satin vs gloss

drossfile

drossfile

nope
the guitar guru at my local shop told me yesterday that satin finishes on acoustic guitars don't seal the wood properly and will cause the instrument to deteriorate over time.

is this true???

i've fallen in love w/ a martin 12-string and it has a satin finish. if this significantly reduces the life expectancy or performance over time, it's a serious consideration.

it kinda sounded like bs to me, but the guy really seems to know his stuff.

edit: i'm not 100% sure if the finish on this particular guitar is satin or matte, nor am i sure if it makes a difference either way. just figured i might be more clear on the matter.
 
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Hang in there...Light will be along any time now. He'll have the final answer.
 
Even if it did bud would not be expensive or difficult to get few coats of satin lacquer applied to it in a few years,I have refinished quite a few guitars myself and there`s not much to it really.Most modern finishes are pretty durable,gloss or satin.If you like it I wouldn`t let the finish put you off,pretty sure my SG Gothic used to be satin black:)
 
CMunch said:
Even if it did bud would not be expensive or difficult to get few coats of satin lacquer applied to it in a few years,I have refinished quite a few guitars myself and there`s not much to it really.Most modern finishes are pretty durable,gloss or satin.If you like it I wouldn`t let the finish put you off,pretty sure my SG Gothic used to be satin black:)
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i considered that too, but i have no idea what a pro would charge for such a modification, and i really would prefer not to attempt it myself. i'm a pretty handy guy, good w/ mechanical stuff and home repairs, but it would be like asking a manicurist to paint my house. i just don't feel qualified to try it at the risk of messing up a pristine acoustic. :(
 
drossfile said:
i considered that too, but i have no idea what a pro would charge for such a modification, and i really would prefer not to attempt it myself. i'm a pretty handy guy, good w/ mechanical stuff and home repairs, but it would be like asking a manicurist to paint my house. i just don't feel qualified to try it at the risk of messing up a pristine acoustic. :(
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Sounds like Lights your man,not sure what most manufacturers do but when I was learning to refinish same amount of coats were applied to a satin,matt or gloss finish,it was just the final cutting and polishing that changed,cant really see the decent manufacturers skimping on this either.:)
 
I'm not the authority but I can say that in 20 years of playing instruments I have never heard someone say that a satin finish fails to seal an instrument properly, and I've never seen an instrument that was ruined because it had a satin finish that deteriorated.
 
RejectionNinja said:
I'm not the authority but I can say that in 20 years of playing instruments I have never heard someone say that a satin finish fails to seal an instrument properly, and I've never seen an instrument that was ruined because it had a satin finish that deteriorated.
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duly noted.

what i have to wonder about is, the inside of the guitar isn't laquered, so how could this "sealing" of the wood be so important on only one side? :confused:

i guess it's conceivable that what the guy was referring to is the high-end, heirloom type guitars, where a high-gloss will last forever with higher tolerances for environmental changes etc. idk, just a guess. it's just as likely that he's just an elitist douche. :D
 
drossfile said:
the guitar guru at my local shop told me yesterday that satin finishes on acoustic guitars don't seal the wood properly and will cause the instrument to deteriorate over time.

is this true???

i've fallen in love w/ a martin 12-string and it has a satin finish. if this significantly reduces the life expectancy or performance over time, it's a serious consideration.

it kinda sounded like bs to me, but the guy really seems to know his stuff.

edit: i'm not 100% sure if the finish on this particular guitar is satin or matte, nor am i sure if it makes a difference either way. just figured i might be more clear on the matter.
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What a bunch of horseshit. Just look at the price tags. Betcha the nice shiny one was more expensive. He was trying to increase his commission, not the life of the guitar
 
Moonrider said:
What a bunch of horseshit. Just look at the price tags. Betcha the nice shiny one was more expensive. He was trying to increase his commission, not the life of the guitar
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that may well be, which is what i'm trying to get to the bottom of here. but i have noticed that the more expensive (and also largely better-sounding) ones are high-gloss rather than matte or satin. i'm not at all suggesting that the gloss is responsible for a better sound (that's simply ludicrous). but i have read that getting the high-gloss finish is more labor-intensive, hence the added cost.

i actually think that the matte and satin are more visually appealing than the gloss, but maybe the gloss is universally more appealing, so the added labor involved is worth the higher cost to many consumers.

idk, it seems like a dumb reason to spend more on an instrument if there isn't some utlilitarian advantage to be had as a result of the shinier polish. :confused:
 
