There are so many things in the world that we accept as truths, especially when we hear these things from respectable sources (teachers, parents, friends, family). These ideas can become beliefs, meaning instead of having our own experience with something, we choose to take someone else’s word as truth. Many times, these beliefs are never questioned no matter how ridiculous they are.
When I attended Roberto-Venn School of Luthiery, we were told lacquer finishes are the standard of the industry and everything else is sub-par. In my opinion, lacquer finishes are a pain in the ass. My approach to things I don’t understand or find difficult is to make opportunities to get more experience points doing these things. The challenge in finding the opportunities to do more finish work was environments and equipment. The environment challenge is my shop is at my house, and always has been. I have pets, family, and neighbors who don’t really want to be smelling paint fumes every evening or weekend. Lacquer is also fairly toxic. Along with those challenges, there is the long cure-time that can really slow down a build. Then there was a need for a dedicated place to paint - trying to spray paint in a room filled with dust is a silly idea. Spray equipment was also going to be necessary. One of my steps forward was to invest in a shop vacuum to clean up and keep dust levels under control. I also started batching my work, eventually, piece by piece. I acquired an air compressor, some spray guns, and even created a small spray booth to paint my guitars. Until I had acquired those tools, I had guitars that lingered around waiting to be finished. I then learned about hand-applied finishes and I realized some of these finishes are super easy to apply, look great, and most important, they feel amazing on the finished guitar. Through this exploration, I learned that I enjoy being as close to the wood of the instrument as possible and was able to achieve this through the use of thin finishes and finely sanded surfaces. By the time I had collected the gear and figured out how to manage my workspace, I had fallen in love with a completely different finishing process and product.
When executed properly, any finish will enhance the beauty of what’s under it. Our goal as luthiers is to do our best to prepare these surfaces. I strongly recommend experimentation with different finishing products. Don’t let the “this is how we do it” of guitar culture determine how you make your guitars. Luthiery is an art form and can be very individual if you allow it to be. If you have any questions or want to schedule a consult or workshop please contact me.