Question on clearcoat

[AprioriMark]

Now, a certain company that I'm giving a shot for budget bodies makes this claim, "These are finished in thin, super-hard urethane- NOT hazy polyester."  All of you finishing gurus, what does this effectively mean?  I got a couple of these bodies, and the craftsmanship is much better than I'd expected.  My concern is that the finish might be somehow subpar, so I'm looking for your input.

-Mark

 

[alotawatts]

I thought polyester was for tacky 1970's suits.....not wood finishing.....
http://homepage.mac.com/johnandlis/Yet_Another_Blog.../files/page1_blog_entry101_4.jpg

 

[Watershed]

Assuming it's true, I don't really see a problem.

Perhaps a bit of exaggeration with the adjectives; but plenty of builders, including warmoth, use urethane.
Polyester tends to be a bit thicker, and tends to be found on some lower end guitars.

Since you have the bodies in your possession, if the finish feels hard and thin you probably got a great deal.

 

[Mor Paul]

Don't they use polyester for grain filling?

 

[Watershed]

You know, I think the website does say that.
Doesn't look "hazy."

 

[Timv]

I think I know which bodies you are referring to. They are very hit or miss. Yes the finishes are better than expected for the price. The problems I have had have been in QC. The last one the neck holes were drilled so close to the edge of the pocket they were unusable and the neck pocket itself was routed too small and not straight. Also, the finish is very brittle. You have to be careful drilling or it will chip plus you have to drill holes way smaller than you need because that wood is so soft.

 

[AprioriMark]

To be clear, so there's no doubt, these are the bodies from Guitar Fetish.  I've tried a number of "cheapo" bodies, and these are hand over fist better than the others I've tried.  I was impressed by the overall craftsmanship and (what seems to be) good QC.  I was assembling one last night, and had to drill a few holes.  I didn't notice the wood to be unusually soft, though I do have some (thusfar unfounded) concerns about the finish durability.  I like how this particular body looks, and the black one is, well, black.  50 bucks... it's no Warmoth certainly, but I could buy 5-8 of them for like finish colors.  When it comes to building budget beginner guitars that play well, or building guitars for cheap bastards like myself, these may be a good option.  Jury's still out.

-Mark

 

[Cagey]

To be clear, so there's no doubt, these are the bodies from Guitar Fetish.  I've tried a number of "cheapo" bodies, and these are hand over fist better than the others I've tried.  I was impressed by the overall craftsmanship and (what seems to be) good QC.  I was assembling one last night, and had to drill a few holes.  I didn't notice the wood to be unusually soft, though I do have some (thusfar unfounded) concerns about the finish durability.  I like how this particular body looks, and the black one is, well, black.  50 bucks... it's no Warmoth certainly, but I could buy 5-8 of them for like finish colors.  When it comes to building budget beginner guitars that play well, or building guitars for cheap bastards like myself, these may be a good option.  Jury's still out.

-Mark

I'm familiar with those bodies. Without going into a great deal of detail, I'll just say they're very inconsistent. If I had to guess, I'd say they're not production parts. They're probably setup parts that are the result of dialing in machinery, employees, and processes. They're not good enough to build into something you'd want to put your name on, but they're too good to waste by throwing them away. So, they sell them for next to nothing. You can build perfectly serviceable guitars out of them that you don't mind seeing exposed to undue hardship. Or, you can do risky experiments that you'd never do with a AAA body.