Possible extremely dumb question

Fingers · January 2011

Don't know...Shawn suggested the FP with the nitro over.It sure sounds interesting.

I was going to only do the nitro. The idea of a light sand, some tasteful masking and then hit it with a couple rattlecans of nitro, appealed to me.

Shawns way is a lot of work...a whole lot of work. I would have to have another guitar to do that...another GJ, I have way too many guitars, mostly electric though. But you now what I mean....the FP and nitro seems like it would take me the better part of 2 weeks actual work.

The actual work I am not afraid of.

Shawn · January 2011

The main reasons I originally chose to use Nitro over FP, was down to a couple of things I saw wrong with each finish option...

1. French Polish-
Upside- In my estimation the best finish avaliable. It dries extremely hard and brittle once the solvent has completely evaporated and lends itself to more of a dry and (would you believe it) louder tone. Amber Shellac applied right can also give your guitar an authentic natural aged look unlike modern tinted finishes, which tend to be too yellow or too orange. I've found that 9 out of 10 guitars that are French Polished usually sound and look asthetically better to my ears.
Downside- It has practically no protection whatsoever. Meaning, if you happen to be clumsy (like me) your guitar is going to look like it went through a battle.

2. Nitrocellulose-
Upside- It's lacquer, still natural, and allows the instrument to "breath". Even better...it is quite durable for what its actually made from, allowing your instrument greater projection than other durable finishes. Over time it tends to yellow and show natural aging, which is always a plus in my book.
Downside- It doesn't dry to the brittle hardness that French Polish does, and thus you don't get the (extremely hard to describe sound) quite as "dry" tone that French Polish offers.

In all, it's tough work to do the method I've tried to describe, but what you'll end up with is an instrument that has the best of both qualities. After you spray the Nitrocellulose, you sand it down to the most bare minimal layer possible...I'm talking thousandths or maybe even hundred thousandths of an inch. It's very delicate work, but if you're willing to put in the time and have the patience you'll come out the an instrument that has one of the best sounds avaliable.

Shawn · January 2011

Here are a few quick pictures of the guitar now, keep in mind that I am extremely hard on my guitars so the finishes don't usually last as long with me as they do with other people (heck, even the tuners and tailpiece have been tarnished beyond belief...my skin doesn't seem to like brass :shock: ). I also like a more Satin finish that has been polished out, and I've stained the Mahogany neck with a Walnut stain.

I've tried to take pictures from a few angles, and of course the dog was curious as to what I was doing...lol

Fingers · February 2011

The guitar looks great! Nice work.

What finish did the original Sel Mac guitars have?

Joli Gadjo · February 2011

Cute dog !

Craig Bumgarner · February 2011

Fingers wrote:

The guitar looks great! Nice work.

What finish did the original Sel Mac guitars have?

Nitrocellulose lacquer I believe.

Shawn · February 2011

I'll second the Nitrocellulose Lacquer. Nitro seems to darken or yellow over time...that combined with the smoke infested environments where many of them spent years being played hard...gives them that darkened look.

Oh, and here's a better one Joli

davidschob · March 2011

Do you think it's necessary to refinish the back as well or would stripping at french polishing the top do the trick? I'm wondering if it's a good idea to leave the harder finish on the back as it shouldn't affect sound that much?

David

Shawn · March 2011

Davidschob,

If it were me, I'd definitely go ahead and refinish the back as well. I approach this question only from the standpoint of having refinished only the top on a guitar once and hearing how it sounded, then taking the same guitar and refinishing the rest of it. Wow...big difference in volume, dryness, and tonal range. The sides of a guitar don't really have a big impact on tone, but the back sure does, and if it's left coated in a heavy layer of Poly I can almost guarantee you're going to end up refinishing it too one day. Therefore, if it were me I'd rather just put in the extra time and effort and do the whole job at once.

Of course, it also depends on your own standpoint. I'd rather have a better sounding instrument that a well protected one, and I'm willing to sacrifice wear and tear for tone and volume.

Just as an example, if my playing doesn't embarass me, here is a short video of me playing the refinished guitar where you can definitely hear an audible difference in tonal range:

The refinish job on the whole guitar really allows it to breath, something a poly finish just won't allow.

Shawn