Finishes

[AK_NorPine]

I was just checking out this thread over at BaM, where this guy has converted 1/2 his ModernEagle from Satin to Gloss...

http://forums.birdsandmoons.com/forum/showthread.php?t=43984

Can somebody enlighten this newby about the differences in finishes?
My understanding is that there are 2 major camps for finishes: Nitro Cellusose Lacquer and Acrylic based urethanes(think PRS guitars) after reading a thread at TGP in which John Suhr (before his departure from said forum) was adding a lot of good comments about finishes.

My JZS guitar can be either either Satin or GLoss, correct? So, a Nitro finish can be either Satin or GLoss? I guess from the first thread I posted above that it can, you just buff it out and polish it up to do that transformation. What about the acrylic finishes like the default PRS, can they be satin, as I know they can be glossy?

Does JZS exclusively use Nitro finishes? BAsed on the JZS order form, that seems to be the default on his guitar bodies, Non?

Thanx guys,
Skip

[vangit]

Hey Skip
I don't much about finishes, just we I read and see. Yes nitro can be satin or gloss. Quick comparison is if you go the gallery you see Tommy's charcoal is satin nitro and the guitar right next to it is the gloss nitro Tour guitar. I have no clue if the only difference is buffing one to the other of there is a differnce in the application? Complete nitro guitars can have "glossy" spots just from repetitve rubbing on it from playing. I remember Tommy showing me under his high E string he buffed a spot to gloss from his hand rubbing on the body. Then again Tommy is a professional player and probably puts more time on a guitar in a weekend then some put on in months. Not sure how quick it takes for gloss spots to appear?

PRS satin finishes are nitro. I'm not sure if poly can be satin?

[paintguy]

I'll (the new guy) take a stab at this.

Almost all finishes can be made satin, semi-gloss, low gloss and high gloss. Nitro, lacquer, acrylic urethane, polyurethane etc.. Usually polyester is the only type of finish that cannot be de-glossed.

Basically, there is a gloss reducing additive to make the finish the desired level of gloss or lack of gloss. The more you put in, the less the gloss.( what a concept). These lower gloss finishes are never buffed or polished at the factory. Spray it and leave it baby...

Still, with that being said, I have yet to find a flat or satin finish that couldn't be buffed out to a high gloss finish. Mind you if the pores were never filled and the finsh just sucked into the pores, you would have a hard time getting a good gloss because there is so little finish on top of the wood. If the finish has completely sealed the wood, I have no doubt that it could be buffed to a very high gloss.

I could go on and on, but I think you get the idea.

[AK_NorPine]

Thanx for the words Paint! I think I may have read some of your thread comments on The Gear Page or Birds and Moons. There was a real good one where John Suhr was weighing in on finishes on TGP.


As far as the finish colours for my all maple-necked DC, I've been contemplating doing a burst using some non-standard colors, something I have dubbed a "sky burst" going from yellow in the middle to blue at the edges.
I need to run it by Jason to see what he thinks. Am I crazy? Part of me says just get a TigerEye finish on my nice flamed top....

Maybe something like this Alembic Oceanburst except change green to yellow:
http://www.acsalaska.net/%7Eavycenterfriends/Photos/alembic_oceanburstL%20%28Small%29.jpg

or this Thorn:
http://www.acsalaska.net/%7Eavycenterfriends/Photos/thorn_burst%20%28Small%29.jpg

Here is my quick attempt at a mockup using a crappy Paint program: Anybody have some real examples with similar colours??
http://www.acsalaska.net/%7Eavycenterfriends/Photos/skyburst.JPG


Some other random cool bursts I ran into:



http://www.acsalaska.net/%7Eavycenterfriends/Photos/oceanBrst.jpg

[r9player]

That finish kinda reminds of the one that Snoopy (Mike) likes a lot.
He has a sweet Schroeder in progress, but also this eye popping Thorn

http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e177/mcnaughtkoa/157_pus.jpg

[paintguy]

AK_NorPine, you probably have seen me on those forums you mention. I'm there.

As far as you picking something different from ther norm, I think that's awesome.
It's also very personal and I think you and Jason should work that out.

I'm not a huge fan of the ocean/caribbean type bursts myself, but you should definitely get what you want (being that it's your guitar).

I say go way out and create something no-one has done...

Or just go with a scheme you really like that you have seen before.

[AK_NorPine]

Thanx for the input Paint!

In my search of the web i came across some other burst examples I'll share with the group for entertainment puposes only. These are some wild ones:

Thorn Tequila sunrise:
http://www.acsalaska.net/%7Eavycenterfriends/Photos/thorn_tequilasunrise.jpg

Zion:

http://www.acsalaska.net/%7Eavycenterfriends/Photos/zionguitar.jpg

Dragonburst:
http://www.acsalaska.net/%7Eavycenterfriends/Photos/ct6t-dragonburst.jpg

[AK_NorPine]

Part of me wants to just play it safe and go with something along the lines of these for my nicely flamed top:
http://www.acsalaska.net/%7Eavycenterfriends/Photos/MeALLGloss.JPG

or this PRS:
http://www.acsalaska.net/%7Eavycenterfriends/Photos/tigerseyePRS.jpg

[paintguy]

Boy, I love the Tiger Eye type finishes if you like a somehat traditional stunner. Can't go wrong in my opinion. Everyone loves and/or can appreciate it.

The other finishes above are cool too. Much less traditional, but much more unique. I like the dragonburst best and then the Zion. Pretty cool.

Decisions, decisions....

[AK_NorPine]

Just saw this Charvel on TGP for sale, the dude is calling it "TurtleBurst", maybe it should be called "GanjaBurst", non?
Now this is gettin closer to my orig idea as it has yellow in the center, sub Blue (like Bills lefty DC) for green and that is what I was contemplating...

http://www.acsalaska.net/%7Eavycenterfriends/Photos/turtleBurst.jpg

[AK_NorPine]

Pai, I saw this beaut on your web page? You been holding out on us? IS that a 2 color burst or just one (natural to blue-green)?

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v713/pkcconalso/Classof59/Class59-1.jpg

[r9player]

hmm I believe it was just a single color to natural.
I don't have that guitar anymore, it is rumored to be an Ed Roman product.
Overall the guitar had a good look and feel, but the pick ups were just weak and didn't sound too good.

[AK_NorPine]

Hope you all are having a good long weekend...

I buddy of mine gave me the URL to the USACG web site which I'd never checked out before as I has this cool Virtual Design Gallery thingy where you can paint your guitar, put different pickups and controls on it and change the body/neck materials. KInd of fun if you've nothign better to do.
Here is the URL

http://www.usacustomguitars.com/virtualguitar.html

[AK_NorPine]

here is a Virtual Design example after flailing around a bit and learning to use the interface..
I havent found an easy way to export the image so I did the old alt-Print screen
You can get idea of what I'm looking at doing as far as the yellow to blue burst. Call me crazy.
http://www.acsalaska.net/%7Eavycenterfriends/Photos/usacg.jpg