Official Luthiers Forum!

So...

I like the look and feel of guitars with a non-filled finish (Bear Creek Guitars does a great job of with their satin, non-filled finishes).

If I'm comfortable with being able to see and feel the pores, is there any reason to use pumice or any other pore filler?

Nope, no real necessity to fill pores. It's just traditional to have a visually smooth surface, probably coming from violin-family lutherie, where they usually used close-pored wood (no filling needed), or from the furniture making tradition. Just a guess--anybody got the real skinny?

I agree, some open-pored woods would look very appealing on a guitar.

Carlton