Best Finish For Guitar Neck (2024 Update)

I got this neck to replace the one I had on my Squier FSR Bullet Telecaster (in Metallic Purple with Maple Fretboard). This telecaster has a Maple neck with a normal C shape and felt really unrefined for a "Fender" neck. I decided to get this Fender Telecaster Standard Replacement Neck with a Modern C shape neck. This new actual Fender neck was a drastic change in quality and performance. Here's just a quick Pros and Con of this product. PROS: Real Fender Product – Because this is an official Fender product, the neck replacement on my Squier was seamless and very simple. Modern C – Makes a better feeling guitar when playing compared to the normal C shape neck. Satin Neck Finish on back – The neck is very smooth feeling when playing. The finish on the back of the neck doesn't get in the way of you playing fast. This helps if you have sweaty hands when playing. Gloss fretboard – This makes a difference because if doesn't feel like your fingers are sticking to the fretboard. Medium Jumbo Frets – Just feels nice when moving around the fretboard. Bending strings feel nicer than my old Squier frets. Pre Drilled Holes for Tuners – I already had Fender locking tuners. So it was a simple swap with no mods needed. CONS: Nut not slotted – I don't understand why the NUT isn't slotted at least for common string size. It is very slightly to get you started but you would need a file. I just used the low E strong and used it like a file but it didn't come out too well and I've had to buy a new nut that comes preslotted. No predrilled String tree hold – This really wasn't too much of a problem but it's scary if you get it wrong. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase after two weeks of everyday playing with it. This was a much needed upgrade from my Squier telecaster neck I had.C. Barona

this is my 4th roasted neck and I can't recommend them enough. especially if you live on or near the water. I can pull out my strat or tele after not playing them for a few days and they are right in tune look at the quality that is put into them and you'd agree. when screwed to a sunburst or pastel colored body they just really enhance the look of your instrument. the cost of the roasted neck is something you gotta think about like do you really want to spend that kinda Ching on a neck? hell you can buy a standard neck for less or even buy an after market neck and play the same its all about the stability of the wood that closed the deal for me. dig down deep in yer pocket and pony up the Ching for one of these I'm pretty sure you be pleased you did. I have them mounted to Mexican fenders and American fenders all have mated up perfect and very little fret work was needed this is my experience with these necks and you will find the same. in short I dig mine and will in the future will only use these beautiesho-joe56

perfect fitment into a MIM fender body. finish was flawless and the dark maple is beautiful. mistake made on my part, not fender….. the roasted maple has so much less give than standard maple. I should have thought about that with all of the moisture being removed from the wood. I used fender press fit tuner bushings and installed them with a C-clamp as I always have. I heard the headstock crack as I was installing the D string bushing and my heart sank. Luckily, I was able to inject some wood glue and clamp it overnight to close it up, but I reamed out the G tuner bushing and learned my lesson. use care when installing the tuner bushings on anything roasted as the fibers in the wood simply will not compress the same way another neck would.Grey

I got this neck to replace the one I had on my Squier FSR Bullet Telecaster (in Metallic Purple with Maple Fretboard). This telecaster has a Maple neck with a normal C shape and felt really unrefined for a "Fender" neck. I decided to get this Fender Telecaster Standard Replacement Neck with a Modern C shape neck. This new actual Fender neck was a drastic change in quality and performance. Here's just a quick Pros and Con of this product. PROS: Real Fender Product – Because this is an official Fender product, the neck replacement on my Squier was seamless and very simple. Modern C – Makes a better feeling guitar when playing compared to the normal C shape neck. Satin Neck Finish on back – The neck is very smooth feeling when playing. The finish on the back of the neck doesn't get in the way of you playing fast. This helps if you have sweaty hands when playing. Gloss fretboard – This makes a difference because if doesn't feel like your fingers are sticking to the fretboard. Medium Jumbo Frets – Just feels nice when moving around the fretboard. Bending strings feel nicer than my old Squier frets. Pre Drilled Holes for Tuners – I already had Fender locking tuners. So it was a simple swap with no mods needed. CONS: Nut not slotted – I don't understand why the NUT isn't slotted at least for common string size. It is very slightly to get you started but you would need a file. I just used the low E strong and used it like a file but it didn't come out too well and I've had to buy a new nut that comes preslotted. No predrilled String tree hold – This really wasn't too much of a problem but it's scary if you get it wrong. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase after two weeks of everyday playing with it. This was a much needed upgrade from my Squier telecaster neck I had.C. Barona

