View Full Version : Nekkid neck
Antlurz
Mar-15-2008, 4:34pm
This is strictly an opinion post. Wondering about others opinions.
When I see a bare neck, I think the "naturally worn off" look can add much appeal to the instrument, whereas I think the ones that look like they were masked off with tape and sprayed really turn me off, big time.
Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder, so it's naturally an individual taste thing, but I'm curious as to whether I'm the only one around that REALLY gets turned off with that style of baring the neck?
From MY perspective, regardlees of how masterfully the rest of the instrument is done, it's ruint in my eyes.....
Ron
Ken Sager
Mar-15-2008, 5:04pm
It's completely in the eyes of the beholder, but couldn't be fairly judged until a stripped neck is FELT by a player. A bare neck is so slick you'd think they should all be bare. Fully stripping a neck is less deceptive than an artificial "naturally worn off" look - ala distressing... But that's just another opinion. Strip 'em, don't strip 'em. Just play 'em the way you like to play 'em. Besides, you're not likely to see a stripped neck when it's being played by someone else and if it's a terrific sounding Loar or Gil or Dude with a stripped neck you can't tell me it's a "ruint" mandolin.
Can you?
Best,
Ken
Antlurz
Mar-15-2008, 5:16pm
Nope. Wouldn't even try. I was referring to a strict visual perception. The actual playability or true quality of the instrument doesn't even enter into it.
One either likes the look, or they don't. I don't.
markishandsome
Mar-15-2008, 5:58pm
Well I don't feel as strongly about it as you do, but I certainly prefer if the varnish fades smoothly into the bare area. Seems like the cure to an unpalatably abrupt transition is pretty simple (rough it up a bit!), so even if I hated it I don't think I'd call the whole mando ruined. Scooped extensions on the other hand... http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif
Philphool
Mar-15-2008, 6:01pm
I agree. The abrupt end of finish turns me off, too.
I love the feel of the bare wood and the way it plays, but I just don't have the heart (or guts) to take the finish off my new mando.
Phil
I did it to mine, and it looks just like I masked it and scraped off the finish. If the lacquer finish wasn't so thick to begin with, I think I could sand the margins into a more "naturally worn" look. But the only time I notice it is when I pick it up to put it on, and NOBODY has asked me about it in the 18 months since I stripped it. That tells me that nobody really sees it but me.
Since it is a modification that I'm really happy with from a functional standpoint, I could care less whether it looks naturally worn or stripped - it makes my mandolin better for me to play.
I do love the look of a bare, curly maple neck where the varnish finish is naturally worn, but to appreciate the visual, you have to pretty much hold it in a nonplaying position. So it's not an issue with me.
Ken Sager
Mar-15-2008, 6:22pm
Since it is a modification that I'm really happy with from a functional standpoint, I could care less whether it looks naturally worn or stripped - it makes my mandolin better for me to play.
And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the magic bean. If it makes it better for you to play then looks are absolutely secondary.
That's my humble opinion.
Love to all,
Ken
Red Henry
Mar-15-2008, 6:56pm
Just take the mandolin and play it heavily for a couple of decades, and the neck (whether it was stained, lacquered, masked, varnished, sealed, or otherwise treated originally) will have a nice natural, REAL wear pattern on it. And you did it yourself.
Red
Philphool
Mar-15-2008, 7:29pm
That's MY plan!!!
Phil
Antlurz
Mar-16-2008, 12:22am
I guess the way to solve it is to not post pictures of the backs of the mandos then? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/biggrin.gif
Ron
Geoff B
Mar-16-2008, 1:59am
I have one just finished with a bare neck, but with the dye continuing in normal fashion on the bare wood. My gut said the stain would come off, but I've many hours of playing into it the last month and have yet to get red on my hands. I think it solves Ron's aesthetic issue and also attains proponent's comfort issue. What has to be seen is whether different sweat chemistry or temp/heat changes will affect it....
Geoff B
Mar-16-2008, 2:19am
Here is a picture of it. It was the customer's idea and I really like it. The hardest part is that it's not for me!
Red Henry
Mar-16-2008, 4:38am
Wow! I can understand your envy!
That's a good look. When refinishing a high-grade mandolin in varnish several years ago, I took a hint from fiddles I've seen. I shaded the stain out gradually from the heel and peghead into the shaft, and then applied a bit of sealer, but no top coats. Now the thing plays great.
Red
markishandsome
Mar-16-2008, 10:45am
If it makes it better for you to play then looks are absolutely secondary.
I'm sure everyone here agrees with that, I don't think it even really needs to be said. Just because an issue is "secondary" doesn't mean we can't have opinions about it and want to discuss it.
I think calling a stripped neck with faded edges more "naturally worn off" looking than sharp edges is a little far fetched. The most worn necks I've ever seen had a bare spot maybe the size of a quarter near the nut where the thumb sits in 1st position. It stretches my imagination to think that someone would have played in 9th or 10th position enough over the years to wear the finish off naturally all the way up the neck. Both look totally "fake" to me, but I don't think anyone's really trying to fool anybody.
Antlurz
Mar-16-2008, 11:38am
I don't think anyone's really trying to fool anybody.
Nor do I. I think a bare neck is very attractive when done "correctly" (my definition)
On the other hand, the sharp edges give me an entirely different impression. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif
Ron
I think a bare neck is very attractive when done "correctly" (my definition)
On the other hand, the sharp edges give me an entirely different impression. http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/mandosmiley.gif
Ron
Agreed, mostly. There is something about the curl in maple across a cylindrical surface that is just dead sexy to my eyes, whether its the neck of a mandolin, a J-200, or a Shaker table leg.
An artificially straight margin detracts from it somewhat, but my eye is drawn more to the wood itself than the margins.
With my own mandolin, I was really surprised that the lacquer finish was so thick - thicker than a playing card, a little less thick than a credit card. I play every day, but I seriously doubt I could wear through a finish that thick in just 20 years. If I had it to do over, I'd go for a more "worn" look by sanding the margins. But it's not anything that I'm motivated to change at this point.