Satin vs. Gloss finish on a neck.

[bkharmony]

Gloss looks nice, but for a workhorse, gigging guitar, I find satin far superior. It only takes about 20 minutes before my gloss-necked Gibson becomes irritatingly sticky, and that's one of the main reasons I'm replacing it.

[wb4yal]

Hi John,

I prefer a satin neck. I have a Washburn that has a gloss neck and it just doesnt have the feel of my Taylor satin neck.

[Chazmo]

All of my current guitars have gloss necks. However, I owned a Taylor short-scale with a satin neck that I really liked. I also have a new Guild on order which will be coming with a satin neck.

So, I'm registering satin in the poll, but again it's by no means a deal breaker either way for me.

[Wade Hampton]

I guess I'm lucky in that my hands don't sweat at all when I play, unless the temperature is over 100º Fahrenheit. Which used to happen sometimes when I was playing festival stages back home in the Missouri-Kansas border region - I remember playing one of the indoor stages at Winfield when it was that hot, and the dust from people dancing up front got kicked up so high it was like playing in a dusty, steamy fog....

But hot weather isn't much of a menace here in Alaska...(Hooray! That's part of the reason I moved here!!) So the issue never really arises for me these days.

Even when I was back home I had a glossy neck on my Mossman guitar, and that never seemed to trouble me, even during the hottest summer days. So I'm indifferent, I guess - glossy or satin both are fine for me.


Wade Hampton "I Do NOT Miss The Heat!" Miller

[Jack Orion]

Well I've got a satin neck that is now all shiny from all the playing I've done!

So what does that count as? a buffed satin?

[riorider]

Generally, hot venues or longer sessions and the satin on my Taylors seems to feel best. But in cool (inside) venues the gloss on my other guitars doesn't bother me at all. I mostly strum the Taylors and fingerpick the others, but not exclusively.

Only explaining because I've not thought through it before and I might prefer one or the other because of the conditions.

rr

[John Osthoff]

Thanks to everyone who has taken the time to take the poll. So far the results are fairly close to what I expected. Based on a few of the comments, I have some homework to do, but for now I have to get back to the shop.

[Michael T]

Gloss all the way for me, I don't mind wiping down the neck, usually do even on my satin finished neck on my 12er. I figure just prefer gloss guitars (& the satin neck doees gloss up after a while too anyway).

[15 Man]

Satin; now that I have one. Before my Martin 000-15, every guitar I had ever owned had a gloss finish. As both Angelo and Woody b said, my hands would get sticky as well when it's hot and humid outside. This hasn't happened yet with my Martin. I never knew what I was missing I guess!

BTW, Beautiful guitar John!

[Cue Zephyr]

+1 Satin! Smooth, fast, looks nice, feels nice. What else?

[Dru Edwards]

I guess I'm in the minority - I voted "don't care". It really doesn't affect me.

[j45dale]

I own both, but would rather have satin.
In my mind it creates a faster sliding motion with less grab.
Even though it soon shines up from the body oil from my hand, the satin finish still "sails smoother".
Dale.

[Andromeda]

Another satin neck lover here, although it isn't a deal breaker for me.

[JJ Donohue]

Definitely satin for me...and customers prefer it 3 to 1. I favor 2 methods of finishing the neck shaft....Danish Oil when I finish myself and Joe White's satin finish when I send it out.

As John said, not all satin finishes are alike so beware of the sanded down glossy finish....it will become glossy again from hand friction. Make sure the material itself has a flattening component so that it stays satin and slick. Joe does it the right way.

Good poll, John!

[jpbat]

There is one thing about satin finish that I don't like, it's the level of rubbing noise. Maybe it depends on the type of varnish used, but the noise is enough to bother me. No noise with a gloss finish.
Am I alone ?

(I got very dry hands, so I'm not bothered with sticky neck)