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I was at the local Guitar Center in Austin a few days back and was looking at all of the guitars because that's what I do sometimes when I'm bored.....

And I saw this Martin 000 guitar that sounded and looked beautiful. It did not have a glossy finish, but I'm wondering what it might have been. Would this have been Tru-Oil maybe?

My next question is how well would this type of finish protects the guitar? I would think that it might protect it from stains, etc. but that it wouldn't have much protection against scratching, dings and such.
Does anyone have thoughts on this?

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Thanks,
Blain

http://www.ullrichguitar.com

"89.67% of all statistics are made up on the spot."

    Martin never uses any oil fnishes because of their reduced ability to
protect the guitars as compared to a sprayed finish. Martin isn't using
lacquer right now o most of their models, either.

    The finish you saw on that 000 was a sprayed finish with a satin drying
additive that allows it dry to that warm satin finish.

    Martin has changed their finish material so many times in the past
couple of decades that it's almost impossible to know what they're using
at any given time. There are so few employees there who have access to
the fiish department and its operation that you'll get as many answers to
what finish they're using as the number of people you ask there most
times.

Regards,
Kevin Gallaher/Omega Guitars    

Thanks Kevin.

Is there anyone that you're aware of that can do the same type of finish (with the satin drying additive)?

I'm still working on #1 (about to start FP'ing mid this week) and will probably do FP on my first several guitars, but really liked the look of this 000 that I saw and would like to possibly have one done this way in the future.

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Thanks,
Blain

http://www.ullrichguitar.com

"89.67% of all statistics are made up on the spot."

you can buy satin versions of most finishes such as waterbourne or nitro, or buy a flattening additive, but the drawback is that if you don't like it you have to strip it to really change the look.

as a result many just don't buff it up, leaving it at what ever degree of surface satiness they like by varying how finely they sand it.

Thanks everyone!

This helps a lot.
I might have to try the Stew-Mac Nitro in a can if I can get set up to where I can control the Hazardous part of it.

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Thanks,
Blain

http://www.ullrichguitar.com

"89.67% of all statistics are made up on the spot."

Blain I often put a satin finish on my French polished guitars, I usually leave it a couple of months after they are polished then cut it back to a nice lustre with OOOO woool with walnut oil as a lubricant, If you dont like the result it's easy to add another glaze coat and get back to the shine!

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Thanks for the tip Colin. I'll try that on a scrap piece while doing my first FP and see how I like it.

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Thanks,
Blain

http://www.ullrichguitar.com

"89.67% of all statistics are made up on the spot."

Most high gloss finishes can be satin-ized with some ultra-fine steel wool, can't they?
Then you could save the money for two different cans, plus if you didn't like it, you could polish it back to a gloss. Is that wrong?
-j.

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“If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting”
-jack handy

Martin uses 3 basic finishes
Nitro Gloss
Nitro Satin
Nitro Chem Sheen ( catalized Lacquer )

tippie53,
   You'd be gard pressed to find nitro lacquer anywhere in the Martin plant
with the exceotion of the repair department where they keep it on hand
for repairs on pieces with nitro finishes.

   I know alot of the guys there like to say they're using nitro on the bulk
of their models, but it's just not the case. I talk to guys in the finih
department there on a regular basis and even have one stopping in for a
crash course in the use of UV cured finishes. Martin messed around with
the UV material a while ago, but it was too involved for their time
limitations and prduction demands.

   
j.brown,
    A satin finish needs to be sparayed as a satin finish to truly exhibit that
consistently low gloss patina. We call a gloss finish that has been dulled
by steel wool or micro-mesh rubbing a "scratched" finish since that's
what it really is. No matter how fine the grit of the dulling abrasive is,
you'll be able to detect the rubbing pattern and scratches.

    I've dulled out alot of electric and acoustic necks to give the players a
smoother, less "sticky" feel than the high gloss finish offered. I typically
finish them with 8000 grit micro-mesh pads wrapped around a foam
block and spend a good amount of time rubbing with that final grit to
give as consistent a satin look as possible.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

Kevin,
Good info. Would that be considered an inferior product then? I'm guessing it is considering its called a "scratched" finish.
Are there additives, then, in the products to produce that satin finish?
-j.

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“If God dwells inside us like some people say, I sure hope He likes enchiladas, because that's what He's getting”
-jack handy

j,

    A "scratched" finish isn't inferior at all since it's simply a great durable
finish that is dulled to a satin appearance by using very fine abrasives.

   Any satin finish that is sprayed by a manufacturer will be sprayed as a final
topcoat that will actually dry to that satin sheen rather than to the typical
gloss dry surface. The additive simply causes the drying to occur with that
soft satin appearance.

Regards,
Kevin Gallagher/Omega Guitars

Last time I spoke with Addam Stark, he said that one of the finishes he offers is a satin urethane. So, you could farm it out to him if you want.

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

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

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