An elctric guitar is coated in laqor spray right?

Question

to get tht shiny effect?

Answer 1

Some of them are, Gibson, Fender, Martin, Larrivee, many of the top brands use nitrocellulose lacquer. But there are other finishes, poly based that have a high gloss but aren't as easy to apply.

Answer 2

The short answer is yes.

Nitro-cellulose lacquer has been in use on guitars since the 1920s. It is still considered very desirable in terms of quality of finish coating for protecting the wood, clarity and beauty, it can be polished to a high gloss and it is comparatively easy and economical to apply. It can also be repaired, if needed (chips, scratches).

Nowadays, there are many, many variations on lacquer, thanks to modern chemistry. There are also other finishes used, such as two-part resin coatings, poly-urethanes and other modified lacquers, especially on electric guitars, that build to a thick and very hard coating. These finishes would not be good on acoustic instruments as they would deaden the sound, but are pretty good for the electrics. The new, heavier finishes are harder to repair and they go on so heavily that when they chip, it looks like a chunk has been bitten out of the guitar! Modern, resin-based finishes are harder to repair as you can't "melt" the new finish into the old one the way you can with nitro-cellulose lacquer.

If you're going to spray lacquer yourself, I highly recommend getting a spray gun and NOT using spray can lacquer. A decent spray gun will give excellent control over the finish coat you apply. Remember, spray many thin coats and be prepared to do some sanding with very fine (400 and 600 grit) wet-or-dry paper between coats to get the perfectly smooth, glossy finish.

Once you're done applying lacquer, you'll need to do a little more sanding and then buff the finish with some kind of polish to acheive that glassy smooth and level gloss. There are lots of different choices out there, start with Stewart MacDonald and then, if you're curious, go out searching for more information on lacquer finishing. But I highly recommend getting spray equipment and using nitro-cellulose lacquer for a guitar finish.