Questions & Answers

How long will it take to finish my guitar?
Once we get started, it takes a minimum of 4 weeks before your guitar is ready to ship. We usually get to things pretty quick, just be aware that we may have other jobs lined up in front of yours.

We usually prep and finish your guitar over the course of a week. We then let it dry for 3 weeks before we buff it. Lacquer dries to the touch very quickly, but it takes a long time to dry hard enough to buff. We've found that trying to rush a lacquer finish is a recipe for trouble. Others may do it in less time, but we've not been happy with anything less. If you're in a hurry, get a poly-type finish (we don't do them).

What are the benefits of a lacquer finish?
Beautiful appearance, easily repaired, thin finish helps preserve the tone of the wood.

Is there a down side of a lacquer finish?
Lacquer will "amber" over time, effecting the color. Lacquer can check and crack, it chips more easily than a poly finish, it's a slow process to paint, and therefor more expensive, a lacquer finish is not as tough as poly. Lacquer also shrinks back over time which can show some of the wood grain texture.

Does a lacquer finish sound better than a poly-type finish?
This is a hotly discussed issue! Lacquer can be applied very thinly, so the natural resonance of the wood can come through, compared to a thickly applied poly finish. Most production quality guitars have a poly finish, whereas many high-end guitars are still finished with lacquer. That says something. As far as our place in the debate, we only do thin-skin nitro finishing.

Can a lacquer finish be repaired?
Yes - that's one of its advantages. New lacquer chemically bonds with the old making a seamless repair possible.

Do you do refinish work?
At this time we are not accepting re-finish jobs. For what you would pay us to strip off your old finish, you might be able to buy a new aftermarket body. USA Custom Guitars is a great source for Fender style bodies. If you have a guitar that we finished and it needs repair we can probably take care of you.

Do you finish set neck or neck-through guitars?
We're not doing set neck or neck throughs right now. It's hard to fixture these without building a custom jig for each guitar.

What's the first step toward getting my guitar finished?
Take a look at Pricing page, so you have a rough idea of the cost, then email us and let us know what you'd like. Once we get to the serious stage, we'll set up a phone call to secure the details. We do require that your finish job is paid for before we ship. Currently we're using PayPal for payment.

Do you have more questions? Ask 'em and we'll do our best to answer!