Page 1 of 1
Remove Finish From Acoustic For Better Sound
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 5:35 pm
by Cymbaline
So I recently got an acoustic that is "open-pore", one of those all mahogany Ibanezes. It sounds better than any of my other guitars. Now I am thinking about sanding the finish off of all of them to open up the sound. Don't wanna use heat or chemicals for fear of popping the seams apart.
CRAZY TALK?
I am sure the guitars would sound significantly better without the coating. Anyone done this before?
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 6:13 pm
by sunshiner
I'm afraid that Open Pore is just a trendy name of the satin finish like you can see on Squier Affinity necks. When you want to finish mahogany to have a flat surface you have to use some grain filler - Open Pore means the satin finish without grain filler, there is no magic imo. The mojo is in full mahogany construction I guess, it gives warm round tone. My opinion, it is a bad idea to strip down the finish of your other guitars.
I tried mahogany Vintage V300 that looks almost identically to your Ibanez and Sigma S000M-15, they both had the same tone to my ears and I guess they were made at the same factory, maybe as well as your Ibanez. To be honest I prefer brighter sound of the acoustics with spruce top.
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 6:35 pm
by Nick
Your guitar will be much more sensitive to changes in humidity and prone to warping with no finish at all. Mojo arrows be damned.
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 6:47 pm
by George
Nick wrote:Mojo arrows be damned.
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 6:59 pm
by Cymbaline
sunshiner wrote:I'm afraid that Open Pore is just a trendy name of the satin finish like you can see on Squier Affinity necks.
Curious, it does say "satin finish" on the neck, but the body is listed as "open-pore".
Posted: Wed Aug 27, 2014 10:08 pm
by Dillon
It just means the pores aren't filled, which IMO, does have an effect. I didn't use pore filler on my ash-bodied Strat, just tung oil over hand rubbed stain, and that guitar sings. I have also taken steel wool to some of my solid bodies, for a satin look, and while that didn't open the pores, it definitely improved the resonance, without any real negative effect. You could do that on an acoustic, but I wouldn't go any further than that, because yeah, the finish does keep the wood strong.
George wrote:Nick wrote:Mojo take arrows to the knee.
Sorry, just started playing that game again...