How do I tint my bone-white maple neck?

[Electric Monk]

Title says it all, my Tele's neck is way too white and I recall seeing someone on here tint their neck, but I don't remember how it was done...

[A3C]

kiwi shoes polish. wipe on, let sit a bit. wipe off.

[rock-lobster]

 

[The Bear]

Kiwi brown.

That's it.

[Saturn]

Play the hell out of it for 10-15 years.

[Doctor Morbius]

KiWi shoe polish? But where do I find a Boot Black in this day and age?

 

[clay sails]

 

kiwi shoes polish. wipe on, let sit a bit. wipe off.

 

 

+1. Works like a charm.

 

(Be sure to use brown)

[stormin1155]

Next time you're smoking a side of ribs, toss your neck on the rack.

[NotDead]

Tru-oil will do the job.

[ashasha]

Before Kiwi

 

 

 

After Kiwi

 

 

And yeah, its two different rooms with two different cameras so there is some difference, but you get the idea.

[Electric Monk]

Thanks everybody.

one more recommendation thread and I'm about done...

[Brian May]

I've read that the kiwi does wear off and needs to be done again and again...also that you have to be careful to avoid a scummy build up in the frets groove. I was gonna do this till I discovered something better and permanent and just simple to apply. Its called mr sheen scratch cover. Just get a piece of kitchen roll fold it over a few times or instead use an old cloth...and put it to the bottle, tip it so the cloth takes on some of the scrach cover and just wipe it along your neck...then wipe away the excess. 5mins and done permanently. I did a USA Olmpic White Strat 2 weeks before Christmas and it worked a treat..i've no idea what Fender were thinking to release ugly pale white maple necks between 2004-2007..they had a nice tint previously and the new 2008's have a nice colour to them also. Anyways I used the medium wood scratch cover and it yielded a mellow golden hue to the neck....I may try the dark wood and get something more vintagey. I stumbled on this when googling "kiwi tinting necks" and it was on some fender forum that someone mentioned it...so I tried it and voila it really does work - permanently with no prep work!

 

http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38.l1313&_nkw=mr+sheen+scratch+cover&_sacat=See-All-Categories

[mmkco]

+1 for the Brown KIWI!!! I'm trying to figure out if it's wearing off or not(maybe a little). It looks a thousand times better than the bone white. It's a good, cheap way to improve the look!!

[mike.sartori]

This is the way to go. I did this right over the finish of my MIM tele.

http://reranchstore.stores.yahoo.net/fennecam.html

you can clear coat over this with nitro or enamel.

 

Here's a pic. (guitar is severely modded, but the neck started out the same as yours!)

[ILikeGuitar]

Yeah I hate the look of the white maple necks

At least fender had the sense to have tinted neck on USA Standards and MIM Standards now

[Frothy88]

I heard that Tru-Oil is easy to apply, has a nice amber tint to it, and makes the grain pop like mad in all its glossy glory.

[taintric]

your own sperm and practice

[Brian May]

 

Yeah I hate the look of the white maple necks At least fender had the sense to have tinted neck on USA Standards and MIM Standards now

 

 

This is the thing though...how did Fender ever even let their necks go out in FUGLY white? That is something I'll never understand...for years their necks had a nice tanned tint to them....then from 2004-2007 they went out in this awful pale anaemic looking colour. No idea what they were thinking...did they care?

[blind radish]

are you all taking the necks OFF the guitar to apply your tinting techique, or can it be done with the neck in place?

[Citizen Cain]

 

are you all taking the necks OFF the guitar to apply your tinting techique, or can it be done with the neck in place?

 

 

Depends on how anal you are. Leaving the neck on works just fine.

[The Bear]

 

are you all taking the necks OFF the guitar to apply your tinting techique, or can it be done with the neck in place?

 

 

I took mine off.

Just easier to do.

[The Bear]

 

I've read that the kiwi does wear off and needs to be done again and again...also that you have to be careful to avoid a scummy build up in the frets groove. I was gonna do this till I discovered something better and permanent and just simple to apply. Its called mr sheen scratch cover. Just get a piece of kitchen roll fold it over a few times or instead use an old cloth...and put it to the bottle, tip it so the cloth takes on some of the scrach cover and just wipe it along your neck...then wipe away the excess. 5mins and done permanently. I did a USA Olmpic White Strat 2 weeks before Christmas and it worked a treat..i've no idea what Fender were thinking to release ugly pale white maple necks between 2004-2007..they had a nice tint previously and the new 2008's have a nice colour to them also. Anyways I used the medium wood scratch cover and it yielded a mellow golden hue to the neck....I may try the dark wood and get something more vintagey. I stumbled on this when googling "kiwi tinting necks" and it was on some fender forum that someone mentioned it...so I tried it and voila it really does work - permanently with no prep work! http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=m38.l1313&_nkw=mr+sheen+scratch+cover&_sacat=See-All-Categories

 

 

That looks interesting.

I may get a bottle to try out.

So far the Kiwi is holding up good.

Do you have any pics?

 

In the description it says you can re-apply for a darker tint.

Have you tried that?

[knucklechutz]

i think I'm one of a few who actually likes the "bone-white" look.....