unfinished necks

I was just wondering if anyone knowes the deal with gibson selling the zakk wylde lps stating they have raw unfinished necks when they really dont. I own a bullseye and even though i love it, the neck has a finish on it. I called gibson and they said they would never sell a guitar with an unfinished neck because of damage that could occur do to climate, but they do advertise it as an unfinished neck. I own a peavey wolfgang and it is definately an unfinished neck and as long as I take care of it it is fine. So are the necks on zakk's guitars unfinished? If they are is Gibson trying to sell something that really isnt what they say? I was just wondering if anyone had some insight on this. Because I want that unfinished neck. Is gibson false advertising?

Do you have a link or a reference to where it said they used unfinished necks?

If it's that important to you, get some ScotchBrite abrasive pads and gently scrub the back of the neck until it feels right.

No biggie.

Your definition of unfinished is different from what a luthiers definition of "unfinished" is... Your definition seems to be something along the lines of "There is nothing applied to the wood at all, it is left in its complete natural form..." A luthiers definition of unfinished is something like this... "The only thing applied to the wood is a thin layer of lacquer that protects the wood from warping and water absorbtion."

You want bare wood... which you will never get from any manufacturer... Due to the fact that if they sold 100,000 necks with nothing applied to tehm... probably 60,000 of them will warp in a matter of months. Unfinished simply means that the finish hasn't been applied... only the prep stage of the lacquer process has been applied. This prep stage saturates the grain of the wood so that it doesn't absorb high amounts of moisture.

I wouldn't suggest owning a neck that has no lacquer or some kind of sealant applied to it... and if you do... I suggest that you get a guitar that has a bolt on neck... because you'll be changing your neck every 10-18 months.

On the Gibson site they do state the zakk signature has 'no finish' on the neck. However, anywhere else I've found talking about it says the neck is oiled. I guess strictly speaking it is false advertising, but they are no doubt trying to communicate the fact that the neck is not finished in the traditional sense with paint / lacquer.

If it was truly unfinished you'd end up with splinters in your hand as well as the structural problems aschleman has mentioned. If you ever caught the back with your nails, you'd probably cut grooves in the wood too. I like oiled necks myself, so would probably get some sandpaper and tung oil and get to work... or pay a dude to do it if you prefer.

If it's really a problem on a guitar that cost a couple of thousand dollars, paying a lutheir a few more to refinish a neck if you don't want to do it yourself is probably a drop in the ocean....