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You are here: Home / Building A Monarch / Building a Monarch: Spraying Lacquer

Building a Monarch: Spraying Lacquer

Most guitar players want instruments with a high gloss finish. Nitrocellulose lacquer is the traditional finish for the best guitars. It is durable and unlike some other finishes, it can be repaired later. Oil, poly, and water-based finishes are also used, but the ‘king of finishes’ is solvent-based nitro lacquer. Using lacquer carries with it the responsibility of safety and environmental consideration. All Dogwood guitars have a sprayed on, high gloss nitro finish using a special instrument lacquer that is less brittle than standard lacquers. Spraying is very much a learned art, and getting flawless gloss finishes takes a lot of preparation and patience. See a Monarch go through the finish process in the gallery below.

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1975 Gibson Hummingbird Restoration

While meeting with a customer and his daughter about designing a guitar for her, he showed me his Gibson Hummingbird that his daughter had been playing. Using the serial number and other identifying characteristics, I was able to date the guitar … [Read More...]

The Three Elements of a Great Guitar

Guitar players and collectors have so many choices available to them. New, used, factory brands, custom hand built...how do you narrow down the choices to the best option for you? In my opinion, any guitar should be measured by three … [Read More...]

Customer Testimonial: Les Paul Setup

"The work you did on the fretboard, frets and bridge of my Les Paul fixed the problem I was having and it plays better than ever. Dogwood Guitars has become my #1 choice for guitar repairs and I'll be sure to recommend you to my musician friends. … [Read More...]

Gibson Side Crack

Gibson Artist Side Cracks This guitar was brought to me with some serious bass side damage- the owner had been keeping time on the side with his hand during a break and had cracked the side badly. The cracks ran from the shoulder all the way to … [Read More...]

Lutherie Classes: Voicing and Tuning

Acoustic Guitar Voicing and Tuning Class (Discontinued due to my heavy repair schedule) This is an advanced class that explores the principles behind great acoustic guitar tone. This class is intended for the experienced builder, and … [Read More...]

Luthier Services & Labor Estimates for 2021

Dogwood Guitars is a full-service setup and repair shop. We are equipped to handle all of your acoustic and electric guitar adjustment and repair needs. The prices listed below are labor estimates and do not include parts such as new strings, bone … [Read More...]

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Technical Articles

The Science and Theory of Tonewoods

Search out any discussion about tone and tonewoods on the internet and you will quickly find a wide variation of opinions among players and builders alike. However, the majority will almost always list "tonewoods" and/or specific species of Spruce … [Read More...]

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Viewpoint Articles

Why Buy a Handmade Guitar?

There are a lot of choices out there for the prospective buyer of a fine guitar. It's no secret; a handmade instrument can cost a lot. For that matter, any of the better guitars purchased from a quality manufacturer is going to command what most … [Read More...]

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