As much as you want a hand crafted guitar to sound like a hand crafted guitar, you also want it to look hand crafted. And that comes down to the finish. Well, actually there’s a lot to be said for the craftsmanship too, but more about that later.
100% gloss finish
We mainly use two products in finishing our guitars. The first is the tried and true nitrocellulous lacquer which has been used on instruments for over 80 years. It’s easy to apply, it’s tough and it delivers a consistent result. This is why it has become the industry standard finish. A lacquered finished guitar will generally have good acoustic properties as long as the finish is not too thick. Our guitars are finished with either a matte finish or 100% gloss, creating a look just like glass.
However nitrocellulous lacquers contain some nasty chemicals and this isn’t good for the spray painter nor the environment.
The second product we use is called Osmo Polyx. This is a hard wax oil made up of a blend of natural oils and waxes and is non-toxic. There are a heap of details on the Osmo website and on YouTube. Osmo really makes the grain pop, unlike nitro which leaves a plastic coating on the timber. With an oil finish the timber looks and feels like real timber.
We use the satin version which gives the timber a beautiful lustre, and acoustically we believe it’s a superior finish. A guitar finished in Osmo seems to sing more, it sounds more open and has a more complex tonal palette. The Osmo is not applied as thick as a lacquered finish, and as a result, it is not as durable. However we’re creating instruments for people who love guitars, who will take a little extra care with them. Another great feature of using oil is it’s easy to refinish. With minimal effort, a little oil and a lint free cloth, you can hide small scratches and scuff marks. We’ll share a video soon to show you exactly what to do.
Osmo finish