Quote:
Originally Posted by Richard Mott
Here’s a vote for varnish. Do you know if Nick is using oil or spirit varnish? I have a guitar with spirit varnish, and it has a lustrousness to it that is very different from the sometime “hard” clarity of nitrocellulose. There’s a standing debate on whether it affects tone, and I know a couple of master luthiers who switched to spirit varnish based purely on the sound, but there’s a pretty compelling case that the thickness of the finish as applied is more of a determinant. That said, spirit varnish makes the guitar look like it’s in candlelight, so on that basis alone it’s a great choice.
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Nick is planning to use oil varnish. You are right about the thickness of the finish being a significant factor. The sample that Nick sent me was very surprising -- looked at straight on, the coat of varnish looked pretty thick, but Nick had sliced the wood, and looking at the edge the layer of varnish was so thin that it was next to impossible to see. The luster of the varnish produces the illusion of depth. Varnish does make the wood look like it's in candlelight! I like that description!