I think damage can be ok. Damage and repair over time can be part of the aging of the instrument into something more beautiful. The use of harmful chemicals and suspect supply chains in other more durable finishes is a down side for me. I don't mind a little VOC though. I use pure turpentine to thin and clean up oil products. And I should add the disclaimer that I'm trying to start my own guitar building business that specializes in natural finishes, so naturally I would have these options. It's going to be me dealing with the fumes and I'm not in love with the idea of wearing a full face mask. Although if someone made up a homebrew batch of nitro in their basement using chemicals with traceable origins, I'd probably be all about it. Maybe I'm just a sucker like that.
Open pore finishes
- Thread starter Charlodius
- Start date
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Beebe, I would like to see some of your guitars and the finishes that you use. I'm locked into nitrocellulose lacquer because I know exactly what kind of results I am going to get and its not worth experimenting to try to find something new or better (and people I build for expect it). I French polish classical guitars because that is what is expected. I use finishing resin for pore fill and grain enhancement because I haven't found anything better. I wear a full NIOSH respirator any time I'm working with any solvents - it just seems foolish not to.
jaxjaxon
Tele-Holic
100% pure Tung Oil is what I prefer. Takes more time to do and even more time to cure.
Here’s a crazy thought—It Depends!
I like the solid Aged White finish on my Mustang-ish guitar. I love the open-pore finish on my Logan. I love the Ice Blue Metallic finish on my baritone. My Takamine spruce/rosewood dread looks like it properly should, all shiny and stuff. My Godin 5th Ave with a satin finish is my favourite acoustic. Wait a minute… maybe I’m only keeping guitars based on how much I like playing them, and not thinking about the finish? Naaaahhh, that’s crazy talk!
I like the solid Aged White finish on my Mustang-ish guitar. I love the open-pore finish on my Logan. I love the Ice Blue Metallic finish on my baritone. My Takamine spruce/rosewood dread looks like it properly should, all shiny and stuff. My Godin 5th Ave with a satin finish is my favourite acoustic. Wait a minute… maybe I’m only keeping guitars based on how much I like playing them, and not thinking about the finish? Naaaahhh, that’s crazy talk!
eallen
Friend of Leo's
Open pore finishes have nothing to do with the finish type or even how thick the finish is. It is simply skipping any pore filling before finishing. As others alluded, manufacturers started it q cheaper finish alternative that requires less material and labor all the way thru. Any advertising on sound is b.s. to sell.
Not only does an open pore not use grain filler, which is a huge labor savings, it also gets a more satin or flat clear coat meaning there is no wet sanding or buffing afterwards. Another HUGE labor savings!
Now I will admit that since I do so few non-gloss guitars I use flattening agent added to gloss to get a finish with less sheen. The agent is about $30/pint but since it only goes in the last coat of clear a pint will do a butt load of guitars.
Jackadder
Tele-Holic
I've just done an open pore blonde for my '57 tele build, looking for that old, sunken paint look. Two cans of clear with 10% colour, and a clear coat to finish. Might have to boost that paint up to 20% next time 
....
I agree with some of the sentiments above about letting the wood show itself with natural or semi opaque finishes, but for solid colour a nice, flat, glassy finish looks best - especially for strats, the epitome of the sleek, brightly coloured design ethos of the 50's.
....I agree with some of the sentiments above about letting the wood show itself with natural or semi opaque finishes, but for solid colour a nice, flat, glassy finish looks best - especially for strats, the epitome of the sleek, brightly coloured design ethos of the 50's.
stratisfied
Friend of Leo's
I think some exotic woods just look better in a natural finish with minimal pore fill. I can't see any of these bodies looking better if finished in gloss. On a couple, I even shot them with a coat of gloss lacquer part way through the finishing process to see how they would look vs the satin. On the Strats in particular, the gloss made them look one-dimensional.
I scuffed the gloss finish right back off them and applied a Danish oil finish. They have a partial grain fill as a result of the lacquer coat. It's really just preference but I feel the finish needs to suit the wood.
Conversely, the Thinline Tele project in my avatar looked awful in the semi-gloss finish I intended to use. It just had no warmth or depth. After too many coats to count (I did not grain fill as I did not want to alter the appearance of the wood), it just looked dull and lifeless. I switched to gloss lacquer and was very happy with the result which added the contrast that was needed.
This acoustic is a one year only Ibanez AEG 315FMH I bought. It came in this warm semi-gloss, open-pore finish which fits the character of the guitar and the warm tone quality of the solid Okoume body. If finished in gloss, I would have thought it too gaudy and would probably have passed it up.
I scuffed the gloss finish right back off them and applied a Danish oil finish. They have a partial grain fill as a result of the lacquer coat. It's really just preference but I feel the finish needs to suit the wood.
Conversely, the Thinline Tele project in my avatar looked awful in the semi-gloss finish I intended to use. It just had no warmth or depth. After too many coats to count (I did not grain fill as I did not want to alter the appearance of the wood), it just looked dull and lifeless. I switched to gloss lacquer and was very happy with the result which added the contrast that was needed.
