Stupid idea??

[Cederick]

I just had an idea... Wondering if it's stupid or not. Not sure I wanna do this or not but let's see here!

Let's say that I want a guitar mainly for my homestudio or so. It will almost never leave the house unless I will move to another place maybe...

I order a regular alder body and maple/rosewood neck, and then I DON'T finish it? I guess this would give it best possible resonance and so...

I am not a sweaty person, I have never had a sticky neck in my entire life from playing at home, even tho it happens when playing live. But this guitar is just supposed to be a very "cheap" studio guitar.

So, stupid idea or not?

 

[Cederick]

On the OTHER hand, spraying 2-3 layers of matte clear laquer is probably an easy thing to do just to keep it safe from normal use

 

[dmraco]

Yes and no.  I seriously doubt some finish would effect anything, at least hat could be heard by human ears. 

The quickest, thinnest, most durable finish I could think of would be poly.  Get a satin poly and give it a few shots.  Looks like natural wood, sounds great, and its protected.

100% minwax poly satin finish.  It too 5-10 minutes, cost $7 and has been perfect for 3+ years of hard abuse.  No grain filler was used on the zebra/korina body.

http://i402.photobucket.com/albums/pp108/dmracophoto/my%20guitars/DSC00143.jpg

here it is in action...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xl9Lry3Bbvk

 

[SustainerPlayer]

I guess this would give it best possible resonance and so...

My guess is that you can't hear the difference.

So if you are just looking for "a beater" with no regards to cosmetics then a couple of layers of any paint/lacquer/whatever finish you have on the shelf would be good.

Untreated bodies picks up grime and dirt and unless you think that is a cool look I would avoid that.

 

[line6man]

I guess this would give it best possible resonance and so...

This is nonsense.

 

[Day-mun]

My very favorite bass neck has on it the minwax satin poly DMRACO mentioned. -Always feels powdery-dry even on hot/humid days, and makes no difference if I am sittin' on the corner of my bed, or out at the bar. I like it better than the lacquer finished one, and it looks better, too. (-Lacquer one didn't stay satin; polished to a low shine where I touch it most.) The minwax needs more time, but it is worth it.

Don't go naked unless it is a wood W says requires no finish, unless you burnish... but then that is another debate.

 

[Cederick]

I was pretty sure regular finish had no to little impact on resonance, just double checking  :toothy12:

Just wanted something cheap and quick hehe. I may do this some day but I haven't decided yet. It's still a lot of money

 

[DangerousR6]

I would say your biggest issue would be the neck, I have several maple necks with no "hard" finish just a light lemon oil wipe down and they are perfectly fine. These stay at home in a controlled environment 24-7-365. So I'd say you should be fine, the body wouldn't be much of a worry since as you say it will be at home all the time. i mean if they were subject to the elements then you would probably have something to worry about. Just take a look at a picnic table that's been outside for sometime, you get the idea.

But each piece of wood is different, so it's like do this at your own risk... :dontknow:

 

[ihavenothingprofoundtosay]

Very much not advisable due to moisture & stability factors.  If the wood isn't finished in some fashion, and if it's not a wood that's chemically stable, than you may experience cracking & warping.  That and the dirtiness thing.  As mentioned, a couple quick coats of poly would work just fine to keep them safe.

 

[Cagey]

I am not a sweaty person, I have never had a sticky neck in my entire life from playing at home, even tho it happens when playing live. But this guitar is just supposed to be a very "cheap" studio guitar.

You don't have to be sweating like a whore in church to leave residue on things. How do you think fingerprints work? Your skin is constantly perspiring - it's one of the ways your body regulates temperature. Exuding waste products is part of that, as well as shedding dead skin cells and extruding oils. It's part of being a human. If that didn't happen, why would you take a shower every day? Skin gets nasty, as well as anything it touches.

Trust me - you don't want a raw body. It'll be tripping your gag reflex in no time flat. Shoot it with something, even if it's just a can or two of polyurethane.

 

[DangerousR6]

Very much not advisable due to moisture & stability factors.  If the wood isn't finished in some fashion, and if it's not a wood that's chemically stable, than you may experience cracking & warping.  That and the dirtiness thing.  As mentioned, a couple quick coats of poly would work just fine to keep them safe.

I think that only factors in in extreme conditions. If the thing were siting outside thru winter and summer..Bodies and necks in controlled conditions  lay around for years with no issues..

