I checked out a black Clapton Strat today and I was surprised to see that the neck color almost looked white. I've heard people talk about this, but since I've had mine for about ten years I really wasn't prepared for what I saw.

I don't remember mine being so opaque white. Being that mine is older it has darkened a little over time and looks a little warmer. I really didn't like the neck on this black Strat.

+1, I saw one a week or two ago and the neck did seem awful white as you said...I wonder if this is being done on purpose? None of the other maple neck guitars appeared to have that white of finish and it also seems there is nearly no figuring in the wood either. The lack of figuring is not all that common, but it certainly seems the EC models seem to have way less than the other guitars manufactured by Fender.

Mine has some nice figuring (Nothing outstanding) and it wasn't white like the latest ones.

You said you didn't like the neck, was it the shape, feel, or just the coloring (or lack of it)?

T2

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What time is it? It's Fender Time.

Yeah I had one for a short time, can't remember what year it was but it was really white. I like the older ones, like early 90's, they look like they have more of a vintage tint to them.

I know that Fender gave their necks in the 80s and 90s a satin look. This is kind of what the Clapton neck is like. The neck shape was pretty good. It seemed a little chunkier than my 2000 candy green Clapton. It was mainly the color. I'd love to get the black one and mine next to each other and really see the differences.

They really are white colored, i never liked it. The VG strat was the same, as were some older MIM standards. After having a strat with tined maple, anything else just doesnt look right.. Ive heard of people using shoe polish, stains, and oils to darken the EC neck.

I don,t think I would call them white there just not tinted maple. I like mine.

Ditto: I just played an EC Strat this morning. I was surprised by two things. One, that the neck was sooooo white and the second was the finish. It had a very thin looking matt finish. I was told it was Nitro. The fretboard looked more "matt" than the back of the neck. It was hard to tell how fast the neck was because no one ever cleans the guitars at GC! They feel slimy and slow.

I've NEVER played an electric guitar at GC that didn't need to have the strings and fretboard cleaned and at least a tweak on the setup. Gee...you'd think they didn't want to sell guitars. Man, how much does a bottle of polish cost the store? If I was a manager I'd have all the guitar salespeople clean and do at least a half decent setup on the guitars. Any weekday I've been there they are all just standing around. They should make themselves useful and spiff up those gitters! LOL

You just have a very, very fresh maple neck. There is no tinting in it. I had a Squire like that and does look rather odd. I think we associate the cheap Walmart Fender Starcasters with untinted necks with any other Fender out there that doesn't have a tint and almost looks very white.

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I don't hate the whiteness, but as Paris stated it does seem the newer ECs have this whiter finish trend happening...neither good nor bad, just different...I wonder if this is an EC mandate? Maybe he likes em like that?

T2

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What time is it? It's Fender Time.

The production Eric Clapton is Polyurethane Not Nitro

+1, though the bodies are.