finishes and sound

[musicofthemind9]

does the finish on the guitar effect the sound? like say a natural gloss vs midnight wine(or any other color you can think of)?

[MarshallTim]

Actually most debate of finish and tone comes from nitro or poly. I've never heard the color discussed as a factor.

[musicofthemind9]

me niether. thats why i raised the issue. to see if there was an issue.

[Paul Buerk]

The short answer is "it depends".

I use that answer too many times, but it fits.

With a natural finish, you can get away with using less material, which translates into less damping.

With colors, it depends on how the color is achieved. On wood that's had a stain directly applied, there is no real difference. If you're mixing a tint into the finish, then you may end up applying additional coats into the spraying schedule. For solid colors, you'll usually have some kind of sealer, followed by a primer or base coat, then the color coat, and finally a transparent topcoat. Or apply a solid color until it hides everything...

The process I've been using for solid colors includes a water-based pore filler, flake shellac as a sealer, then some clear coats of a water-based poly. The color coats are a different type altogether (Faskolor for RC race cars), mixed 50/50 with the poly. Those color coats go on, then the topcoats of clear, usually with a tint to keep them from looking blue.

So why the long explanation? All those coats add up, and they all damp vibration to some degree. The ultimate is still french polishing.

[musicofthemind9]

what is french polishing? never heard of that.