ssgfowler Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 I bought this SG Special Faded in early 2007. It has been a great sounding and playing guitar from the start. I've done a few upgrades here and there over the last 2 1/2 years, (Angus Young bridge P/U, aluminum tailpiece, Sozo tone caps etc.), but because the faded finish was so thin, it was starting to get dented and dinged up really bad. I found a really super guitar tech locally and he gave it the full nitro lacquer treatment at a VERY, VERY, fair price. It was time intensive (about 8 weeks) and I cant believe he managed to get all the imperfections out as well as he did. I've had it back for about 3 weeks now and I love it more every day. (with my SG Special Classic) I had only the body and headstock refinished and left the back of the neck alone because it was so slick already. I had the money to buy an SG Standard when I went shopping for this guitar, but this one felt like someone made it just for me, and I still have less invested in it than an SG Standard. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackie Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Nice, came out real good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dub-T-123 Posted November 30, 2009 Share Posted November 30, 2009 Nice Grain! it looks way better. The faded specials look cheap and incomplete to me. Especially the LPs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbonesullivan Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 NICE!!! Now you can see why the fadeds are that much cheaper: nitro finishes are VERY time intensive. You've gotta put on coat after coat, and then it's gotta dry for weeks before you can buff it. Also you need to seal the grain, yada yada. With polyester finishes, they just zap it with UV, buff it, and it's done. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yew Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 tbone, they put nitro on the fadeds, jsut only a few coats 2-4 iirc, unlike the 10 or somthing a standard shiny gets and then they dont have to buff it i think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yew Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 And really Sorry about the Typing Errors Old Bean Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EVOL! Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 Guitar looks killer. However, I am the exact opposite. I love the look of a naturally weathered guitar. While I don't go out of my way to make sure there is a nick here and there, I certainly do not baby my SG. Chips and scratches are a sign that the guitar has been played. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbonesullivan Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 tbone' date=' they put nitro on the fadeds, jsut only a few coats 2-4 iirc, unlike the 10 or something a standard shiny gets and then they dont have to buff it i think[/quote'] Also, they don't put grain sealer on the fadeds. This is usually the first step in finishing, and it prevents the VERY thin nitro lacquer from getting simply sucked into the guitar. This is also why the grain of the wood shows up so well on the fadeds: no grain sealer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lpdeluxe Posted December 1, 2009 Share Posted December 1, 2009 It's not the grain "sealer," that's missing, it's the grain "filler." Mahogany has open pores, which is one of the reasons Fender has traditionally used ash and alder. They are close-grained woods, which don't require the extra step of filling the pores to produce a smooth finish. The finish on the Special Faded is the sealer coat only, which is necessary to preserve the wood. The filler (and the top coats and buffing) are the labor-intensive, cosmetic part. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dinosauria Posted December 2, 2009 Share Posted December 2, 2009 You still use grain filler on those woods, just not as much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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