French polishing?

[Bill Evans]

Do Taylor offer any of their guitars with a French polished (shellac) finish? Very labour intensive I guess, so probably not. But, what about their BTO range? Or the 'R Taylor' range?

Thanks.

Bill

[michaelw]

hi Bill,
i'm curious if they offer a finish option similar to that style as well -
Andy Powers had an adi top 514ce made for Sonia Leigh (see sidebar pg 7)
http://www.taylorguitars.com/sites/default/files/ws_fall_2011.pdf
which has appointments that look very similar to the new 700 series &
it has a thin, classical guitar style finish with hand rubbed final polish

now, it were possible to obtain a carpathian spruce/lacewood combination
on a BTO GS or DN, or perhaps waiting until the JM redesign, with this finish

[Herb Hunter]

I'm fairly certain that French polish is not an option. It may be that in the future, some guitars will be offered with a UV-cured finish that is rubbed in by hand the way French polish is however.

As I have a bespoke classical guitar with a French polish finish, I would be very reluctant to buy another guitar with that type of finish. While it is very easy to repair, skin oil tends to gum it up and it is water soluble. If Taylor would be willing, I'd have them sand off the French polish and apply their UV-cured finish to my custom classical guitar. That is how little I think of French polish.



Edited to correct typographical mistake.

[Go Navy]

Taylor boasts, rightfully, about its "environmentally responsible"  polyester, electrostatically applied finish.  I suspect that is why they would not offer other finish options, assuming they don't. I don't know what they do for the dull finish if that is still, or ever was, an option.

[Satsuki]

I have my sweaty hand stick to the top of French Polished furniture. I would not want it as a finish for my guitar.

[michaelw]

classical guitar building - paragraph 12
http://www.taylorguitars.com/blog/factory-floor/classical-guitar-building
it's mentioned that Taylor 'had to figure out how to put a UV finish that was as thin as French polish' &
the finish mentioned in my earlier post was of a 'similar style', which i take it to mean that the process
has been performed satisfactorily, although i imagine if  it were to be offered, it could be rather hi $

a satin finish is offered as a BTO option, with the 100/200/Mini & Baby series using varnish ...
i wonder if varnish is thinner than UV finish or, if  there is less paste filler used with the varnish

[ataylor]

a satin finish is offered as a BTO option, with the 100/200/Mini & Baby series using varnish ...
i wonder if varnish is thinner than UV finish or, if  there is less paste filler used with the varnish

My older 210 has a varnish finish, which I believe to be significantly thinner than the UV finish. This does mean more scratches and dings (mojo/relic, right?!), but it also means a really crisp, woody tone that I partly attribute to the thin finish.

[michaelw]

a satin finish is offered as a BTO option, with the 100/200/Mini & Baby series using varnish ...
i wonder if varnish is thinner than UV finish or, if  there is less paste filler used with the varnish

My older 210 has a varnish finish, which I believe to be significantly thinner than the UV finish. This does mean more scratches and dings (mojo/relic, right?!), but it also means a really crisp, woody tone that I partly attribute to the thin finish.

hi ataylor,
i remember the 210 & 214s of that era & i felt that the 'open-pore' style finish did contribute,
in a positive way, to their overall tone, along with the forward-shifted bracing & solid lining

the 03-06 200s remind me a good bit of the 91-97 400s, in terms of aesthetics, nut width, all satin finish & $ -
about as close to a 're-issue' as it could be, but 12 years newer with the NT neck, ebony board & pin bridge

on the 07 100 & 200 series, the finish was so smooth on the neck, back & sides & the redesign
on the arched back was so subtle that it reminded me more of a 300/400 series, in terms of feel

i wonder how a 100 series would sound if it had a cedar top & solid african mahogany (khaya) back
that would make for a nice LTD model, imho, especially if it could be done at the original 200s $ point

[ataylor]

hi ataylor,
i remember the 210 & 214s of that era & i felt that the 'open-pore' style finish did contribute,
in a positive way, to their overall tone, along with the forward-shifted bracing & solid lining

the 03-06 200s remind me a good bit of the 91-97 400s, in terms of aesthetics, nut width, all satin finish & $ -
about as close to a 're-issue' as it could be, but 12 years newer with the NT neck, ebony board & pin bridge

on the 07 100 & 200 series, the finish was so smooth on the neck, back & sides & the redesign
on the arched back was so subtle that it reminded me more of a 300/400 series, in terms of feel

i wonder how a 100 series would sound if it had a cedar top & solid african mahogany (khaya) back
that would make for a nice LTD model, imho, especially if it could be done at the original 200s $ point

Yeah, I always thought the finish helped the sound a bit -- it wasn't until recently that I found out about the forward-shifted bracing and that some builders use the solid/ribbon lining for a more crisp/punchy sound. I'm a big fan and am so glad I got one -- the early 200s were definitely a gem in the Taylor lineup and perhaps the best bang for the buck they've ever offered.

I think you're right about the newer 100/200 series -- the finish does seem more like the 300/400 series -- seems a bit thicker. When I got my first few scratches/dings on my 210 I remember wishing I'd gotten the 310 that I tried the day I bought mine, but my friend ended up with that guitar and we both agree mine is the pick of the litter! I like that I've lightly "reliced" my 210 now.

Like you, I've wondered what Taylor could do with some limited 100/200/300 guitars. And we've talked about ideas for a limited GS Mini in another thread too. I like that idea of a lower-price cedar limited, especially if it had the thinner varnish finish. It would be a fingerstyle dream. I've also thought about how great it would be if Taylor did a limited xx3 series release with sunburst tops.

[michaelw]

a 214LTD with a gloss cedar top & MOP rosette or a XX3
with a cedar sunburst top would be pretty sweet, imho
or, a sapele top 1XX & possibly adding 112/212 models (4 5/8" deep body, please)

if not this year, there's always 2013