Deciding on a neck finish, separate from the body finish (which will be gloss). A satin finish makes a neck feel faster and smoother, but I like the look of all gloss on a uke. I'm leaning towards satin. Opinions? Preferences?
My ML Hoffmann is gloss neck and it feels just as smooth as my former mya moe satin finished neck. Will be getting my new MM very soon and will have a more direct comparison.
My Strat has a satin finished neck and it is the slickest to the touch of any instrument I have handled. Not all manufacturers seem to have cottoned on to this. Or maybe it's just too much trouble to have two finishes on the same instrument. My Maton concert had a thick gloss finish on the neck that was distractingly sticky to the touch, a vigorous application of 00 wire wool sorted that. The others are all acceptable but not in the same class as that Fender.
I agree. When my hands are the least bit damp, say right after I have washed them, a gloss neck becomes sticky. Mya Moe and Ono use a Tru Oil finish which is the best treatment for a neck I have found.
My Webber came with a satin neck and I liked it so much I got it on when LfdM. Luis said there is no down side to a satin neck.
I prefer satin over gloss. Gloss is too 'sticky'.
Better than that is bare wood with carnuba wax. It needs to be waxed periodically cause the oils in skin starts to soak into the wood. Skin oils can open the grain and make it feels rough. My luthier told me lemon oil is not good for necks, it can cause the grain to open up too. I tried it, and he was proven right. He's a real wood guy, used to be a forester. Wax feels really good, and is fast!
Fiddle players and mandolin players use wax, I'm told.
Deciding on a neck finish, separate from the body finish (which will be gloss). A satin finish makes a neck feel faster and smoother, but I like the look of all gloss on a uke. I'm leaning towards satin. Opinions? Preferences?
Agreed. I don't mind a gloss neck. I wouldn't change the gloss finish on ukes I have. But, I've been given a choice, and liked the feel of satin lacquer finishes on the necks of Larrivee and Ko'olau. The satin really did feel faster than gloss. A satin neck is also the standard option for this custom builder, but he will make gloss if desired.
To me, a glossy neck feels just as fast - and more comfortable, because I don't have to worry about leaving stains. Depends on the type of finish, though.
I have instruments with both satin and gloss necks ... I confess I don't really notice the difference once I'm playing, though I do have dry skin on my hands ... not unhealthily or inconveniently so, just dry and thick enough to not get "clammy" in normal use and stick to a gloss finish.
I'd prefer the body to be gloss, purely for aesthetics. I've even spent some time, with greater or lesser degrees of success, polishing satin-finish instruments to get a bit of a shine ... but it's not a deal-breaker, else I wouldn't have bought the instruments in the first place
I think this is true. I have definitely played gloss necks that were grabby. But I had a kinnard with a gloss neck and it played really smoothly even in hot weather. That being said I have another kinnard on order and am debating gloss or satin as well.
The best gloss neck I've ever played is my Ohana.
I've played a VERY expensive custom made uke that had a HORRIBLE finish on the neck. Sometimes ya don't get what you pay for.
every lacquer or varnish formulation is its own animal so you can have some gloss finishes that grab and some that do not. perhaps the harder finishes are better. latex paint for example grabs.
i'm going to go with a thin coat of boiled linseed followed by carnauba and beeswax on my builds. if you want to reshape the neck, or refresh the finish, it can be waxed over with mineral oil and beeswax, or butchers wax, or simoniz, or more boiled linseed oil. the neck is intimate and it can get ongoing care. if someone wants 'one and done' it can get a coat of satin lacquer. the idea is that the player has to be happy.
