95% Tru oil finished guitar - A How to Guide

[JohnDaBass]

@Andyjr1515, @Bassassin, & @honza992, what sort of quantities of Tru Oil did you consume in achieving the finishes shown?

I've just ordered a mahogany P body for a 51P build and I was planning to attempt to adopt your approach to the finish so do I buy the 3oz or 8oz  size bottle of Birchwood Casey Tru-Oil for the project?

I'm an avid fan of the projects you Guys have posted, they are a real joy to read & follow. Thanks for sharing your experiences with us mere mortals!!

[Andyjr1515]

For a slurry and buff, @JohnDaBass , I've never used more than a 3oz bottle.  It should be plenty.  If you were doing a full gloss build-up method (quite difficult) then it would use more, but the slurry and buffs I do usually take not much more that 1/2 a small bottle.

[honza992]

Yes, smallest bottle is plenty. It's pointless buying more because it forms a skin and becomes unusable pretty quickly.  I know some people recommend poking a small hole in the foil and storing it upside down, but my understanding is that tru oil hardens in contact with air, so I'd rather have guaranteed fresh oil every time.

[MeBeck]

This is most likely a newbie question.  Many try oil neck finishes include Gun Stock Wax.  Is there a reason to skip this.

[Andyjr1515]

2 hours ago, MeBeck said:

This is most likely a newbie question.  Many try oil neck finishes include Gun Stock Wax.  Is there a reason to skip this.

 

Wow - that's a thread from the past.

 

It's entirely optional.  A good quality beeswax polish can add some extra 'zip' if the player does a lot of quick movements up and down the fretboard.  On some of my own fretboards I've used it, but most of the time I find the standard slurry-and-buff fast enough.

 

 

[MeBeck]

Andyjr1515 Thanks for feedback!  I love the Tru Oil finish. Next up a I have a P-Bass Body (okoume, similar grain to mahogany but lighter weight). I bought the body as a test article as it was cheap.  But the I was surprised by how good it looks so I’m going to make it natural with 100% Tru Oil finish. I’m looking at a roasted maple neck and rosewood fretboard to stay consistent with P-Bass concept.  But, a Mahogany neck would be nice.  Any recommendations on good source for bass neck that doesn’t break the budget?

[Andyjr1515]

On 22/06/2024 at 17:20, MeBeck said:

But, a Mahogany neck would be nice.  Any recommendations on good source for bass neck that doesn’t break the budget?

Because the original P-basses always had maple necks (with either rosewood or maple fretboards) I'm pretty sure a mahogany one would be an out and out special.

 

The cheapest I know where I have yet to come across a duff one are the two (maple and rosewood fretboarded) shape-your-own-headstock offerings from Gear4Music:

 

https://www.gear4music.com/bass-guitars/accessories/parts-spares?page=1&filters[238]=3363&_gl=1*vcm0je*_up*MQ..*_ga*OTUxOTMxNjYyLjE3MTkzMzU1NzY.*_ga_0WF1R5QW3K*MTcxOTMzNTU3NS4xLjEuMTcxOTMzNTYwNS4wLjAuMTE4MDQ5MjE2Ng..

 

In that it usually costs me getting on for £200 just for the uncut timber for a neck, these - at £55 and £45 respectively - are stunning value...

 

[MoonBassAlpha]

I'm currently doing a  maple neck with Tru-Oil, newly opened bottle, which I'm finding is going on rather sticky, and drying with a very slight tack even after a day or two in a warm conservatory. I'm wondering if  a small  dilution with white spirits would help it dry quicker and less tacky? Any thoughts welcome, cheers.

[tegs07]

4 minutes ago, MoonBassAlpha said:

I'm currently doing a  maple neck with Tru-Oil, newly opened bottle, which I'm finding is going on rather sticky, and drying with a very slight tack even after a day or two in a warm conservatory. I'm wondering if  a small  dilution with white spirits would help it dry quicker and less tacky? Any thoughts welcome, cheers.

Personally I always do the first coat with a 50/50 mix.

[MoonBassAlpha]

Cool, thanks. I  might over again slightly diluted and see if it comes out less tacky. 

[mybass]

I’ve used Tru Oil (ie Gunstock oil) for many years. David Dykes Luthiers Supplies in East Sussex put me onto it, the idea came from an acoustic guitar builder in Sussex who had developed a technique for using it to gain a thin oil finish on acoustic guitar tops. It penetrates just a little into the wood surface and then subsequent coats build up (after drying) on top of each coat. It employs micro mesh for end finishing the wood and for ‘cutting back’ between each oil coat. (There is a Tru oil filler that could be applied first but I’ve generally gone straight to the oil application using this technique). Micro mesh is now readily available on EBay in packs of something like 1200 to 8000…it isn’t a sandpaper that cuts the wood back but more of a fine ‘polisher’, the body wood will appear to have an almost light coat of oil on before Tru oil is applied and you will see any scratches or missed sanded arear before applying oil.

Edited July 6, 2024 by mybass

[MoonBassAlpha]

3 hours ago, mybass said:

I’ve used Tru Oil (ie Gunstock oil) for many years. David Dykes Luthiers Supplies in East Sussex put me onto it, the idea came from an acoustic guitar builder in Sussex who had developed a technique for using it to gain a thin oil finish on acoustic guitar tops. It penetrates just a little into the wood surface and then subsequent coats build up (after drying) on top of each coat. It employs micro fibre for end finishing the wood and for ‘cutting back’ between each oil coat. (There is a Tru oil filler that could be applied first but I’ve generally gone straight to the oil application using this technique). Micro fibre is now readily available on EBay in packs of something like 1200 to 8000…it isn’t a sandpaper that cuts the wood back but more of a fine ‘polisher’, the body wood will appear to have an almost light coat of oil on before Tru oil is applied and you will see any scratches or missed sanded arear before applying oil.

Do you mean micro mesh, not mocrofibre?

[mybass]

4 hours ago, MoonBassAlpha said:

Do you mean micro mesh, not mocrofibre?

Of course yes Micro mesh! Well spotted and I’ll edit my post, cheers.