. It says to use steel wool after each coat drys but Im using 1000 grit instead. After I get 4-5 coats on Im going over it lightly with 800 grit because I want a satin feel. Ive got that can of poly for the headstock, and I have it taped off. I'm super happy with the tung oil. Its exactly the neck finish what I wanted. Looks awesome, and really easy to do. I'm going to use True Oil over the painted body. Yea, I'm going for it. lol If it gets wavy or bumpy, I'll polish it flat at the end with some compound and polish. My only question is if I should scuff up the paint before I apply the true oil? I think I should, but want to make sure the scuffs dont show when Im done. I'll prob use 1000 grit to do the scuffing. Sound like a plan?

Thanks Brad, well explained. No problemo.

Well Brad, thanks for a great demonstration, and of course video, you have give me the confidence on tackling my latest project. 👍🏻👍🏻

I have say you have mademyday. With your help, I have finally found a guitar finish that I have been looking for. I can put it together, but the really nice finish without a spray booth is a tough call. Your technique is EXCELLENT. A finish applied by hand is perfect for me at this time. Something good is going to happen to you. Thanks again for all your help. You are the Man...

I like the humor "unless you dont like me and that wouldnt make any sense" and your right it wouldnt. Thanks Ive learned alot today

I like tru oil for finishing. 3-4 coats gives a natural feel, 5-7 for real smooth, 10+ for a gloss. I usually use 3 coats if it's for me. As for getting the gloss off a neck, I use 1,000 or 1,200 grit sandpaper. Steel wool works to, but it leaves little metal shavings that always find their way to the pickups.

I've never tape'd off the heel like you did. Never had any issues with re-fitting within the pocket and if I ever did, I would just steel-wool it and follow up with a light buff. I typically spray on Nitro-Cell and to get a smoother action on the back of the neck, again I'll steel wool it with 1000 or higher.

This guy is a genius I would have never thought of that and it looks better than gloss paint

Getting ready to start a DIY project and this was very helpful, Thanks

The stripe on the back or "skunk stripe" is usually walnut. Great video - My finishing skills have improved quite a lot since i've started watching your videos!

Perfect! That was exactly what I was looking for. Thanks

Nice channel Brad, some really good material on there! Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge!

so this is what Jake Gyllenhaal is up to these days. Thanks, Jake!

LMAOL too funny & great video as always brad !! :)

Good point. Better not to be tripping while you walk the fretboard than to be walking the fretboard while you're 'tripping'!

i received an unfinished neck for my mexi strat. this video was interesting and informative on what to do and what not to do and reason why. thanks

What about just sanding the wood with a 400 grain sanding paper? I just did it and it's super comfortable to play

The best way to finish a guitar is to throw it out of the window lollllls

Great video Brad l use tru oil on my necks super easy to use. THANKS for all you do on RU-vid!!

Thanks for the lesson. Gonnna do a new baritone neck for a build I'm doing. My first time finishing a neck and your video was very informative.

Thanks for the tip! not going to do this but I liked watching how it's done.

I know that this is an old video, but THANKS. I was just at the point of figuring out how to re-do the back of my Ibanez neck. That teak oil looks absolutely perfect. I'm off to the store tomorrow to get a can.

This some useful stuff... Time to sand my accoustic guitar neck

I personally love a vintage tinted gloss neck but have never tackled a diy job. Though have used TruOil gun stock oil on several and it work great and takes a nice Turtle wax finish afterward to be similar to gloss finish. Thanks for your vid and great info. You do some Really nice work.

Great tutorials mate. I happened across your channel recently, having bought my first kit guitar and doing a heap of research. Subscribed!

Great help, to understand how to! Thanks!

Thanks it looks very nice!

Recently I was thinking about making a Fender Telecaster like a Rickenbacker; neck through, finished rosewood fretboard, ect. I thought it would be cool to see you do that👌

Great video, thank you!! I was wondering if it would work on doing a whole guitar body that way if I stripped it down to the bare would. Would it give enough protection? Trying to get that natural wood finish. Thanks again.

Awesome job thanks

Thank you that was very helpful!

Good one, Brad, very nicely done! Only thing I'd recommend would be to use blue painter's tape rather than standard masking tape; it's less sticky, won't leave glop when it's removed, and will definitely come up in one piece, something that ya can't guarantee with a lot of regular masking tape.

Hi Brad, thanks for Your movie. I`m using teak oil for fingerboard too - it gives amazing feeling more better than lemon oil

Great video. Thanks for the detail.

Thank you Brad, very helpful vid as I contemplate finishing my new neck for my Squier Strat. Cheers!

Your classes are helping me so much prof

Look to camera at 5.16. haha! that made me laugh :) Great video, clear explanations. Top work, Brad. Thank you!

hey Brad, awesome channel! I recently found it and I really enjoy your tutorials... quick question, if I wan't to apply a decal do I apply it first and then the teak oil? or vice versa?

