Two Teles, Part 9
Back on track now that the second neck and other parts are finally here. This Allparts neck looks just as nice as the first. It’s between flat- and quartersawn, so the grain appears a bit plainer. There’s debate over the supposed difference in sound between flatsawn and quartersawn necks. It’s eighthsawn!Maybe I’ll get the best of both worlds with this one.
I’m using Tru-Oil again, but doing a bit more sanding first. I needed to sand the peghead face on the first neck, but this one is getting a complete going-over with 400 grit. That’s removing some oxidation, so the wood looks lighter, and it’s really smooth now. The factory describes it as ready-to-finish, but I think it wasn’t all the way there.
I’m also rolling the fingerboard edges this time. I couldn’t get good before-and-after photos but the edges are really too sharp for my liking. You can feel it particularly when you wrap your thumb over the top of the neck. I’m using a smooth steel rod from a socket wrench set and running it along the edge to crush the wood fibers a bit a bit and round it over. Fender does this on their custom shop guitars to simulate decades of playing wear but I don’t feel like waiting! Even a light treatment is a big improvement; I may have to do this on the Esquire’s neck, too.
The photos above will show you the nice gloss the Tru-Oil develops. Once that’s dry and rubbed out, it’s time to get the tuners in.