Finishing Canary Headstock

[MikeW]

Hey all.

In debating a new build, I'm trying to decide between Canary and Roasted Maple for the neck shaft. I prefer the feel of Canary, but am wondering about how tough it is to finish. Specifically, I'm thinking of painting the face of the headstock to match the body and wondering if it wouldn't be better to go with the Roasted Maple since it's a known quantity, as far as finish goes.

My gut says that the oily-ness of the Canary and the open grain may require a ton of filler, like Ash would, but I've got no real experience to base that on.

Any experiences or insight that you can share would be much appreciated.

 

[bagman67]

It can certainly be done.  You would treat it like you would any other comparatively oily hardwood, i.e., do your best to clean the surface of any oils by wiping well with naphtha or acetone, and immediately getting a barrier layer of shellac or a wash coat of lacquer.  After that, yes, you'd likely want to fill the grain before proceeding with color and top coats.  Canary is tighter grained than ash or mahogany, but it's still got more pronounced pores than maple or alder.


I happen to have a canary necked tele and it's my favorite one, both visually and as a tactile matter.  I prefer it to the rosewood and roasted maple necks I have played, but that's really all a matter of taste.  If you know you like canary, I think you can solve the finishing problems.  I would see if I could pick up some scrap or craft-sized length of canary either at a lumber dealer or online and then work through the finishing schedule there before inflicting my will on a $300 neck.


Best of luck -


Bagman