@Brad Angrove - If you want to put a waterslide decal on the neck, can you put teak oil on over the decal, or will the oil damage the decal? Thanks!

Thanks bro. Awesome channel !

Brad, just one detail I'd like to point out. When you said one could run a drill bit through the same tuner holes, if there's a buildup of paint. inside the holes. A drill bit can be risky to use. The best thing to use is a tapered hand reamer. Those are cheap. But you can also use a machine reamer (which is not tapered) and turn it by hand. With a hand reamer you can never chip the holes, as might happen with a drill bit.

Brad, I have a kit I bought from Precision Guitar because I’m trying to support Canada now that I know it is the brain for the USA. The neck is maple and sanded to 400 grit. I was thinking about staining it with Minwax Natural 209 stain. I thought it would help bring out the grain in the wood. Then, I was going to use teak oil on top of the stain or maybe even behlens string instrument lacquer. I like the natural look of the maple neck. If this was your build, what would you do? Would you skip the stain and just go with the teak oil? Thanks for your help in the past Brad. You’ve always lead me down the right path. Thanks, Ken

Hi Brad, I have a new flame maple neck with a quilt veneer head stock. I plan on useing some dye and than sanding sealer to lock it in. I think I should laquer the head stock but I wanted to use tru oil for the back. I have heard that the neck could warp if it's not sealed with something harder. Should I be concerned, I do live in Fl. but only play inside. Please any suggestions as this is my first build. This is a warmouth neck and states on the neck no warranty if finished in oil thanks keith

Great videos and tips, love your work.

Great channel bro !

You are a great teacher, as well as extraordinarily charming!

May i know what did u use to make that gloss? I wanna do on my Squier Tele headstock but i dont know how

A lefty! I'll try to not hold it against you.... Nice videos. This is a new hobby I really enjoy, very similar in many respects to refinishing rifles, one of my other pass-times.

Teak oil isn’t just pure oil - different manufacturers add different drying agents and solvents to make it easy to use. I would experiment on some smooth pine and see how sticky it is when dry. You may have to polish it with a fine synthetic scouring pad to get it smooth. Depends on the oil. Also some companies add just a little dye so it is darker than Danish oil.

That was excellent, Brad. I've never used teak oil -- but will.

My first electric guitar was an epiphone les Paul. So I’m pretty used to thick necks and gloss finishes.

I may not have caught it in the video, but how long should I wait before putting the hardware on? I'm using teak oil.

Great video man. I watch them over and over to get it all. Having said that, I had a neat coincidence on my first build or better yet, my first relic of a guitar. That extra thickness I didn't know about saved the guitar in every single way possible. I just don't get it on this one cause the action was not redeemable. I sanded thr frets level and hoped for the best. That Squier replaced his Stratocaster. How funny! It's all about that neck. What I do is clean it up and make the quality of the feeling like a Fender and in some case's, better. Shine is nice but it slows ya down. Even the top guy's dull it from playing.

Quick question, I have a roasted maple bass neck that I want to tung oil the back of the neck and have a gloss headstock. How do I go about this? Tung oil the whole thing first then get some poly or lacquer for the headstock or do headstock first then tung oil? It has no finish on it now. Thank you in advance. Love the videos.

Great videos, Brad! Any reason why I couldn't use teak oil on the guitar body as well, for a natural finish?

I have a Mighty Mite Maple neck that already has a light oil finish on it. It's really light and I want to darken it up a bit. Will the oil you use do that or is there another type of wipe on product I can use to darken it up? I really don't mind I'd it's gloss or satin. Thanks

What do you notmally do with the fretboard on kit guitars? Sand and apply a finish? Is there much difference between Teak Oil, Boiled Linseed oil and Tru oil for the back of the neck?

Want to remove the lacquer on the back of the necks of my Epiphone SG and Yamaha RS420 but dont want to damage the paint underneath. Is it possible to do this or can a painted neck not be sanded to a satin finish?

good video with helpful advice, thank-you...

is the neck ready to play after letting the finish harden for only 15-20 minutes? seems like that's really quick, especially when i read about people doing multiple coats over multiple days with nitro.

I'm amazed how many (patient) replies Brad has offered. Sometimes the same question again and again... 😉.

You can use the foamy ear plugs to fill the tuner holes as well.

Hey Brad - I’m preparing to do my first neck finish and want to be sure I get it right. It’s an all-maple warmoth telex neck and I’d like to add some color before finishing with polyurethane. Do you have any advice about applying stain to a neck and fretboard?

Hi Brad, firstly, awesome and very informative channel, and video! Well done man! A quick question, and I apologise if this was covered before- to place decals on the neck, should this be applied before or after applying the oil and, do I then need to apply a lacquer to the areas where the decals are? Thanks so much! Gil

tried to look at the comment section for an answer but didnt find one, but when you tape the fretboard from the sides (so where it transitions with the neck) there is a buildup spet/ladder of the finish/paint where you took the tape off so what to do with that ?

