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Hi (my first post on here)

I recently bought my son a 3/4 size acoustic guitar from a second hand shop as a project for me and him to work on. The finish is a little flaky and it needed a new set of strings and machine heads.

I'm quite good at traditional French polishing but he wants something a bit special. He wants it blue!  I'm planning on rubbing it down and starting again with some blue stain then the French polish.

What I'm wanting to know is, one is this the best way to go and two I've heard that the finish makes a big difference on an acoustic guitar (probably an understatement) but how much difference. Would it make a big difference if I sprayed it blue then French polished. Even with flames up the front or something (my son is only seven).

Any advice is greatly appreciated. I'm a carpenter by trade but have never dabbled in this filed before.

Many thanks,

Alex Barrett

 

Alex,

Welcome to the OLF!
The finish will not make a big difference in the sound unless it's a very lightly-built guitar, which I'm guessing is not the case if it's a junk shop special. Being that it's for a seven year old, your spraying plan sounds good, especially the flames, as long as the guitar is a little old beater like what I find in those shops sometimes. Maybe you could post a pic.

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now known around here as Pat Foster
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http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Alex welcome to the OLF . Sorry I cannot offer any advice as I am new to guitar building and all that it entails. However there are many experienced builders with lots of great methods & ideas who will help you get going in the right direction. All the best for your project. I'm sure it will be one your son remembers fondly regardless of how it turns out.

Regards

Craig.

Welcome to the OLF, Alex.  I too do not know the answer of your question.

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Waddy

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