I have this dilemma on my 75 cust tele. Serial numbers and different stamps etc need to be preserved. Given that its been built for my 12 year old cousin whos father owned it, I had to respray the body (because someone tryed to respray the body 3 different colours and botched all of them). Ihad to get 3different colours of the neck insert and some that transferred to the neck. It was a natural finish. Also i had to build a fully loaded pickguard. Pheeeew....

Thank you for sharing your insight. Over the past year I have learned so much.

These videos are great. With we had youtube and your videos in the 80s. Again, great video.

Hi, Chris. Thanks for elaborating on a question I and others have asked! I've seen instruments that use copper foil or conductive paint to seal control and even pickup cavities. I know you've discussed the issue of shielding and its effectiveness, but that issue aside, I'm assuming that copper foil or conductive paint still function as designed when applied over sealed wood? I'm always glad when you emphasize the steps one can take to ward off humidity. I'm a novice, but I've bought enough raw wood from climates that are way more humid than mine (Nevada desert) and have watched it warp, cup, and twist practically before my very eyes. I sure the same happens in reverse, when wood from a dry clime ends up in a humid clime.

You make good points and explain them very well. It would be helpful to include some context in the title which indicated the joint type(s) you will be discussing. I am primarily focused on guitars where the in common parlance' the heel typically means the portion of the neck which is exposed outside of the dovetail or the fitted glue-joint. Yes the heel does include the portion of the neck which is within the glue joint. However I misunderstood what was being discussed. This said; thank you for taking the time to create your videos which clearly explore and explain why one should or should not do things like seal or finish various portions of the neck joint. I appreciate that your videos spend time talking about the WHY and not just the HOW of building instruments. Many videos omit too much WHY in their content. Covering too much why can feel condescending sometimes when watching a video. At the same time for people starting out; the nuances of the why are essential learning.

Good info

Thank you Chris! I recently commissioned a luthier to build a (bolt in) bass neck. Despite never having had any close encounter with wood, your videos about the boiled linseed oil finish have given me the impression that i can manage to apply the finish myself. From all I've heard, seen and read in your channel so far, one should apply the finish to everything including the holes for the tuning machines, right? Even the pocket for the truss rod which makes sense to me but I'm afraid the kind luthier will think I'm crazy! Anyway, your channel is such a great resource, thank you.

Looking forward!

@HighlineGuitars

5 ай бұрын

Your question was the inspiration. Thanks!

@tsiggy

5 ай бұрын

@@HighlineGuitars : o I thank you!

@linuxbowling

5 ай бұрын

I need my fix! I hate waiting for your videos to come out. Instant gratification is what I'm used to. Come on already. Lol

@BryanClark-gk6ie

5 ай бұрын

​@@linuxbowling Not having patients and being demanding leads to early death.

@linuxbowling

5 ай бұрын

I hope the sarcasm in my comment was noted. It was meant to be playful not serious.

Love your channel. This all makes perfect sense. Question, you don't have to seal roasted maple necks from what Warmoth says I believe, do you agree?

Thanks for the info. I did a partcaster where I didn’t apply anything to the neck pocket. But I don’t think it’s that important in my case for the neck is all rosewood which would not absorb that much of moisture anyways.

Hi Chris, first, thank you for such informative videos. I plan to follow your advice with solarez to assemble my first guitar. My question probably doesn't have a good answer, however, I'll ask on the off chance you have some advice. I bought my first tele thinline body on ebay. Is there anything I should do to the inside of the "f" hole to lessen problems with humidity?

@HighlineGuitars

4 ай бұрын

I wouldn’t worry too much about the body. Chances in humidity will affect the tone to some degree, but there really is nothing you can do about it. No amount of sealer will prevent the wood from absorbing moisture.

Hi Chris! I'm doing the same actually, but only after finishing the guitar, and I use natural oil and wax finish. However, your video made me think about the truss rod channel, which is a lot of exposed wood too. I'm now considering putting a bit in there before gluing it all together. You answered this implicitely, so I guess you oil this channel too before gluing the fingerboard on? Only problem would be spilling oil on any surface to be glued afterwards. Do you have any thoughts on that or experiences you'd like to share? Kind regards, Alfons

@HighlineGuitars

5 ай бұрын

Q-tips!

Does this tip apply only to new builds? Or should we take our old strat neck off and oil the bare wood? At 2:25 on the tape, the reason for sealing wood is to prevent warping by water from the atmosphere. Does the penetration of oil change the dimensions of the wood and thus the snug fit of the neck?

@HighlineGuitars

5 ай бұрын

I don’t care about old guitars as I focus only on new builds. The application of oil has no effect on the dimensions of a guitar neck as long as you only apply one or two coats.

I agree here. I’ve always suspected that the hump that develops on bolt one is from the unfinished wood at the heel of the neck. That whole “transference” of vibrations thing is nonsense. First off, finish wouldn’t inhibit that, but more importantly it’s not desirable. The boat doesn’t produce sustain. It absorbs energy from the strings. That reduces the time the string vibrates, i.e., less sustain. Taken to an extreme is a banjo. Total energy transferred to the drum head. You get a loud acoustic output and zero sustain.

Should I put on the decal before or after the lint seed oil thanks

@HighlineGuitars

8 күн бұрын

I don’t recommend using linseed oil with decals because the oil takes weeks to cure before you can apply the decal and it won’t soak into the decal if applied after. Use lacquer after applying the decal.

I wish your videos were longer..

I've often wondered why manufacturers don't use some kind of sealer or oil on the inside of acoustic guitars. All that exposed wood leaves them very vulnerable to the elements. Cost is a big part of it I'm sure.

@victormarinelli5660

5 ай бұрын

It's my understanding that sealer/finish on an acoustic instrument is for protecting the wood and/or adding aesthetics. An acoustic instrument would sound its best with no finish on it, anywhere. That's what I "hear", anyways.

@LeonardoSilva-gr5fx

5 ай бұрын

luthier here. fixing acoustic instruments that are finished on the inside is a nightmare