Dye is not a finish, all it does is colour the timber.
It does not seal it.
It does not protect it.
It can't be buffed or polished to a shine. (if you want that)
It is the same as leaving it as bare wood.
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Dye is not a finish, all it does is colour the timber.
It does not seal it.
It does not protect it.
It can't be buffed or polished to a shine. (if you want that)
It is the same as leaving it as bare wood.
So... Yes?
It is the same as leaving it as bare wood.
You will always need some kind of protective finish on a guitar (or anything else wood), and the nature of how guitars are used means you are best off with a hard surface you can just wipe off sweat, grime etc. If for instance you used wax polish to protect the wood you'd soon end up with 'orrible buildups of gunge all round the pickups and other hardware. As Cliff says the dye will not work as a protective coat.
I'm not clear why you are so keen on using leather dye. You can be fairly confident that's not the reason for the nice satin finish on your friends guitar.
I keep coming back to the leather dye because that was the result of my first dye question.
It's ok, I've found a solution.
Thanks, everyone for your help.