 

[mark1178]

There are only a couple things good raw, sushi, streak, and this other thing.
Try the Wudtone clear coats, I've like it a lot so far.

 

[Cederick]

Ok thanks a lot, good to know all this.

Wudtone is something I am thinking about since I dont have a good place to spray finish stuff

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

The body wouldn't be pretty to look at in the long run.  It would turn gray and shiny in the usual wear areas.  They twist and warp just like necks, however everything that attaches to it is adjustable.  Bridges can be raised and lowered, same as pickups.  Necks can be shimmed.  The neck is a different story.  Like Doug, I have one with no finish and just apply lemon oil periodically.  The warranty is void on that one now, but I took a gamble.  I have other necks.  With the lemon oil, it will still absorb your oils, but a sponge can only hold so much.

Even in a home with central air and heat, there are still moisture differences in the seasons in a home.  My interior doors act different in fall and spring. 

Is this just a money thing?  A guitar with no bells and whistles to never leave the house just to practice and record with?  There's no guarantee it will sound good or better than your others.  Nature is involved.  Besides, what does a say about the other ones with finishes?  "These don't sound as good, so they're the ones I want to leave the house with and play in front of people."

 

[DangerousR6]

The body wouldn't be pretty to look at in the long run.  It would turn gray and shiny in the usual wear areas.  They twist and warp just like necks, however everything that attaches to it is adjustable.  Bridges can be raised and lowered, same as pickups.  Necks can be shimmed.  The neck is a different story.  Like Doug, I have one with no finish and just apply lemon oil periodically.  The warranty is void on that one now, but I took a gamble.  I have other necks.  With the lemon oil, it will still absorb your oils, but a sponge can only hold so much.

Even in a home with central air and heat, there are still moisture differences in the seasons in a home.  My interior doors act different in fall and spring. 

Is this just a money thing?  A guitar with no bells and whistles to never leave the house just to practice and record with?  There's no guarantee it will sound good or better than your others.  Nature is involved.  Besides, what does a say about the other ones with finishes?  "These don't sound as good, so they're the ones I want to leave the house with and play in front of people."

Exactly, plus I'm not suggesting things should go unfinished at all. Wood needs some sort of protection, unless it's one of the exotics that doesn't require a finish.

 

[Jumble Jumble]

I was planning an unfinished body. Same thing - it's never going to leave the house and I wanted it cheap. As soon as I got it out of the box, I knew that not finishing it was a bad idea. It felt too soft and you could instantly imagine what it was going to look like with some wear on it. Also, it was incredibly absorbent - I tried a bit of meths (denatured alcohol) on there and it sucked it right up, the surface was dry almost immediately. So any liquid you get near it, it's going in and you'll never get it out again.

All I did was: brushed meths all over it to stop it being quite so thirsty, gave it about three or four brushed-on coats of shellac sanding sealer, with steel wool between each coat (it took about half an hour or so to be dry enough), and then once that was fully dry, gave it a couple of coats of Briwax, just rubbed in with steel wool. The whole finish job took about one afternoon, no smells, no fuss, no equipment needed. The end result is a "smooth" finish - not quite as matte as satin, not as shiny as gloss. I didn't do grain filler so it still feels like a piece of wood.

Here's what it ended up like:

I would really recommend it - everything was easy and while the finish won't take much punishment it protects it from dirt. Any dings and scratches can very easily be touched back in.

 

[Fat Pete]

+1 for Jumble's approach - that Strat looks great btw. I'm in the middle of doing a wudtone finish and I wouldn't describe it as quick and easy.

 

[croquet hoop]

That's a lovely Strat. What is Briwax, is it just a wax compound to add some luster, or something that adds a harder protection layer over shellac ?

 

[Jumble Jumble]

Briwax is a blend of beeswax and carnauba wax, plus some solvents to make it spreadable. It's a final finish; nothing will go on top of it. I think it does leave a very thin coating of wax on the wood. You just rub it in with 0000, wait for it to dry, then buff it up with a cloth. I think I did two coats.

 

[stubhead]

When you build an "unfinished" guitar, you're really just building one with a salt+grease+dirt finish, you're just finishing it over an extended period. I wonder if any of those clothing manufacturers running sweatshops in China and the Philippines have ever considered hanging some guitar bodies around the factories, for the workers to rub themselves on? Who wouldn't pay a premium for a "Natural Asian Nosegrease Finish", right?