Official Luthiers Forum!

Joe...Many of the guys around here use either Tony Ferguson (Michigan) or Adam Stark (California) to do their finishing. I'm not sure if they have websites but Hesh, Lance and others might be able to shed some light on your question.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

You can locate Adam Stark through Rick Turner at Renaissance Guitar in Santa Cruz, CA. I've read one of
Rick's posts saying that he and Adam share shop space. And I know that Adam does finishing work for some well know makers and mfg's. Don't know about the quick turn around though, you should ask him directly.

CrowDuck

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Chris Nielsen
Soquel, CA.

I have talked with Turner a few times. Even tried a couple of his stage acoustics. He has some interesting stuff and he loves to talk guitars!

Hey Joe,

I'm betting with your experience in the automotive body work that this is
something you'll get right into.
....or...maybe that's what you're already thinking..?

I know of at least a couple of folks on here that use automotive urethane
for their finish. I'm considering it on #2.

Chris

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Christopher C. Cordle
North Muskegon, MI

http://www.yardsaleunderwear.com
http://www.facebook.com/christopher.cordle

I would bet that a high-quality acoustic finisher, once proven, with a fairly quick turnaround and prices that were reasonable would most definitely gain a market.

I know two people right now who would be interested.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.

Tony is as good or better than anyone I've ever seen. Very thin film
thickness, uses catalyzed urethane. Takes about one month for completion.
Great prices too. Give him a call (616) 842-4114     

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

Joe,

I'll second what Chris said. I'm sure there would be plenty of business for you if you can do guitar finishing to the highest professional standards, understanding that that includes not only a flawless-looking finish, but the thinnest possible film. If you can do excellent work with a variety of finishes -- nitro, polyester, cat urethane, etc -- and both high-gloss and satin sheens, there'll be even more demand. If you can be the kind of finisher to whom a builder can send his or her guitars with complete confidence that they will come back with perfect-looking and acoustically excellent finishes, I think you'll soon have all the business you can handle, even if your turn-around isn't so quick.

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

Agreed, I think the demand for first class finishes would keep someone very busy.

Dale Bartholemew of Easton PA does finish work. Also ALex Gray . I have to get the phone numbers for them as they are in my shop file.
   Email me tippie@epix.net and I can get them for you
john hall

I have often thought about opening a finish shop , but was never sure of the demand. I used to be a finish man for a small company, and did all the work from sanding to color work to buffing. What are the going rates these days for a putting a great finish on an instrument?

Blake

[QUOTE=Hesh1956]
Not to high-jack here so please forgive me does any one do contract french polishing? How does it compare to outsourcing a nitro or CAT U finish in terms of price?[/QUOTE]

I could imagine a quality FP job costing significantly more than Nitro or catalyzed urethane...perhaps double considering all of the labor involved. I would guess that it takes me 15 to 20 hours over a period of a week to do one guitar. I have no idea how that compares to others. I'm not aware of anyone who does this on a contract basis.

Do it yourself, Hesh...at least one time. It's really quite relaxing, tactile and satisfying. I honestly think you'll enjoy it.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

[QUOTE=Homeboy] I have often thought about opening a finish shop , but was never sure of the demand. I used to be a finish man for a small company, and did all the work from sanding to color work to buffing. What are the going rates these days for a putting a great finish on an instrument?

Blake[/QUOTE]

$300 - $400 is typical depending on what you want.

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Brock Poling
Columbus, Ohio
http://www.polingguitars.com

Brock, Hesh...What stage is the guitar surface when you send it out for finishing? You do gap filling, etc or does the finisher?

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Ditto on Tony Ferguson. The guitarmaker I built my first with - a great finisher himself - looked my freshly returned guitar over very closely and said, "Now tell me again why I'm still doing my own finishes again?"

Tony's work is flawless. You'll have to like the urethane finish (vs. nitro, etc.) but his work is on par with anyone's, anywhere.

PS: And his sunbursts are unbelieveable, too.

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Eagles may soar, but weasels don't get sucked into jet engines.