For the vintage experts

[gov]

realize this a bit of a broad based and hypothetical question but i'll ask anyway.

 

value aside and only speaking about "expected" tone, what impact does an overspray have on a vintage guitar? i've never pondered this much but i'm curious and my initial thought is that part of the sound characteristic of a vintage guitar involves (certainly among other things) the impact time has had on the finish over the years. does an overspray "reset" the clock so to speak in any way on a vintage instrument.

 

not sure if this all makes any sense so i'll clarify as needed...

 

thanks folks.

[j45nick]

It's a fair question, but one without a simple answer. I suspect a light overspray of nitrocellulose lacquer would have little or no discernible impact on the tone of a vintage guitar. At the same time, I have seen heavy oversprays that were so thick that's it's hard to imagine they didn't have an impact on tone.

 

At the end of the day, an overspray will have impact on value, with that impact being a function of how much of the original finish remains, even if oversprayed. If an oversprayed guitar still sounds good to your ear, that's all that matters from a tonal perspective, but you may want to adjust what you are willing to pay for it.

 

I don't think an overspray would "reset the clock" on tone in any meaningful way. The wood is still aged under the finish, and literally half the wood of the body--the inside--has no finish on it at all on most flat-top acoustics.

 

I don't know how long it takes for a nitro finish to fully "age out", but the VOC's must be mostly gone by the time most new guitars are delivered. Certainly a lacquer finish seems to get more brittle over time, which I suspect is a good thing from a tonal perspective, as it would have less damping effect on top vibration.

 

I've bought a couple of one or two year old guitars that still had a strong lacquer smell, but that's probably because they lived in cases that were rarely opened.

 

My 1947 L-7 is actually clearcoated on the inside of the back, which could only be a factory job. I'm assuming that was done on guitars with carved archbacks to reduce the chance of the maple cracking.

[L5Larry]

not sure if this all makes any sense

 

The question makes perfect sense.

 

Overspray will affect the value of a vintage instrument, but I don't think it will affect the sound to a perceivable degree.

 

I think it's a generally accepted theory that the "vintage" sound from an acoustic guitar comes from the wood aging, not the finish. A nitrocellulose lacquer finish is very thin to begin with, so another thin coat should not make any difference.

[tpbiii]

The question makes perfect sense.

 

Overspray will affect the value of a vintage instrument, but I don't think it will affect the sound to a perceivable degree.

 

I think it's a generally accepted theory that the "vintage" sound from an acoustic guitar comes from the wood aging, not the finish. A nitrocellulose lacquer finish is very thin to begin with, so another thin coat should not make any difference.

 

That is exactly my experience.

 

Best,

 

-Tom

[gov]

Thanks for the replies gents...

 

The guitar in question is a 43 lg2 for a bit over $3k. it has a repaired crack and the over-spray. i'm planning to have a look and the info provided was helpful. I might have a follow up question after the looksie so greatly appreciate the collective knowledge and insight from the group here.

 

gov

[E-minor7]

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