This acoustic is a one year only Ibanez AEG 315FMH I bought. It came in this warm semi-gloss, open-pore finish which fits the character of the guitar and the warm tone quality of the solid Okoume body. If finished in gloss, I would have thought it too gaudy and would probably have passed it up.
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cwhuntersr
TDPRI Member
I'd love to see some examples of that if you've got some
Loudog99
Tele-Holic
I prefer satin finishes with the wood grain unfilled or minimally filled to accent the grain. Feels nice in the hand and my arm doesn’t stick to it.
SurfaceNoises
TDPRI Member
This is a great thread. I really like the rougher look of guitars with super-thin coating and visible grain. I'd like to get some texture on the finish, rather than the shiny shiny glass-like gloss.
I'd love to know if anyone had any luck with non grainfilled sunbursts - using shellac or some other (relatively) non-toxic finish
I'd love to know if anyone had any luck with non grainfilled sunbursts - using shellac or some other (relatively) non-toxic finish
Jackadder
Tele-Holic
After a wet sand of the 57 this morning, and in the spirit of Ld99 above....
...and the sunken finish:
...and the sunken finish:
Guitar MD
Tele-Meister
not “always” - in my experience, you can’t successfully fill pores in certain woods, like koa. I have found that Tru Oil makes for a versatile finish that you can build up to a gloss finish using multiple coats or achieve a satiny, open-pore finish with just a couple of coats. No spray booth required.
This is water based weld flow ink and water based black walnut husk stain (actually a dark brown) rubbed onto alder, blended with a damp cloth, sanded back some where the colors meet, and then weld flower ink rubbed over the whole thing. This is just the first coat of shellac (flakes dissolved in 190 proof Everclear). I don't mind it a little rough like this, but I plan to build up thin coats and wet sand and polish with a rubbing compound just to see what sort of gloss I can get with it. I was pretty happy with how it turned out. My practice runs on an alder plank didn't look so good, so I was pleasantly surprised.
SurfaceNoises
TDPRI Member
Looks great! Really cool effect. Sunbursts are my absolute favourite guitar finish...
Thanks! And I don't have my spray gun yet so I used the Preval sprayer and it worked out great with about a 1lb cut of shellac.
https://preval.com/
nitro finishes are cool because you can get to high shine without having strictly wrapped the guitar in plastic. they are a good way to go. i personally prefer thin finishes, oils, open pores, low build.
you have to finish wood to your customer's expectations. the most important result is making the end user happy. the rest be it right or wrong does not matter.
you have to finish wood to your customer's expectations. the most important result is making the end user happy. the rest be it right or wrong does not matter.
It's really one of the cool things about guitars that they can look really great (to me anyway) with lots of different finishes. I can appreciate the really natural ones that look like they have almost no finish and also the ones that have glossy paint jobs. I have a Guild Aristocrat that is coated in some thick poly (ug) that dented in a very ugly way with one errant bump against a mic stand. My tech fixed it with some CA and buffing, but it will never age gracefully. So I am not a fan of today's modern electric guitar finishes.
That Guild is the most resonant guitar I have (it's fully hollow). I have two Jazzmaster bodies partscasters that are also really resonant. But they are both chambered bodies.
I finished one of the Jazzmaster bodies with Aquacoat and then shellac. I know shellac is less than super durable, but 1) it is easy to fix screwups at the initial application 2) it can be fixed later, 3) non-toxic.
Here it is:
That Guild is the most resonant guitar I have (it's fully hollow). I have two Jazzmaster bodies partscasters that are also really resonant. But they are both chambered bodies.
I finished one of the Jazzmaster bodies with Aquacoat and then shellac. I know shellac is less than super durable, but 1) it is easy to fix screwups at the initial application 2) it can be fixed later, 3) non-toxic.
Here it is:
hotdotdog
TDPRI Member
I have a few builds under my belt and I think there is something to this. It will be hard to prove because every piece of wood is different but there is also the drying effect. Many foreign companies finish their guitars before the moisture content gets to the optimal state. Once that glossy finish is on there, the moisture is locked in. It think that is a bigger difference in sound than open pore finishing but there is something to that as well.
swervinbob
Friend of Leo's
I like open pore finishes. I’ll let everyone else argue about if it effects the tone.
fathand
TDPRI Member
It is a matter of cosmetics. Glossy mirror like finishes used to be the thing for furniture, not as desireable any more, most people want to feel grain now. The guitar world has started following this trend but is still mostly gloss oriented.
A grainy finish on a guitar can protect just as well, sounds the same on an electric, might sound better on an acoustic if thinner and is easier to take care of because it doesn't show every minor scratch and finger smudge.
I personally think painted finishes look better glossy and natural finishes can look good either way.
A grainy finish on a guitar can protect just as well, sounds the same on an electric, might sound better on an acoustic if thinner and is easier to take care of because it doesn't show every minor scratch and finger smudge.
I personally think painted finishes look better glossy and natural finishes can look good either way.
