BillyGibson Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 I started thinking about this at breakfast this morning. I can understand a nitro finish would allow the wood to open up, since it's thin and seems to age nicely. But how does a poly coated finish allow the wood to breath? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hungrycat Posted June 8, 2010 Share Posted June 8, 2010 There's no finish on the underside of the top. The wood is free to breath as much as it wants to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
midiman56 Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Certainly polyurethane finished guitar will open up ... with a CHISEL! Jim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bill67 Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 I think the polyurethane finish holds the cheap guitars together. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TommyK Posted June 9, 2010 Share Posted June 9, 2010 Generally speaking, solid tops open up, as they continue to season after they have been assembled into a guitar. This process, they tell me, takes as long as two years. There are those who have ways of speeding this process up, but I do not recommend speeding up nature. Laminate tops do not 'open up' as they are structurally more stable. They sound essentially the same in their old age as they did when they first came out of the box. I do not know if a poly finish would affect the 'opening up' process. Poly is a cheaper, more mistake proof, more durable finish than nitro. That and it isn't affected by chemicals like DEET and body oils. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiggy Posted June 10, 2010 Share Posted June 10, 2010 I know everybody says that laminate tops don't open up with age but I must say that my old Tanglewood has definately become more open and sweeter over the years. Could it be that, whilst the top doesn't alter, the bracing seasons and changes slightly thus altering the tonal qualities? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 A guitar "opens up" because of both aging and vibration. Laminate tops are used because of cost and the fact that there is a predicatbility of quality. Because the layers are strongly bonded together, the laminate is stiffer and far less subject to the effects of environment and vibration. This is why laminate tops do not "open up." With the finish, alot has to do with how thickly it is applied. A thick nitro or shellac finish is not going to open up much better than a thin poly finish. A thick poly finish though is about as ugly as it is gonna get. Also nitro seeps into the wood while poly pretty much sits on the surface which also has an impact on how the instruments ages. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Digger Posted June 12, 2010 Share Posted June 12, 2010 I have had an Epi EJ300SCE for 4 1/2 years and I can hear a mellowing of the tone even in this relatively short space of time. I have it on good authority that campfire smoke and beer spilt on the guitar all help hasten that process LOL. Digger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zombywoof Posted June 13, 2010 Share Posted June 13, 2010 I have had an Epi EJ300SCE for 4 1/2 years and I can hear a mellowing of the tone even in this relatively short space of time. I have it on good authority that campfire smoke and beer spilt on the guitar all help hasten that process LOL. Digger Nah, it just takes a guitar a little bit of time to learn that it isn't a tree anymore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.