this is my 4th roasted neck and I can't recommend them enough. especially if you live on or near the water. I can pull out my strat or tele after not playing them for a few days and they are right in tune look at the quality that is put into them and you'd agree. when screwed to a sunburst or pastel colored body they just really enhance the look of your instrument. the cost of the roasted neck is something you gotta think about like do you really want to spend that kinda Ching on a neck? hell you can buy a standard neck for less or even buy an after market neck and play the same its all about the stability of the wood that closed the deal for me. dig down deep in yer pocket and pony up the Ching for one of these I'm pretty sure you be pleased you did. I have them mounted to Mexican fenders and American fenders all have mated up perfect and very little fret work was needed this is my experience with these necks and you will find the same. in short I dig mine and will in the future will only use these beautiesho-joe56

perfect fitment into a MIM fender body. finish was flawless and the dark maple is beautiful. mistake made on my part, not fender….. the roasted maple has so much less give than standard maple. I should have thought about that with all of the moisture being removed from the wood. I used fender press fit tuner bushings and installed them with a C-clamp as I always have. I heard the headstock crack as I was installing the D string bushing and my heart sank. Luckily, I was able to inject some wood glue and clamp it overnight to close it up, but I reamed out the G tuner bushing and learned my lesson. use care when installing the tuner bushings on anything roasted as the fibers in the wood simply will not compress the same way another neck would.Grey

(1) directions on the can are a little small for my old eyes (needed to find my reading glasses). (2) Followed them to a T – and the application of the finish was mostly as advertised. except. (3) the product was used (4 thin coats) over prepared maple, exactly as directed, but the instruction could have advised that one ought to raise the grain, and sand off all nibs first. (4) After the 1st coat cured and dried – I had to abrasively remove most of it because the (hard maple) grain had raised (on glue-laminated table top) so that the smoothness of just one coat – looked pretty bad. This is after-all water-borne urethane based finish – and the suspension of the uncured- finish will soak the ends of the wood fibers.. duh. Still a few words of prevention (raise grain ) would have prevented a whole lot of frustration…and time wasted …"oh no Mr. Bill" 3 more coats and 2 more fine sanding rounds later I stopped…not completely satisfied. But I needed to deliver the table tops to my client. Durability of coating has been almost meeting expectations, except for durability in the location where it counts: In my experience this urethane coat when exposed to the cleaning solution required by the local health department, cuts the expected lifetime of the finish by 60%- to 70%… the alkaline constituent in the solution slowly attacks and dissolves the cured finish. It would be helpful to know that too.JOSEPH

We have some new white oak shelves that we'll be using in our kitchen. We wanted something to protect them but didn't change the color too much – really didn't want them to yellow. This product went on easily and the coloring stayed virtually the same. Highly recommend!Morgan

This product does have a learning curve to it. Works great on a small project, but the larger ones need a better understanding of how this product goes on. Despite following the multitude of YouTube videos and the manufacturers videos of just how easy this product is to apply, I was getting too many streaks while applying it to a large screen TV stand project. Frustrating. The only method of removing this product effectively is to strip it off chemically, then start over again. Practicing on smaller pieces is fine, but better off practicing on a larger piece to figure out the best method that will work for you. Looking back, I applied this product in January in my unheated basement (New England area) which might have added to my woes, temps in the upper fifties in my basement (RF of 60%). I wasn't able to heat the space effectively so I switched to GF's water based gloss finish and sprayed it on with an HVLP spray system which worked out much better and dried quicker.Thomas

