satin-finished instruments

[subversion]

Hi everyone 8)

i'm sure there are players out there who own a satin-finished instrument- do share what you own.

my satin finished guitars:

*Fender Highway1 Strat
*Gibson SG Special faded edition
*Music Man SUB1 guitar
*Ibanez RG321WB
*Ibanez SZ2020
*Ibanez RGA121

this thread also serves to address any queries pertaining to satin-finish in general, if you have any queries, do state them here. hopefully, our collective minds will make this thread a useful reference.

unsure of what a satin-finish is? a good example will be Fender's Highway1 offering.

 

[pooo]

*Fender MIM Satin Strat
*Ibanez S370
*Aria LP

Non glossy guitars are good stuff. No fingerprint marks, smudges, nothing!

 

[mero]

Mine's not exactly a satin finish but....

SZ320MH

EDIT: Wow cool you're a volunteer now eh Subversion?

 

[subversion]

Mine's not exactly a satin finish but....

SZ320MH

EDIT: Wow cool you're a volunteer now eh Subversion?

volunteer? pertaining to? :?:

the SZ320MH has only an oil stain as a final overcoat, similar to Ibanez's S540SOL (discontinued). IMO, it's one of the best feel by the manufacturer.

 

[thor666]

pertaining to what used to be stars on ur profile. 8)

 

[psionic]

pacifica 112XJ!!

 

[mero]

Yep I agree, the oil finish just feels so nice and natural......

Only gripe I have with it is that it gets very easily worn off/decoloured. When I accidentally scratch the surface it leaves a yellowed scar which looks quite ugly....... And the area near the front of the rear chamfer on mine has started to fade already lol :lol:

 

[subversion]

oh... that one :smt109

off topic (but necessary): if that means anything to me, it's about SOFT acknowledging my inputs here. thanks James, for knowing that i was here since day 1...

back on course: the MH finish on the Ibanez SZ320 is no doubt very vulnerable to scratches. once the top layer is scraped off, the 'yellow' underneath is actually the natural wood colour.

unlike a satin finish which is actually a form of lacquer devoid of a gloss property & a very thin material at that, the purpose of which is to give the instrument more 'breath', tonally. many uninitiated individuals would accuse the satin finish as being a very cheap/ compromised material. no doubt it's a cheaper application but it serves its differentiated purpose.

 

[hay88]

rg321mh...those thick coats of paint add on so much unnecessary weight...321 ultimate lightweight fixed bridge, no extra single coil in the centre,and no thick paints

 

[subversion]

agree. the weight of a certain guitar will influence its tone- we all know too well that there's a certain singlecut guitar which is massive & churns out lots of bottom end...

there is a school of thought that incline towards a very thin body finish, arguably making it more resonant & letting the pickups breathe through. with satin finished instruments, i do hear a tonal difference, so the claim isn't far fetched at all.

when Fender conceived the Highway1 series, they drew lots of reference from a very worn down guitar- SRV's personal 'Number 1' strat, which is devoid of the body lacquer overcoat. they reckoned that if that strat sounded amazing & it's all beaten up & worn down (keeping in mind that the pickups there also played a part), then there's something with the finish that contributed to tone.

 

[ShredCow]

I have a 2002 Ibanez S520EX. Cracked up finish... But like what you said Sub, a thin finish does allow an instrument to breath, sort of make it sound more "woody" to my ears... hence I'm just really really considering stripping off the paint on my guitar. I mean, its tone over looks right?

 

[subversion]

that 'stripped' affection made me purchase the S540SOL 8) it's my first exposure to finishless bodies & it got me addicted...

 

[ShredCow]

You know Sub.. that's one of my dream guitars!!! I'm totally in love with natural finishes!!

 

[tany]

highway1 strat! 8)

 

[trianglebiscuit]

epiphone vintage g400, basically the epi g400 of the gibson faded special with better hardware. yep

 

[subversion]

how do you people feel about the tone of satin-finished instruments?

 

[pooo]

The tone is noticibly more alive. Definitely more alive, as compared to instruments with a laquer overcoat. It's like, the natural tone of the guitar. how a guitar should sound like without all the other tone affecting stuff like pickups. Either way, i still prefer them over to heavily finished guitars.

I mean, its tone over looks right?

Subjective Looks is one of the reasons why i never liked parker guitars. The headstock is... a turn off.

 

[stars]

hmmz , same goes for basses right brother sub ?

 

[Fruitwine]

er, if basses count, i'd put my ibanez TR bass in ^^ just wood, occasional oiling of the body only. wish my strats and tele could be like that, absolutely love the beauty of the wood.

 

[subversion]

any pics of your TR bass?