Removed Dingotone finish - like result - any advice on leaving without new finish.

[DJP]

*A Dingotone finish on an LP style build from about 4 and a half years back literally turned into treacle earlier this year. Sticky goo.
I destrung, took off the bridge and knobs and sat for hours with goof off, microfibre cloths and cotton buds removing the finish front and back.
The treacle came off successfully with a lot of elbow grease.
But here is my query.
I love the way the guitar looks. It is sparse - not relict - kinda very slightly distressed - and the spalted top is just lovely (I had originally grain filled it and its really very smooth). There clearly must still be some finish remaining in the wood because it is nowhere near like a new kit 😀. Just minimal finish with a little shine on it in the right light.

Will leaving it like this be problematic ? It looks so nice I want to keep it.
What would be best way of caring for such a minimal finished guitar.

Photos attached.

[McCreed]

Will leaving it like this be problematic ? It looks so nice I want to keep it.
What would be best way of caring for such a minimal finished guitar.

The main reason for applying finish to a guitar is to seal the wood and minimise the expanding/contracting effects of atmospheric moisture (humidity).
I can't say with absolute certainty that leaving your guitar unfinished (or semi-finished) will end in disaster, but I'd be concerned about movement with the neck (relief and twisting) as well as build up of grime from body oil & sweat from your hands. As it's a screw-fixed neck, I don't see it affecting the neck join so much as possibly a set neck (??).

If it were mine, and I wanted to keep the current look, I'd apply a few coats of shellac* then some wipe-on satin poly (presuming you don't want a glossy finish).

*The only reason I'd do the shellac first is to prevent compatibility issues with the leftover DT and the new poly. Maybe poly over DT is fine, I don't know. I've never used it, and yours is just one more story confirming I never will. I don't know why people continue to use it.

[dozymuppet]

I've never used it, and yours is just one more story confirming I never will. I don't know why people continue to use it.

Because it's still promoted in the store.



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[McCreed]

Because it's still promoted in the store.



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Yes, I suppose you're right.

[dave.king1]

I've used acrylic clear coat over a number of different finishes including DT and it's the clear coat that sticks to the guitar rack but none of them feel tacky to touch

[Trevor Davies]

How about a couple of coats of tru-oil? Enough to seal it, but not enough to make it glossy.

I put tru-oil over the DT stain coats with no issues on my FVB-4.

BTW - that spalted maple is fantastic. Great score.

[fender3x]

Looks like you may have here the three best reasons to use shellac unless I am missing something (which I often am).

You need something to seal the wood. One of the principle uses of shellac is as a seal coat.

You need something that will stick to wood that may have a little degraded finish left in it. Shellac is famous for adhering to almost anything.

You want a cap on the wood so that the clear coat you use won't react with any finish left in the wood. Yet another major use of shellac.

Shellac is also cheap, fast, easy to use and non-toxic.

I resisted this logic for a long time before discovering that McCreed was right about the stuff ;-)



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[DJP]

Thanks for the comments. I suspected this.
The neck is nitro finish. Its just the body.
Shellac sounds interesting.
Also - I do have a small unused bottle of Tru Oil - so perhaps this is a chance to use it.

[McCreed]

Thanks for the comments. I suspected this.
The neck is nitro finish. Its just the body.
Shellac sounds interesting.
Also - I do have a small unused bottle of Tru Oil - so perhaps this is a chance to use it.

Tru Oil is certainly an option, especially if you already have it!
Just be aware that it does have a slight amber tint to it due to one of its components being boiled linseed oil, and it will slightly darken over time. I personally like the colour, but that's just me.

Also worth noting that shellac will also have a light amber hue to it, but a lot of how how much depends on 1) the type of shellac flake used - eg: blonde, light blonde, orange etc. 2) Number of coats - more coats = more colour.

Good to hear the neck is lacquer. That makes things easier.

[DJP]

I just went to Bunnings and said I was looking for a clear/light Shellac. The guy treated me like an idiot and incredulously told me all shellac is orange. Like the idiot he thought I was I believed him and bought it ! Doh ...