I got this neck to replace the one I had on my Squier FSR Bullet Telecaster (in Metallic Purple with Maple Fretboard). This telecaster has a Maple neck with a normal C shape and felt really unrefined for a "Fender" neck. I decided to get this Fender Telecaster Standard Replacement Neck with a Modern C shape neck. This new actual Fender neck was a drastic change in quality and performance. Here's just a quick Pros and Con of this product. PROS: Real Fender Product – Because this is an official Fender product, the neck replacement on my Squier was seamless and very simple. Modern C – Makes a better feeling guitar when playing compared to the normal C shape neck. Satin Neck Finish on back – The neck is very smooth feeling when playing. The finish on the back of the neck doesn't get in the way of you playing fast. This helps if you have sweaty hands when playing. Gloss fretboard – This makes a difference because if doesn't feel like your fingers are sticking to the fretboard. Medium Jumbo Frets – Just feels nice when moving around the fretboard. Bending strings feel nicer than my old Squier frets. Pre Drilled Holes for Tuners – I already had Fender locking tuners. So it was a simple swap with no mods needed. CONS: Nut not slotted – I don't understand why the NUT isn't slotted at least for common string size. It is very slightly to get you started but you would need a file. I just used the low E strong and used it like a file but it didn't come out too well and I've had to buy a new nut that comes preslotted. No predrilled String tree hold – This really wasn't too much of a problem but it's scary if you get it wrong. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase after two weeks of everyday playing with it. This was a much needed upgrade from my Squier telecaster neck I had.C. Barona

this is my 4th roasted neck and I can't recommend them enough. especially if you live on or near the water. I can pull out my strat or tele after not playing them for a few days and they are right in tune look at the quality that is put into them and you'd agree. when screwed to a sunburst or pastel colored body they just really enhance the look of your instrument. the cost of the roasted neck is something you gotta think about like do you really want to spend that kinda Ching on a neck? hell you can buy a standard neck for less or even buy an after market neck and play the same its all about the stability of the wood that closed the deal for me. dig down deep in yer pocket and pony up the Ching for one of these I'm pretty sure you be pleased you did. I have them mounted to Mexican fenders and American fenders all have mated up perfect and very little fret work was needed this is my experience with these necks and you will find the same. in short I dig mine and will in the future will only use these beautiesho-joe56

perfect fitment into a MIM fender body. finish was flawless and the dark maple is beautiful. mistake made on my part, not fender….. the roasted maple has so much less give than standard maple. I should have thought about that with all of the moisture being removed from the wood. I used fender press fit tuner bushings and installed them with a C-clamp as I always have. I heard the headstock crack as I was installing the D string bushing and my heart sank. Luckily, I was able to inject some wood glue and clamp it overnight to close it up, but I reamed out the G tuner bushing and learned my lesson. use care when installing the tuner bushings on anything roasted as the fibers in the wood simply will not compress the same way another neck would.Grey

Nomad guitar polish is the best it does what it says on the tin I use it to clean up my silver guitar pickups they shine like they are brand new totally recommend itgeobo_7368

I recently purchased this to polish the frets on my guitar. Wow did this ever do the trick! Frets look like brand new practically. It works on so many areas of your guitar as well. Just a little goes a long way. Make sure you use blue painter's tape to protect the fretboard if you are polishing the frets. It says on the packaging instructions not to get it on the fretboard. I would highly recommend this product for anyone who is trying to restore their guitar to it's original glory.ESPfanatic

The nickel hardware on my Epiphone Les Paul Quilt-Top Pro began to fog up and tarnish a bit and I kept getting weird conflicting advice from others on how to fix this. Stumbled across the manufacturer's YouTube video on the polish and saw the product doing literally what I wanted. Swung by Guitar Center before it closed for the day to pick up a bottle. Works as intended. I only needed to apply a small bead sized drop of polish to my microfiber suede cloth for every part I was cleaning.Vance

