[epearson]

Hey guys, I've been playing on other classicals lately and found that the ones with the lightest finish always sound better, so now I'm interested in sanding some of the finish off of my acoustic electric classical. It's thin bodied and sounds okay, but since I can't afford a really nice classical right now I though I might remove some of the heavy finish to give the wood more room to vibrate. Can this be done by myself? Or shouldn't I try it at all? Lemme know what you think, I know John Lennon did it to his Gibson lol

This post has been edited by epearson: 24 November 2004 - 11:22 PM

[dogpoo]

i know nothing about how a finish affects the sound produced, but i've got a satin finish on my guitar. the nicest classical i've ever played had a really, really shiny gloss finish though.

what i've found though, is that cheap brands tend to use a lot of finish to cover up the lousy wood beneath, so maybe you've been playing different "grades" of guitars. i don't see why the finish has to be think if the wood is nice in itself.

[grzegorz_panek]

They say so... that the thinner the finishing layer the better the sound. But... I'm not sure if I could really hear the difference.

Plus... it is there for a reason. It not only decorates, but also protects the wood from humnidity and other things.

I don't think I'd want to do this to my guitars.

[luckybones]

Don't sand your finish it's a bad idea if your not sure what your doing. If you can"t afford what you want right now,do something you can afford. Like buy good strings like martin or something in that class. If your dead set on sanding at least talk to a shop and ask them the right way to go about it. I don't think they get there stain and varnish from walmart. (lol)

[adds]

They say so... that the thinner the finishing layer the better the sound. But... I'm not sure if I could really hear the difference.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

You say that but french polish is considered the best finish for guitars as regards to the sound and that certainly comes out thicker than say an oil finish.I dont think its just the amount of finish on there but also whats on there.

As far as sanding it back goes its not the hardest of jobs.You just take the old finish off useing around 80 grit garnet and then work your way through the grades.You dont give any infomation as to what the guitar is made of or the finish already on there and you need to consider stuff like this.

[epearson]

The guitar is a thin bodied acoustic electric classical cutaway by Samick. It has a solid cedar top, laminate rosewood back and sides and a mahogany neck. The finish isn't an inch thick or anything, but I played some La Patrie classicals that have almost no finish and they sounded better than mine. This La Patrie was just a solid cedar top with mahogany back and sides but it projected much better and it cost less than mine as well. I played a Martin D-15 or 16 and it sounded great, and once again, had almost no finish. Anyway, I can't tell you anything about the finish on my guitar, they don't give any information on it, but I hope this info helps.

[adds]

Your friends being a mahogany back and ribs rather than a laminate will make a huge difference to the sound as it is.Your friends sounds like it has an oil finish rather than a spay which yours will have.An oil finish will often sound better than a spay one but not always.Other things are important to.Things like the thickness of the wood especialy the top and the braceing patterns.Sanding yours down and giving it an oil finish is unlikely to improve the sound a huge amount.Even if you did do it and say your mate gave is a spray finish.His could still sound better.At the end of the day its a different guitar and just because a guitar is cheaper doesnt mean its not better than a more expencive one.I recently set up a really nice 12 string taylor.Think the bloke paid about 3 grand for it.But i played a 12 string that a friend of mine built last year that is twice as good as the taylor.Now you couldnt sell that guitar for what you could the taylor but its a better guitar by far.Often your paying for the name and not the quality.My advise if your not happy with the sound of your guitar.Tarde it in for one you are happy with.changeing the finish isnt going to do a great deal and its also quite a big job.

[epearson]

Thanks, but to clarify things, the La Patrie I played had laminate Mahogany sides and back and that's why I was surprised at it's superior sound. But, yeah, now that I've given it consideration (and a good nights sleep which I haven't had much of) crazy ideas like sanding the finish off my guitar don't seem so promising anymore. It's a good acoustic electric, but I'm gonna start setting some cash aside for a nice all solid wood classical. Thanks for your advice.