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#1
07-06-2019, 07:19 AM
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Refinish Or Relax and Enjoy As Is?
Please be gentle, I am a total noob here. Please know that I have already done a great deal of research for these questions, but I find the sheer volume of opinions, ideas, suggestions, etc... overwhelming. I have found many threads on here to be helpful but I do have a few questions that I do not seem to have been able to find info about.
I recently purchased a Recording King M9M for cheap and I have been thoroughly surprised with what a solid little guitar it is. That said, it is a very basic instrument with no fancy appointments and what feels like a paper thin matte finish. The surface is slightly rough in a few spots and you can easily feel the pores of the guitar with your fingers. I already have parts to replace the tuners, bridge pins, and pickguard but I am contemplating going a step further into an area that I have little experience in. So, I am considering doing a refinish, or supplemental finish, or whatever, and these are my questions/concerns. 1. I know the matte finish is very thin. Is there enough of it on the guitar to buff out with a rubbing compound to a gloss finish and just avoid refinishing it? I am guessing no since it is so rough and that even if this is possible I would need to find a way to fill the pores/grain. 2. The back and sides are a little to reddish for me and I would like to stain them something a little darker. If I decide to stain and refinish, is the matte finish so thin that I do not need to worry about too much pre-sanding and just let it take the stain? 3 If I do decide to stain the backs and sides with a water-based stain, how much will it influence the tone/volume of the instrument? I have read different things about this. 4. Also, since there is no binding separating the sides from the soundboard, is it possible the stain from the sides could leak across and discolor the soundboard? If so, is there a way to prevent this? I realize I would have to tape up the edge of the soundboard, but I am worried that the sides would soak up the stain and could transfer it across to the soundboard. 5. Regardless of staining or not, if I were to put on a few coats of wipe on poly, following the right sanding techniques as I apply, could that help darken the wood and bring out its characteristics more? I understand I would have to sand and buff as I go to achieve a gloss finish. Or, should I simply realize I have limited free time as it is and focus on upgrading with the parts I ordered and just it enjoy it without fussing too much? Thanks in advance 
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#2
07-06-2019, 08:23 AM
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If I were you I would just buff it with Virtuoso cleaner followed by the Virtuoso polish using clean, soft cloths. This will give it a nice soft glow. Then I would install the new parts and play it until GAS gets you and you have to have another guitar.
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#3
07-06-2019, 09:53 AM
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As long as the wood is sealed enough that dirt won't grind into it, personally I'd leave it alone. If you're not gigging with it, sweat probably won't be an issue.
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#4
07-06-2019, 10:18 AM
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I wouldn't do anything with it unless the rough spots are irritating your arm. If so, hit it with some 0000 steel wool and then leave it alone. That finish is soft, matte and is going to rub smooth where you rub it regularly. If you are worried about anything like sweat absorbing into the pores then just wipe it down after use and put it away. It's the perfect guitar to flog and not worry about.
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#7
07-07-2019, 07:41 AM
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survey says
Just best to leave it alone I guess. Kind of hurts my feelings that some of you guys think that I will more than likely do more harm to the instrument than good if I try to do anyting.... but since you guys are more experienced I will take it into consideration and not embark into something too ambitious....
Thank you for your suggestions and appeals to moderation and restraint
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#8
07-07-2019, 08:31 AM
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It is a common occurrence for most luthiers/repair people to have customers bring in for fixing guitars in which the owner decided he or she could successfully perform the work him or her self but couldn’t. The most difficult work of all is finishing, be it touch ups or refinishing. It is a very rare exception in which the do it yourselfer made an instrument look better, rather than worse, by performing his or her own finish work.
It might well be that you are amongst the, say, 5% who will improve the instrument through doing your own finish work. Only you know your abilities. Statistically, however, the advice you’ve received not to do it is good advice. Most under estimate how much time, effort, experience and skill is required to create a professional looking finish. My grandfather used to do his own car finishing work with a paint brush and it looked just like what it was, though he was satisfied with the appearance.
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#9
07-07-2019, 07:47 PM
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Leave. It. Alone.
__________________
"Still a man hears what he wants to hear, and disregards the rest." --Paul Simon
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