I got this neck to replace the one I had on my Squier FSR Bullet Telecaster (in Metallic Purple with Maple Fretboard). This telecaster has a Maple neck with a normal C shape and felt really unrefined for a "Fender" neck. I decided to get this Fender Telecaster Standard Replacement Neck with a Modern C shape neck. This new actual Fender neck was a drastic change in quality and performance. Here's just a quick Pros and Con of this product. PROS: Real Fender Product – Because this is an official Fender product, the neck replacement on my Squier was seamless and very simple. Modern C – Makes a better feeling guitar when playing compared to the normal C shape neck. Satin Neck Finish on back – The neck is very smooth feeling when playing. The finish on the back of the neck doesn't get in the way of you playing fast. This helps if you have sweaty hands when playing. Gloss fretboard – This makes a difference because if doesn't feel like your fingers are sticking to the fretboard. Medium Jumbo Frets – Just feels nice when moving around the fretboard. Bending strings feel nicer than my old Squier frets. Pre Drilled Holes for Tuners – I already had Fender locking tuners. So it was a simple swap with no mods needed. CONS: Nut not slotted – I don't understand why the NUT isn't slotted at least for common string size. It is very slightly to get you started but you would need a file. I just used the low E strong and used it like a file but it didn't come out too well and I've had to buy a new nut that comes preslotted. No predrilled String tree hold – This really wasn't too much of a problem but it's scary if you get it wrong. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase after two weeks of everyday playing with it. This was a much needed upgrade from my Squier telecaster neck I had.C. Barona

this is my 4th roasted neck and I can't recommend them enough. especially if you live on or near the water. I can pull out my strat or tele after not playing them for a few days and they are right in tune look at the quality that is put into them and you'd agree. when screwed to a sunburst or pastel colored body they just really enhance the look of your instrument. the cost of the roasted neck is something you gotta think about like do you really want to spend that kinda Ching on a neck? hell you can buy a standard neck for less or even buy an after market neck and play the same its all about the stability of the wood that closed the deal for me. dig down deep in yer pocket and pony up the Ching for one of these I'm pretty sure you be pleased you did. I have them mounted to Mexican fenders and American fenders all have mated up perfect and very little fret work was needed this is my experience with these necks and you will find the same. in short I dig mine and will in the future will only use these beautiesho-joe56

perfect fitment into a MIM fender body. finish was flawless and the dark maple is beautiful. mistake made on my part, not fender….. the roasted maple has so much less give than standard maple. I should have thought about that with all of the moisture being removed from the wood. I used fender press fit tuner bushings and installed them with a C-clamp as I always have. I heard the headstock crack as I was installing the D string bushing and my heart sank. Luckily, I was able to inject some wood glue and clamp it overnight to close it up, but I reamed out the G tuner bushing and learned my lesson. use care when installing the tuner bushings on anything roasted as the fibers in the wood simply will not compress the same way another neck would.Grey

I ordered GHS' Gorgomyte cloth, the Nomad F-One fretboard oil, and some new strngs, GHS Burnished Roundwound Nickel Rockers Medium (11-50) for my Strat. Like others, I avoid lemon oil. First, I cleaned the fingerboard with some squares cut out from the Gorgomyte cloth (per the instructions). Then I applied the Nomad oil on the entire fretboard. I let it sit a few minutes and the rosewood fretboard soaked it right up. I applied a second coat, only this time I rubbed some on the back of the neck, too. Gave it a few minutes to soak in and wiped off the excess. Lubed the saddles and nut, and put on the new strings. What a difference! It feels so much faster and sounds great! I recommend this procedure every string change.Johne1

I used it on both my rose and ebony fretboards with great results. It slicks on easily with no mess and adds a luster to the look of the wooden surfaces. The price is right close considering you know exactly what is in it, unlike other mystery oils. I like to know what I'm putting on my expensive surfaces and this is good stuff. Note: it doesn't display the ingredients on the bottle, but there is a presentation on YouTube explaining everything you might want to know in case you' interested. Highly recommend.Scotty

