Tru Oil Maple Neck Vintage Amber

[Darren Galloway]

I am planning on finishing a maple next in Tru Oil. My question is: How do I get that vintage amber neck color? Will the Tru Oil cause the neck to darken alone our do I need to add some vintage amber stain to the oil before applying it?

[Rodger Knox]

TruOil drys pretty clear, you will need to add a little amber. I usually put on a few coats of dark shellac before the oil when I'm looking for a vintage/aged look. You could add the tint to the oil if you prefer doing it that way.

[Darren Galloway]

Thanks Roger. I have a few pieces of maple laying around. I will add the amber and give it a try first. If I can't get a good look that way I will try the shellac. This is my first go around with Tru Oil. I am excited to give it a try based on the results that I see people getting.

[Darren Galloway]

Any suggestions on how to best apply the tru oil to the fretted maple board?

[Barry Daniels]

Rub it on with a rag. Easy peasy.

[Darren Galloway]

Thanks Barry. Do I need to worry about getting it on the frets? I am going to level and crown them after the finish job.

[Barry Daniels]

I usually apply the oil before fretting. But it should easily come off the frets when they are worked on.

[David King]

It's my impression that oil finishes including Tru-oil will darken in maple over time.

[Bob Francis]

It's my impression that oil finishes including Tru-oil will darken in maple over time.

It seems to on furniture.

[Art Davila]

I have very limited finishing experience, so please excuse my ignorance,
I have heard that maple does not take stain easily, and it can be blotch.
Is this also the case with eventually darkening with the oil finish?
Also will tinting the oil with a dye make it easier to get an even finish, or will it still be blotchy?

[Darren Galloway]

I have very limited finishing experience, so please excuse my ignorance,
I have heard that maple does not take stain easily, and it can be blotch.
Is this also the case with eventually darkening with the oil finish?
Also will tinting the oil with a dye make it easier to get an even finish, or will it still be blotchy?

The answser is yes it can be blotchy. Here is what I di and I really like the results. I put one thin coat of tru oil on. The secone coat I came back with tru oil tinted with vintage amber stain. Then I did another tru oil with vintage amber stain. After this I used 0000 steel wool to smooth out the finish and started applying thin coats of clear tru oil. The neck looks great when compared to my vintage amber Fender Strat neck. I used my finger for all the clear coat but applied the stain with coffee filters. On my 5th coat of clear now and the neck is starting to gloss up without being buffed at all.

I love tru oil and will never spray a neck again! This stuff is just too easy and looks and feels too good to mess with anything else.