Paint but no lacquer - any good?

[Hbom]

I wouldn't get all bummed out yet. There's a lot of folks that wonder these pages and give them some time and somebody may have a better answer for you. I would think that if you really want that finish there is someone around who will be happy to fix you up. If not here try TDPRI.
Seems like the issue is the sunburst versus the raw wood finish. And what you will accept as a sunburst. I've seen several bursts on guitars out of asia (and  for certain gibxxx Melxxxy Maxxrs) that are just paint sprayed around the edge of the top! That's not what I want in a sunburst. I want 3 colors with enough depth between them that I can see the change. I don't think you can get that without filling the pores & several clear coats.
Then there's the thing about what you are going to achieve by not putting a good finish on. The trend these days by a couple of the big 3 seems to be to reduce the amount of finish and brag it up as an improvement in tone. I think mostly they save hundreds on finishing costs.Go to a store and play an SG standard and one of the mahogany body SG Special Faded. See how much difference you can really feel between the 2.

 

[poppijoni]

Well, I guess I just have to ask if Warmoth has a good solution for my problem - if not then I guess I have to compromise with the grain fill (I don't think it really a makes a difference if they use satin or gloss lacquer).

Cagey, what you describe to be a bad finish seems to be what I would describe as an ideal finish for me. If Warmoth can understand that as well then I don't see a problem. And I'm sure they also consider their reputation as a customer-friendly company. And you know, just because it's not usually done that way doesn't mean it shouldn't be done that way. I simply like it when a guitar looks worn-out, decayd even, and I dislike many things some people think that look cool.

But we'll se, my goal is not to find the worst possible finish out there or make Warmoth's reputation bad. As I said earlier, it's pretty much up to Warmoth.

 

[Cagey]

You're right; I shouldn't call it a "bad" finish, it's just what most people would consider "bad" if that's what they got. Of course, there's no accounting for taste; everybody is different. But, Warmoth's willingness to provide exceptional customer service isn't really going to gain you a lot of points when you're asking them to compromise their principles. I mean, I'm sure BMW is all about customer service, but try buying one of their cars without a paint job, or a purple Whirlpool fridge, or a dull Sheffield knife. It's not likely you'll get what you want.

And for all I know, Warmoth is perfectly willing to whore it up. You'll have to call them, because I'm just projecting.

Keep in mind this isn't an "official" Warmoth forum. It's not a sales/marketing/engineering portal, or anything like that. It's just a bunch of like-minded people who are sometimes more familiar with that company's products and practices than your average Joe. You really have to contact them directly to get a definitive answer about anything that isn't already published. Sometimes somebody from the company will chime in here, but again, it's unofficial.

 

[nexrex]

Well posted Cagey, as mentioned the guys at Warmoth will be able to give you a definite answer. Even if they were to do this for you, my guess would be it would be without a warranty. This type of paint job really isn't a "hard finish".

 

[achartra]

Well, like I said in the very first post, I want my body to have a sunburst paint on it (black-> red-> yellow). I don't want my body to be too shiny either.
And I was just wondering if I can get the body painted and still feel the grain or the wood or whatever... These things I'm looking for and I wanted to know if it's possible to achieve them all.

I have a guitar very similar to this from warmoth, it's a lake placid blue SG with one can of spray lake placid blue and one can of clear gloss spray lacquer, it is mahogany and very lightly sanded with no grain fill, warmoth DID NOT do the finish job though i did it myself. i bought these colors from guitar ReRanch.

 

[achartra]

Well, like I said in the very first post, I want my body to have a sunburst paint on it (black-> red-> yellow). I don't want my body to be too shiny either.
And I was just wondering if I can get the body painted and still feel the grain or the wood or whatever... These things I'm looking for and I wanted to know if it's possible to achieve them all.

I have a guitar very similar to this from warmoth, it's a lake placid blue SG with one can of spray lake placid blue and one can of clear gloss spray lacquer for both the body and the neck, it is mahogany and very lightly sanded with no grain fill, warmoth DID NOT do the finish job though i did it myself. i bought these colors from guitar ReRanch.

The grain is visible and you can feel it and it does not look glossy at all also it feels and looks like a very thin finish.
this sounds to me like exactly what you want but i may be wrong.

hope this helps

 

[Hbom]

Poppijoni, Did you ever get an answer from W on this?