As a professional for thirty years, I have reasonable experience in cleaning fingerboard, although it's probably been ten years. I watched the demonstration video and got right to it, replicating the video. It's not a complicated process: dab on, soak for a few seconds, rub off. I was pretty disappointed the gunk did not come off anywhere near as well as in the video. I tried soaking, rubbing harder, different cloth, etc. Both instruments (high-end acoustics) had a buildup that I eventually had to carefully scrape off with a tool. Once I got almost all gunk scraped off, I used the fluid again and it cleaned the last bit. It did soak into and condition the ebony, however, so that's a plus. I probably won't use it again.The Swingfish

As a collector of guitars and player of 40 years, I have not found a better cleaner/polish than Formula 65. When I get a used guitar I spray it then buff with a soft cloth. I repeat this process several times until the desired shine is obtained. Once this is completed, I only have to maintain the shine with a couple squirts every 6 months or so depending on use. The spray comes out in a fine mist, so you actually use very little. I have been using Formula 65 for about 10 years and and in this time my collection has gone from 8 to about 50 guitars. I haven't found anything better than Formula 65. To maximize The shine I also use The Carnauba polish in the green label.razor12345

The bottle works great, it cleans and gets the job done on my fretboard. I have yet to see what it does to the body of my guitar (I see no difference), but the work it does on my fretboard is really nice. #sweepstakesThe VooDood

Worked As Advertised It's great to purchase something that does what the company said it would. At first, I was surprised at how small the bottle was – but then, you don't really need that much. A couple squirts on a microfibre cloth, rub it in gently, and buff with the other side of the cloth, and I got a mirror finish. And then, after playing, just wiped with a dry cloth and the finish came back. Now I'll try their lemon oil fret and strings conditioner. I'm a fan.Mark L.

I got this neck to replace the one I had on my Squier FSR Bullet Telecaster (in Metallic Purple with Maple Fretboard). This telecaster has a Maple neck with a normal C shape and felt really unrefined for a "Fender" neck. I decided to get this Fender Telecaster Standard Replacement Neck with a Modern C shape neck. This new actual Fender neck was a drastic change in quality and performance. Here's just a quick Pros and Con of this product. PROS: Real Fender Product – Because this is an official Fender product, the neck replacement on my Squier was seamless and very simple. Modern C – Makes a better feeling guitar when playing compared to the normal C shape neck. Satin Neck Finish on back – The neck is very smooth feeling when playing. The finish on the back of the neck doesn't get in the way of you playing fast. This helps if you have sweaty hands when playing. Gloss fretboard – This makes a difference because if doesn't feel like your fingers are sticking to the fretboard. Medium Jumbo Frets – Just feels nice when moving around the fretboard. Bending strings feel nicer than my old Squier frets. Pre Drilled Holes for Tuners – I already had Fender locking tuners. So it was a simple swap with no mods needed. CONS: Nut not slotted – I don't understand why the NUT isn't slotted at least for common string size. It is very slightly to get you started but you would need a file. I just used the low E strong and used it like a file but it didn't come out too well and I've had to buy a new nut that comes preslotted. No predrilled String tree hold – This really wasn't too much of a problem but it's scary if you get it wrong. Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase after two weeks of everyday playing with it. This was a much needed upgrade from my Squier telecaster neck I had.C. Barona

this is my 4th roasted neck and I can't recommend them enough. especially if you live on or near the water. I can pull out my strat or tele after not playing them for a few days and they are right in tune look at the quality that is put into them and you'd agree. when screwed to a sunburst or pastel colored body they just really enhance the look of your instrument. the cost of the roasted neck is something you gotta think about like do you really want to spend that kinda Ching on a neck? hell you can buy a standard neck for less or even buy an after market neck and play the same its all about the stability of the wood that closed the deal for me. dig down deep in yer pocket and pony up the Ching for one of these I'm pretty sure you be pleased you did. I have them mounted to Mexican fenders and American fenders all have mated up perfect and very little fret work was needed this is my experience with these necks and you will find the same. in short I dig mine and will in the future will only use these beautiesho-joe56

