Which would you prefer?

[roger04]

If you are going to buy a new acoustic guitar.. , would you like the body with a high gloss or semi gloss finish?

 

Tell me why if you can..

[roger04]

c'mon guys, tell me why

[knockwood]

I've had very little playing experience with highly lacquered guitars, so I cannot attest with any empirical authority to whether or not there is any actual tonal difference between gloss and satin. I do know this: I have never heard a better-sounding rosewood dreadnaught - to my ears, anyway - than my own plain-Jane satin-finished Guild DV-52.

 

I like satin. Regarding the issue of protection from the environment, scratches, etc., I prefer to cover this by not playing out in the rain or slamming my guitars into hard objects or strumming the top rather than the strings... I'm nutty that way.

 

As a matter of personal aesthetic taste, I detest gloss. I find it almost insufferably tacky. It reminds me of the grandparents' beautiful suede sofa eternally trapped and sensually inaccessible beneath a hideous plastic slip-cover...

 

Having said that, I'd rather have an ugly guitar that sounds great than a pretty one that sounds like {censored}. If I found a great-sounding guitar that happened to be pimped up in gloss, I'd buy it without a blink's-worth of consideration for its looks.

[roger04]

 

Originally posted by Tioga_Man I voted gloss. I don't like the gloss look. But if it's anything like house paint, it protects better and cleans up better. I have pretty caustic fingerprints ( like I drink hydrochloric acid) so I'm thinking the gloss offers more protection. But I'm guessing.

 

 

Tioga,

 

I think my post wasn't that clear too.. Did you mean the high gloss or satin(semi gloss I wrote)?

[woody b]

A high gloss finish looks good when it's perfect but any inperfection, blemish or even fingerprint sticks out like a sore thumb under stage lights. Therefore I voted semi-gloss. That way you can spend your time playing your guitar instead of polishing it.

[digitalsnipe]

Satin. I have a high gloss jumbo and it shows everything. My satin finish dread always looks great. I wash my hands before playing so dirt isn't an issue on the gloss. It's the natural oils from the hands that smear it up. I've learned not to hold the guitar anywhere except the neck. The satin will eventually take on a gloss where it rests on the leg so I try not to shuffle or slide it on my pants. That might be a bit anal but it is something to keep in mind.

[solitaire]

I only buy instruments with nitro finish for the sake of sound.

[digitalsnipe]

The material used to finish a guitar can be made high gloss, satin or flat dependent upon how much flattening agent is used. The process applies to nitro and any other material. My Walden dread is satin nitro and my Guild jumbo is gloss nitro. Polyurethane can be rendered the same way.

[guit30]

Gloss

[Tralfaz]

I prefer a high-gloss finish.

 

A semi-gloss or satin finish would be fine if it stayed that way. But invariably, after just a few months, they always end up with shiny spots wherever my hands and arms rub against the finish.

 

That being said, I prefer a satin finish on the neck, because the hand-rubbed gloss that develops after a few weeks or months is still much less sticky than a factory gloss.

[tapeman1]

 

Originally posted by knockwood ...I'd rather have an ugly guitar that sounds great than a pretty one that sounds like {censored}. If I found a great-sounding guitar that happened to be pimped up in gloss, I'd buy it without a blink's-worth of consideration for its looks.

 

 

That's just crazy talk!

 

And what is this "sound" you keep talking about? Does it have something to do with abalone?

[JasmineTea]

 

Originally posted by tapeman1 That's just crazy talk! And what is this "sound" you keep talking about? Does it have something to do with abalone?

Are you saying you'd rather have a pretty guitar that sounds like {censored}?

 

I'd have to agree with Knockwood.

 

I've heard from some reputable sources that satin lets more of the wood-tone through. Mabey one of the in-house luthiers could explane why it does or does'nt.

 

I think the reason anyone picks up a guitar in a shop is because it LOOKS interesting, but if it sounds un-interesting, they hang it back on the wall.

[Khan Fused]

Okay, confession time: Who here buys the the pretty guitars that sound like crap? Come on, fess up !

 

For aesthetics, satin finish. Possible for sound as well, but will need to get back to you in a few years. We own 3 Seagulls, two newer with the satin finish, & a much older one with light? semi-gloss? finish.

 

For scratch & ding resistance (my wife is a travelling music teacher, 'nuff said), gloss. As for sound, will again have to get back to you in a few years. Her two Ibanez look like you could plug the soundhole, & use them for skis.

[kwakatak]

I never saw a satin finish before I tried out a Larrivee OM-03. At first I was kind of skeptical, but after a few minutes I found that I liked the more natural feel. I have since played several other -03s and won't even look at the higher-end gloss-finished Larrivees.

 

Some say that brand-new guitars with satin-finished tops sound better than similar models with glossed-tops. I don't know how accurate that is. All I know is that now I like satin better.

[telenate]

I didn't vote 'cause my Gibson WM-45 has a nitro gloss top and satin back and sides, so it's sort of a hybrid. It's my favorite sounding guitar.

[hammergjh]

I have a high gloss Seagull. Supposedly the high gloss finish can be applied in thinner layers and let more sound through.

 

From their website:

 

M Series - M6 Gloss

The M6 Gloss features a high gloss lacquer finish. This finish provides excellent protection but at the same time is extremely light and elastic. This is a crucial point in both the sound of the guitar and its ability to age - a thick finish muffles a guitar's vibration and blocks aging.

[Freeman Keller]

The one thing I dislike about my T314 is the finish - both the gloss on the top and satin on the back. IMHO (and you know what they say...) the satin looks like a cheaper finish (and usually is) - but unfortunately the gloss was applied over wood that was not well prepared and it brings out a lot of the impections in the wood (just sanding better and buffing the finish would have improved it a lot)

 

The guitar was a gift from my wife and I love it (and her) and play it daily - but if I were picking a Taylor today I would move up in series or buy a limited to get a better finish.

 

There must be a reason that there are so many threads about how to polish a satin finish but none on how to dull a glossy one.

 

Now if you want to see a really glossy guitar, I'll get out my chrome bodied reso...

[Flamencology]

French polish, please.

[I tele u]

Both guitars made the same,I take gloss all day...Semi gloss is just boring.I love deep luster that really shows woodgrain.Satin finish just looks cheap-O IMHO...

[PFB]

Gloss finish is a complete guitar, Satin finish is awful, IMO.

[roger04]

hi all,

 

although I'm a thread starter, I like the satin finish more.. lol

 

I always have this kind of saying of "woody delight" .. guess I just like the bare wood feel

[leftync]

When gloss is done well, it looks great and sounds fine. I've also got a Seagull M6 and they seem to have done a good job. I love the look as well as the sound. My first guitar was a Takamine 330 GS (before I came out as a lefty) which has acedar top and looked really nice. but it seems pretty fragile.

[Paul Buerk]

French Polish for sound, gloss for looks.

[long finger]

gloss/ french polish = greasy finger marks everywhere !

 

so id go satin, but im not too fusy!