AFAIK, the difference between satin and gloss finishes is the polish. I know for sure that satin finishes tend to wear glossy.
 
ermghoti said:
AFAIK, the difference between satin and gloss finishes is the polish. I know for sure that satin finishes tend to wear glossy.
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yes, in all my googling this has come up several times--that my right arm across the guitar body will eventually buff the satin finish glossy. which makes me skeptical of the idea that a gloss coat will better-protect the wood. i mean, if i can simply buff/REMOVE the coating and it goes glossy, doesn't that mean that the original matte/satin finish was thick enough to be a gloss coating in the first place...and THEN SOME??? :confused:
 
While we are waiting for Light I will say that my only concerne with the refinishing suggestion would be changing the sound of the instrument. I cannot confirm if this is true or not, and I think I read it in Guitar World, but I heard that just the oils from your skin building up on the top of your acoustic can dampen the sound among other things. They advised to always wipe your acoustic down with a microfiber clothe after playing to remove these oils and prevent hindering buildup. Like I said, no Idea if there is any merit here, but may be worthe considering since you are buying an instrument that meets your sound desires to a t.
 
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If 15+ years of refinishing experience qualifies me to adress this... Today's finishing materals for gloss or satin finishes are essentialy the same. Satin or matte finishes are obtained by adding a dulling chemical to the finish materal before the finish is applied, often the "flat" finish is only applied in the final coat of finish with several layers of regular (gloss) finish underneath. It doesn't matter if the finish is poly, lacquer, acrylic, or a catalized varnish, matte finishes are made the same way. If applies propperly there should be no difference in the durability or the lasting quality of the finish compaired to the same materal with a high gloss or matte finish. Now to dispell the myth, gloss finishes do not require any more labor than matte or satin finishes. I am making reference to modern comercial finishes, there may be a difference in some of the custom or hand rubbed finishes on some botique guitars but on the average guitar (production models) the quality of a sitin finish is just as good and should last as long as a gloss finish.
 
Dani Pace said:
If 15+ years of refinishing experience qualifies me to adress this... Today's finishing materals for gloss or satin finishes are essentialy the same. Satin or matte finishes are obtained by adding a dulling chemical to the finish materal before the finish is applied, often the "flat" finish is only applied in the final coat of finish with several layers of regular (gloss) finish underneath. It doesn't matter if the finish is poly, lacquer, acrylic, or a catalized varnish, matte finishes are made the same way. If applies propperly there should be no difference in the durability or the lasting quality of the finish compaired to the same materal with a high gloss or matte finish. Now to dispell the myth, gloss finishes do not require any more labor than matte or satin finishes. I am making reference to modern comercial finishes, there may be a difference in some of the custom or hand rubbed finishes on some botique guitars but on the average guitar (production models) the quality of a sitin finish is just as good and should last as long as a gloss finish.
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On most acoustic guitars the inside of the box is not sealed. The ability of the external finish to act as a barrier has almost no effect in th durability of the instruments internal structure.

Manufacturers often use matte finishes on their less expensive guitars because they are more forgiving of minor surface flaws than gloss finishes. In that way they do save a little labor in prep costs and in final buffing.
 
Hmmm. I am interested to find this out too. When I went to get my most recent guitar, I decided not to get it (Martin DC-15E) and I went with the lackered Taylor 314CE. I still don't know if I should regret it or not, but the guy at guitar center told me that the life expectancy of Satin is shorter.
 
mikeeb said:
Hmmm. I am interested to find this out too. When I went to get my most recent guitar, I decided not to get it (Martin DC-15E) and I went with the lackered Taylor 314CE. I still don't know if I should regret it or not, but the guy at guitar center told me that the life expectancy of Satin is shorter.
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As Dani Pace said, This is simply wrong. There is no difference in life expectancy between gloss and satin finishes.
 
drossfile said:
the guitar guru at my local shop told me yesterday that satin finishes on acoustic guitars don't seal the wood properly and will cause the instrument to deteriorate over time.
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I could leave a piece of totally unfinished wood out for a hundred years and it wouldn't deteriorate unless I got it wet or exposed it to the elements.This sounds like total horseshit to me.
I think he's trying to get you to buy somthing more expensive.I'm betting if you searched a bunch of forums for satin or matte finishes this would never come up.
I own a satin Seagull twelve string,I know people who've had satin guitars and I've never once heard of this.
 
thank you ALL so much for replying!!!

i'll hit you all w/ rep a bit later--i'm off to GC to snag me a 12-string!!!

woohoo!!! :D:D:D
 
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