perfect fitment into a MIM fender body. finish was flawless and the dark maple is beautiful. mistake made on my part, not fender….. the roasted maple has so much less give than standard maple. I should have thought about that with all of the moisture being removed from the wood. I used fender press fit tuner bushings and installed them with a C-clamp as I always have. I heard the headstock crack as I was installing the D string bushing and my heart sank. Luckily, I was able to inject some wood glue and clamp it overnight to close it up, but I reamed out the G tuner bushing and learned my lesson. use care when installing the tuner bushings on anything roasted as the fibers in the wood simply will not compress the same way another neck would.Grey

Took out the smudges and the dirt and wiped very clean. The smell was overpowering for my wife who is sensitive to carnauba wax. I used it on all my guitars and am very happy with the results. good value for 22 ounces. thanksbigslot

Not as bright as I was led to believe. Brighter than what came with the flashlight. Have no idea how durable it is. The light has a yellow hue to it. Not white light.18lugnutts

Quite simply, the only cleaner I will ever use from now on. This stuff is GREAT! And, it smells good, too. Fantastic product, and I'm reeeeeeal picky.Big Daddy

Tried many brands over the years – I REALLY AM IMPRESSED BY ERNIE BALL SPRAY POLISH – residue free, high shine & economical (even cleans strings!) leaves NO tackiness! Will recommend this product to other players – THANK YOU.night-1521

Put this on every time you change strings and have a good shine on. If you never change your strings then give the guitar away or sell it.keav6701

I've been using other polish lately, until I tried this polish. The Gloss on this Guitar finish is Super high Glossy. The others seem to have no gloss at all. This is by far the Best on the Market. Jrocket_man7_123

I cant even explain how much of a difference this makes. Fully adjustable saddles to have the perfect action, and intonation setup was a breeze. No buzz, strings stay in place, and in tune. Love it!alicks316

I have multiple guitars of different colors, this stuff cleaned all of them. It did not streak and was not oily… It was kinda hard to find…rob501500

I'm sure this works great on any guitar, but it has been very nice to use on my Taylor. Doesn't feel as difficult to get a streak-free shine with this polish as with some others.Tim

I wish I had known about this product years ago…I had a Martin guitar with a satin finish which very quickly went shiney at contact points on the body. This body cleaner with the right cloth wipes all traces of finger and hand marks and maintains the satin finish of the body.adamgreene20

Sure, you can buy each of these separately, but the kit give you everything you need for proper guitar cleaning maintenance. The price is right, the quality is Fender and it just makes sense to get it all together. A great kit for keeping your axe the way it should be…clean and shining (just like your performance).DONALD

I have Fenders and these products do a good job. The fingerboard treatment I use for my acoustics with an ebony and rosewood material. The maple fingerboards is not applicable.SFRanger

Nomad guitar polish is the best it does what it says on the tin I use it to clean up my silver guitar pickups they shine like they are brand new totally recommend itgeobo_7368

I recently purchased this to polish the frets on my guitar. Wow did this ever do the trick! Frets look like brand new practically. It works on so many areas of your guitar as well. Just a little goes a long way. Make sure you use blue painter's tape to protect the fretboard if you are polishing the frets. It says on the packaging instructions not to get it on the fretboard. I would highly recommend this product for anyone who is trying to restore their guitar to it's original glory.ESPfanatic

The nickel hardware on my Epiphone Les Paul Quilt-Top Pro began to fog up and tarnish a bit and I kept getting weird conflicting advice from others on how to fix this. Stumbled across the manufacturer's YouTube video on the polish and saw the product doing literally what I wanted. Swung by Guitar Center before it closed for the day to pick up a bottle. Works as intended. I only needed to apply a small bead sized drop of polish to my microfiber suede cloth for every part I was cleaning.Vance