I was so pleased with the results from refinishing my bass neck that I decided to do the same to my tele. This neck originally had a Tru-oil Gunstock finish on it that I sanded off. It was my first expieriment with finishing and it didn’t go very well. In hind sight, I think I may have bought a defective bottle. I remember the oil being more like a tar that was incredibly difficult to spread. Honestly this was about 12 years ago so my memory is not to be trusted.
I used 320 grit paper for sanding, and used a damp paper towel to raise the grain periodicaly. It did not take very long to get this neck prepped.
The oil was very easy to spread, and I followed the same process as the previous neck. 3 coats, pass with 0000 steelwool, 1 more coat, pass w/ steelwool, final coat, and final pass with steelwool. Then I added two coats of the gunstock wax and reassembled the guitar.
Shots between coats of the Tru-oil:
The finish builds nicely and each coat blends perfectly. The steelwool between coats really helps knock down any rough spots and dulls the sheen a little bit.
The finish is now complete and feels incredible. It’s fast, smooth, and yet it still feels like wood. I really don’t like thick, glossy finishes on necks and this is a great option to protect the wood without loosing the feel.
The guitar plays and feels incedible now. I’m really glad I did this and have been enjoying the guitar.