-
Hello over there, I tried some soapy water at room temperature and the result was poor. It was dish washing soap. I used a soft blue paper shop towel they are very soft. But it seems to leave smears as I tryed to wipe off the soapy water with a soft cotton cloth.
Also, this finish which is the classic, seems WAY too delicate for a gigging guitar. Which is what these are supposed to be according to some folks. So there are small dings which for the most part look awful beacuse they stand out like crazy. I think the lacquer turns almost white when it is crushed by a way to light event.
So that's my story. Let know please if you have any suggestions, and thanks for your time.
Ron
-
01-25-2015 02:47 AM
-
Virtuoso Premium Polish & Cleaner was recommended by a few people, so I tried both on a few guitars including an Eastman. They worked very well, and most importantly seemed to do no harm. It's best to use old cotton t-shirts, not paper.
http://www.virtuosopolish.com
The Eastman's lacquer finish is definitely more delicate than polyurethane. I've gigged a lot with it, but at break time it goes in the case.Last edited by KirkP; 01-25-2015 at 03:56 AM.
-
An old trick that brings back the luster to a lacquer finish is to use a mild abrasive white toothpaste and a cotton cloth.
Toothpaste is a fine polishing compound. Stretch a soft cloth over a fingertip with a little toothpaste on the tip and gently work the finish in small circles with a little pressure. Don't go at it vigorously and with too much toothpaste. Use just enough of the stuff to make it glide easily is all that's needed. When it begins to drag over the finish, clean the area with another slightly water-dampened cloth and inspect your work. Repeat as necessary. Deep scratches won't come out but the light scuffing should.
How make a guitar look its best [Archive] - The Acoustic Guitar Forum
-
That is one of the more egregious flaws in their production. Their lacquer formula is thin and brittle, and I don't know about recent instruments but all the ones I've seen and worked on had chipping problems: chips easily and grows fast. It's great for that light open sound but it's not rugged and it's a problem to try to touch up convincingly. Eastman, Yunzhi and their offshoots seem to have similar supply sources (which makes sense, they all worked together) and I've found their finishes to be even softer (maybe they don't take time to cure them) so a little extra TLC is a good idea.
Originally Posted by KIRKP
I've used automotive polishes (not waxes) to get a lustre to lacquer. Poly is another issue, that stuff is hard and tough. And it cleans up pretty easily.
David
-
I use Gibson pump polish which should be safe.
I love the thin finish compared to the thick finishes you see on Ibanez archtops for example. It makes the guitar more alive, letting its hollow body characteristics come through. But it obviously doesn't protect very well. I guess its the price you pay if you prefer that type of tone. I played an Ibanez many years and the finish protected the guitar very well but it also sounded duller and less hollow/acoustic then the Eastman.
-
When I want to polish a guitar (and that's rare) I use the Sadowsky polishes. For cleaning then I use the Gibson pump polish. I use old t-shirts I cut up so no seams to clean or polish.
-
Robert Benedetto in Making an Archtop Guitar recommended 1 part Meguiars #7 Mirror Glaze, 1 part mineral oil, 1 part water, shaken well for the final polish.
http://www.meguiars.com/en/professio...ar-glaze-16oz/
-
I use this stuff for everything...floors, cars, shoes, furniture, guitars.
-
@cosmic, are you serious?
-
l don't do it as often anymore, because it's so labor intensive...it doesn't go on or come off without a lot of rubbing and buffing..You always need to test a spot on whatever you're working on because the wax is so rich it can darken some finishes that absorb it easily. Originally Posted by edh
@cosmic, are you serious?
-
Thanks I'll check out the link. I appreciate your help.
Ron
-
This is more my speed. Thank you for the info.
Ron
-
This sounds like marketing information. It does not necessarily mean it isn't true but what else are you going to say if you don't want to spend the time and money? Yes it could still be true and it is most plausible.
It would be very easy for a company to prove. If they were chalanged enough about their products. You could even use spectrographic data and not rely totally on the human ear.
One last thought, the first thing someone says when they get these larger number Eastmans in a good sized room is these feed back like crazy. Does that sound like a gigging guitar to anyone. So just how much wood movement should we be asking for? I was a purist too and loved all the dogma about hand carved thin finish floating pickup jazz boxes. What I wanted to do after having my 910 for three or four years was bolt a big humbucker on the top. NOOOOOOOO says Mark, `X bracing under there cut not holes.' And he's right you sure do not want to weaken the braces.
