Official Luthiers Forum!

Title says it all. I've known that Behlen was made by Mowhawk. But are they the same mix? I've tried the Mohawk Piano Lacquer and found it very brittle and prone to checking/cracking. Perhaps fine for solid body guitars, but not for acoustics. I've also tried other finished, but kept going back to the Behlen for ease of use and consistency. Went to order some for a couple that I'm about to spray and could not find it anymore. Thanks!

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Tony Thatcher
Bozeman, Montana

I've never tried Mohawk or Behlen products, but.... it seems to me most finishes I've used seem to evolve, sort of. I suspect the ingredients change. Probably for a number of reasons, cost, availability, regulations, somebodies idea of what would be better, etc.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

My understanding is the Piano lacquer doesn't have the plasticizers that the Mohawk classic (stringed) instrument lacquer has. Thick Piano cases don't react to humidity swings as quickly as thin guitar woods. You still don't want to apply it too thick, but I have had less trouble with it than other lacquers I've used.

Well, I’m in contact with one rather well-known high-end builder who does his own finishing with Mohawk products. He claims the Piano lacquer builds much faster due to higher solids than the Classic instrument lacquer. For that reason, he uses between 50 to 100% Piano lacquer these days. I know he was being candid, but I can’t comment beyond that. I would say that my own experience with the Classic lacquer is that it builds much more slowly than the pre-cat poly I was accustomed to in New Zealand — really threw me off on my return to Canada. Still don’t feel entirely comfortable with it.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Stew Mac's ColorTone lacquer is Behlen Stringed Instrument Lacquer repackaged. Same stuff.

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It will probably be alright.

This is true. It builds very quickly.



I was wondering about that. I'm getting tired of SM's ColorTone rebranding of absolutely everything! I'm never sure of what I'm getting with them, now.

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Tony Thatcher
Bozeman, Montana

When you look at the PDS for the lacquers mentioned you see that the piano lacquer has a solids content of almost 25 % where the classic (stringed) instrument lacquer has a solids content of approximately 18%. The piano lacquer is designed for high build hard finishes and the classic instrument lacquer is designed for flexible finishes.
If you like the reticulated look of vintage cold checked instruments the piano lacquer sprayed heavy might get you there sooner. A thinly applied finish of the classic instrument lacquer may have less issues over the long run.