By the time antonio stradivari 1644 12 18 1737 crafted his violins cellos guitars violas harps and basses the process of wood finishing had evolved to an art.
Wood finish electric guitar.
The finish provides complete protection against beer wine cola coffee tea fruit juice milk.
First things first you will need to assess whether your guitar is suited to this type of finish.
Here i will be doing a slightly thicker finish by creating a sanding slurry with the tru oil in order to fill the grain slightly.
This contemporary will also be getting a tru oil finish however i will be using a different method of application.
That is nitrocellulose lacquer wood dyes and pigmented colors notably those colors used by fender and gibson guitars in the 1950s and 60s.
Not only is it naturally beautiful and relatively abundant but it is also very easy to tool into useful shapes and its natural tonality makes it perfect for building guitars.
As the name implies the highlighted grain stain finish is a tinted transparent finish that accentuates the grain pattern of your guitar and is sealed with a clear oil finish.
It is extremely durable and hardwearing.
The finish kits come with either deep colour base and top coats depending on the type of kit designed to meet the demands of wood.
Being microporous they won t crack or blister.
The body wood on this guitar is spanish cedar which is a very porous wood.
As guitarmaking went from individuals to factories clear high gloss lacquer became the favorite finish for guitars.
This koa wood martin guitar sports a nitrocellulose lacquer finish like almost all furniture of the jazz age.
Here michael greenfield one of the best builders of acoustic guitars explains how he approaches sanding the guitar.
The reranch product line is based on the products which formed the foundation for the finishing of the great guitars from the 1930s to today.
If you are finishing a steel string or electric guitar without spray equipment your best choice is to apply a water based finish by brush.
This is slightly more labor intensive and time consuming than spraying but with careful brushing and sanding between coats the results can be the same as with the sprayed finishes.
Each luthier of the day had their particular formula for finishing instruments each struggled to have the richest color luster and depth or visual feel.
Wood which still is at the heart of every great instrument is a great building material for a number of reasons.
All this aside wood has one major downfall.
Good swamp ash is both light and resonant and generally carries a broad grain that looks great under a translucent finish.