Naked strat headstock? No logo does it necessecarily need a clear coat

hollywoodrox

if one has bought a strat , high end squire or mim and decides to take off the front and rear writing from the headstock by sanding the decal. Is it absolutely necessary to tru oil or clear coat it?  Clear coat is a pain I got good results doing a decal on a new P bass neck once but on my proposed experiment I want to retain the pale bone like color of the bare maple. Could one apply a totally non staining / colouring type of protection like car wax or  could you get away with nothing . Getting dirty or stained is not a problem over years of use, just wondering if unprotected headstock back and front could really cause any serious damage if accidentally exposed to liquid,  e.g. Beer sweat etc.

thank you for your informed replies, i like the look of a naked headstock and I love the very white finish of some maple necks , Kramer, charvel,   Van halens old necks etc.  Have a great day, best wishes ...Paul

hollywoodrox

[img]https://preview.ibb.co/ibk5i5/IMG_1683.png[/img][/url]

Funkfingers

Necessary? No. Desirable? Yes.

The finish mitigates the effects of moisture content changes. This should reduce the possibility of warping or cracks. Wipe-on wax-oil furniture finishes might suffice. 

The elephant in this particular room is, why remove a headstock decal to begin with?

If you are in any way ashamed of owning a budget guitar, removing the most obvious tell-tale signs of Cheepnis is not going to fool other guitarists. If anything, it looks plain dodgy - as if somebody wishes to pass the budget guitar off as something more valuable.

Jack_

So wait a second, what are you selling?

Roland

Funkfingers said:

Necessary? No. Desirable? Yes.

The finish mitigates the effects of moisture content changes. This should reduce the possibility of warping or cracks. 

It also helps to keep the wood clean because dirt can be wiped off rather than sanded out. I use a quick coat or two of spray varnish, or if I've already got the Tru Oil out I'll use that.

WezV

t will be fine with no protection on a maple  neck  - but you won;t ever keep that pale fresh wood colour.  but that is true whether you go for  finish or  not.

raw wood can look white due to the way light hits its surface, but it rarely is.

hollywoodrox

Thanks for the info guys, no it's not to hide the cheapness, I just think it looks kinda cool in a hot Rodded 80s sort of style. I guess a few mist coats of nitro would not hurt, I have some I could experiment with in fact, oh no I remember its gloss, . Appreciate your input. Thanks

hollywoodrox

Doesnt matter about it getting dirty, 

WezV

hollywoodrox said:

Doesnt matter about it getting dirty, 

That's for you to decide. 

fretfinder

hollywoodrox said: if accidentally exposed to liquid,  e.g. Beer sweat etc.

Blimey, you must have been drinking a heck of a lot of beer! 

Rox

The Squier neck I used for my latest project, the headstock logos came off using nothing more than nail polish remover.

hollywoodrox

Rox said:

The Squier neck I used for my latest project, the headstock logos came off using nothing more than nail polish remover.

That's really interesting, thanks man , I went to give you a wisdom and a wow, but the wow cancelled the wisdom, then trying to find how the system worked I gave you a lol instead. That is a useful piece of info though for sure, thanks

Rox

Here's the thread with the pics:

http://thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/98276/decided-on-a-partscaster-project/p1

And thanks for the LOL.

hollywoodrox

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/102934/[url=https://ibb.co/gKaSwQ][img]https://preview.ibb.co/ibk5i5/IMG_1683.png[/img][/url]%20[url=https://imgbb.com/]images%20of%20up[/url]

hollywoodrox

http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/102934/[url=https://ibb.co/gKaSwQ][img]https://preview.ibb.co/ibk5i5/IMG_1683.png[/img][/url]%20[url=https://imgbb.com/]images%20of%20up[/url]