French Polish
French Polish isn't really a finish , but the technique for applying the finish which is shellac. This was the traditional method for finishing guitars up until the 1920's- 30's, when it was replaced by the factories with synthetic finishes. The shellac is painstakingly applied in microscopically thin layers buy dissolving it in alcohol, and applying it with a pad, or muneca. later in the process oil is added to help buildup the shine and prevent the pad from sticking. The process it very labor intensive often taking up to a month to complete, but the result is a finish that has a unique luster and depth, and is acoustically transparent, also the finish is easily repaired. The downside is the finish is rather thin, so it doesn't provide a great amount of scratch and ding protection. This is my standard finish on Classical Guitars
Lacquer
Nitrocellulose Lacquer is is the traditional synthetic finish used on Steelstring guitars, and is applied by spraying, then sanding back to level it out. Once applied the finish is left to cure for 3-4 weeks, and is then sanded with ultra fine sandpaper and buffed out. The finish provides decent protection and can be applied fairly thin (~.003in), so it has minimal impact on the sound of the instrument. This is the standard finish for Steelstring and Archtop guitars.
Modern Finishes
Modern finishes include a variety of urethane or esters. These typically have the advantage of being cured in a matter or minutes or days, they are also very tough. The disadvantage is that they are harder to put on thinly, and are very difficult to repair. These finishes are available on request.
French Polish isn't really a finish , but the technique for applying the finish which is shellac. This was the traditional method for finishing guitars up until the 1920's- 30's, when it was replaced by the factories with synthetic finishes. The shellac is painstakingly applied in microscopically thin layers buy dissolving it in alcohol, and applying it with a pad, or muneca. later in the process oil is added to help buildup the shine and prevent the pad from sticking. The process it very labor intensive often taking up to a month to complete, but the result is a finish that has a unique luster and depth, and is acoustically transparent, also the finish is easily repaired. The downside is the finish is rather thin, so it doesn't provide a great amount of scratch and ding protection. This is my standard finish on Classical Guitars
Lacquer
Nitrocellulose Lacquer is is the traditional synthetic finish used on Steelstring guitars, and is applied by spraying, then sanding back to level it out. Once applied the finish is left to cure for 3-4 weeks, and is then sanded with ultra fine sandpaper and buffed out. The finish provides decent protection and can be applied fairly thin (~.003in), so it has minimal impact on the sound of the instrument. This is the standard finish for Steelstring and Archtop guitars.
Modern Finishes
Modern finishes include a variety of urethane or esters. These typically have the advantage of being cured in a matter or minutes or days, they are also very tough. The disadvantage is that they are harder to put on thinly, and are very difficult to repair. These finishes are available on request.