Looking at mine while I change strings I'm thinkin' those strings are pretty far from the top. I bet I could find the right humbucker and maybe.... MAYBE remove some of the top wood to make room and screw it down. I'm a wood worker and had some classes in wood carving in the Dutch tradition so the idea doesn't bother me too much but I'd want to know how much spruce is there in the middle of the body. Mark Herington [ the voice Eastman in the u.s.] told me once he thought it was about a half inch thick there.
Then I saw the hype on the Italian's guy's signature guitar with carved spruce top, and back and sides mahognay. Koa wood would be much better but mahogany should do fine with a real humbucker screwed to the top. Notice now no one ever says that, it's always mounted [ yah with gossimer lint from the navels of mythological people with wings yep mounted by golly. See you guys. I really appreciate your input. Please forgive my questioning everything and cyicism it's part of my DNA I guess. Kind of goes along with getting older too.
Ron
-
I've done many gigs with my AR810CE and never had a feedback problem. I've never run it through monitor facing me. I would expect problems there.
-
I find the best thing is to just breath on the guitar, leaving slight moisture from your breath, and then wipe with a micro fibre cloth. I find it to be a quick cheap process.
Use any polishes very sparingly on the Eastman guitars. Any excessive moisture, can easily wick under the Eastman finish, and lift the finish.
I hosted an open mic for 4 years, where I was frequently adjusting mic stands, and squeezing around a tight stage. I picked up several nicks and scratches doing that.
I keep hoping to find to get a natural finish archtop thinking any nicks and scratches will be less visible.
Danielle
-
It's a brittle nitrocellulous finish. You take care of it like any other nitro finish.
You can clean it with naptha. You can get very light scratches out with Meguiar's Scratch X2.0 (an automotive product). You can polish it with Zymol car wax. Cloth baby diapers from WalMart run through the washer/dryer several times are my favorite for application. However, if you're not comfortable with this, you should take it Bill Richardson in ABQ and let him polish it up.
I do not believe the nitro used on Yunzhi's is the same as Eastman's. I've not seen chips on any of mine and to my uneducated eye it appears more substantial. Seems like there are chips on many of the Eastman's that have been in the field for awhile. If anyone is actually curious I can ask Mr. Wu when I order my next guitar if the formulations are different or if it's just my (optimistic) imagination.
Hand carved f hole guitars with floaters are for low to moderate volumes. If you need more volume, having a built in humbucker on a solid top might help but not that much. There are ways to reduce feedback but I would recommend a laminate 175 style or 335 style guitar if you're having problems with feedback.
BTW.. there is no such thing as a quintessential 'jazz gigging guitar'. If you buy a guitar based on this sort of label rather than for what it does compared to your needs then you are bound to have an incomplete solution.
And finally.. cheers.. I'm in Tijeras.Last edited by Spook410; 01-31-2015 at 07:08 PM.
-
@Spook, is that Tijeras Mexico?
-
Nope edh.. it is the Village of Tijeras just east of Albuquerque. Of course, with mountains in between the only connection being a pass, you wouldn't know it. Thing is, kind of tough to find jazz musicians locally to jam with.
Winter pic from an upstairs patio:
-
Here's a little known salient fact -- the stitching thread used in T-shirts and towels is usually nylon which will scratch your instrument (and show car).
To make sure, pull a little of the stitching thread out and put it in fire (like a match, candle or lighter). How it burns will tell you the type of thread it is.
-
No feedback problems with my 805 but I do agree the finish is thin. I don't play it on crowded bar gigs for that reason. In general I prefer poly finishes. The nitro does help the sound of the guitar acoustically but I don't think enough of that benefit makes it through the pickup to make up for the decreased durability. My ibanez feels like it was dipped it plastic but it sounds great and isn't easily chipped/dented.
-
Hot breath and an old flannel.
Just play the frets off the thing and let it get some dings. Guitars are for playing. If it's a good guitar, gig it.
-
I don't get the feedback comment. I don't feed back at moderate to loud volumes with my 905-7 and I have two friends that play Comins 7th Aves at loud vols without issues and they have to be more resonant than my 905-7. Perhaps if I jacked into the Marshall stack we use with the 60's band...
Reply With Quote
Giving the Loar some love
Today, 05:05 PM in The Builder's Bench