Thanks, well explained. I wonder: with a maple fretboard, if i want to apply lacquer on it, would you siggest covering the frets with tape? Thanks!

I wanted to stain my maple neck and fretboard a darker color and also wanted it to be glossy what would you recommend?

Hi Brad, Does the teak oil dry or harden or cure or whatever, or just stay oily/greasy. I wish I knew which oils hardened up. It never really says that on the can. I use raw linseed oil to rehydrate rosewood fretboards and I know it doesn’t really harden much if I was to leave it on. Which I don’t.

Hey Brad great videos. Quick question I have a fully maple neck. How do you recommend finishing the finger board side? Can I use the same oil on that side?

Hey Brad! Love your videos. I have a question for you, if not too much trouble - I just did a superb full scallop on a guitar today and used Watco teak oil after. It looks great right now, but I'm concerned that if I don't put some kind of clear coat over it that it will turn gray. What do you think? Should I use a Watco spray lacquer or just leave it with the Teak oil?

How long do you have to wait after you spray the headstock before you can add the decal? I’m trying to get the color coat and clear coat done on the same day so there are no adhesion problems. But I want to make sure I can get the decal on before the clear. Or do I have to wait a whole day for the paint to dry before I can add the decal?

Very very good video Brad! A question... how to use tru oil to obtain a bit ambered colour on the neck? Tru oil is quite transparent. I would like to paint my necks to obtain that glossy yellow vintage colour. Do u suggest me not using tru oil? Which one? Thank u in advance.

Brad, Quick couple of questions: Do you think I could do this after staining it a Fender Amber color? I'm using a Reranch can of amber that contains no lacquer. I was figuring: spray it - light sand - finish with a satin... but I immediately think I'm changing that to teak oil. Should I keep my steps the same for the teak oil? Does it typically require a light sanding in the end? Your thoughts?

Can I put a clear coat on it after oiling it up? Want to get that color but a clear coat too...

Hey Brad, loving your channel, super helpful! Had question for you as I've seen you use Tung oil on the fretboard too - can you just not mask it off and use Teak or Tung oil on the whole unfinished neck (fretboard included) and that would be fine as a finish? And would you always need to thin the oil first? Thanks!

Brad Off topic question, how would you fix a fretboards radius, wood filler or change the radius? Was a9.5 edges were sanded a hair too much

Here is the issue I have run into, When repainting a Les Paul the neck is usually painted and finished with Nitro. How do you not end up with that line where the rosewood fret board meets the neck? By painting and putting Nitro on the body of the neck is now wider than the fret board. I am going to be starting a refinishing of a 1987 Gibson SG Special and was thinking of removing the Ebony fret board and then painting and finishing the neck. Is that the only way to not have that higher build up?

Hi! Good evening! After applying oil on the headstock, then apply a decal, after applying the decal, how many coats of oil should be applied on the decal side? To erase the outlines, thanks!

Hi! I know this is an old video but im trying to get the gloss silversky neck feel, is this the same?

Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil is awesome for neck finishing!

Hi....thanks for the video..how about the sand paper grade...only use 1 grade only?(400)

Hey Brad, just wondering if you would mind answering why you use 400 grit instead of finer grit? I tried a small area with 1000 grit and it feels pretty good, but not sure what the difference is when teak oil is applied.

Brad, what kind of finish is used on a glossy maple fretboard? Regular poly, or something more durable? I like the teak oil idea for the back of the neck.

what do you do if the inlays on the side are are half in and half off the fretboard like some fenders. Do you tape them off to? Or just tape off the top of the fretboard?

Hey Brad. How would you go about tinting a guitar neck to a more amber color in canada? couldn’t really find any good dyes or supplies at the local home depot or canadian tires.

On a mahogany neck would you grain fill prior to this technique? Thank you!

Thanks. Gteat video. So what oil, or mybe somthing else, you can recomande for apsolutly fastest, no sticking, no glose, super smooth nacks? Is it Tung oil, Tru oil, Danish oil, Teac oil?

Hello, I'd like to paint my neck blue. I already put a white acrylic primer on it. What type of color aint do i now choose? What kind of clear coat on the top? I use Spray can paints. Thanks in advance

Does anything need to go over the teak oil to protect it or can the teal oil be the only thing on it. Also is it same to put this on maple fretboards that are the same color as the back of the neck

Hi Brad enjoyed this video. If your going to add a decal (water slide )would you do it before or after the teak oil?

Hey Brad - any danger in doing teak oil on a maple fretboard too? Trying to figure out what I'm going to do with mine...

Thanks for the video! I have a maple neck with maple fretboard I’m adding to a Mexican Strat. Would you use the teak oil on the board too? Or something else?