Oil Finish Guitars- yay or nay?

Gassage

There's been a big move recently with more and more guitar builders offering oil finishes.

I have to say, I absolutely cannot stand them. In fact there was a magnificent Jayden guitar on here a few months back which I agonised over, but I didn't as it was oil and also didn't have a trem. The trem thing was just about overcomable, the oil, no.

I do like exotic woods, but I like to see them under lovely shiny laquer and I think the oil finish takes from that.

Anyone else agree?

randomhandclaps

I finished a walnut Tele Deluxe body in tru-oil and love it but I honestly can't see me doing or buying another.  The walnut and the rugged simplicity of the Tele design lent a rustic feel to it and I am having a special scratchplate made to compliment this.  All that said  I still prefer a shiny finish. 

hubobulous

I like them both to be honest. A good example for me is Koa. I have a Washburn N4XX where the cap is Oil Finished and I love the look of it:



Whereas, this Koa topped Suhr is lacquer finished and also looks stunning:



IMO, neither gives a better 'representation' of the grain, just different. But lacquer can add something quite lovely, so I guess for me its just down to each individual example as to which I might prefer.

Gassage

Hube

I can see that on Koa, I admit the oil looks great although I like both.

Fair point.

SNAKEBITE

Seeing the two examples above makes me realise that the lacquer one just blows the oil finish out of the water.

The oil one looks like something you'd sit on in a pop up artisan café.

Just my opinion and hope I have not offended you hubobulous.                        

daveyh

I love oil finishes, much prefer the connection you feel with the wood when you play.

Phil_aka_Pip

Can't say I mind a lot (visually) so long as its a nice bit o'wood. Whether my fingers would tell me one way or the other, I don't know as I've not tried to play either.

Gassage

I have to say, paradoxically I've always preferred rosewood strat and tele necks over maple, for the feel reason although there's more snap to a maple cap.

axisus

SNAKEBITE said:

Seeing the two examples above makes me realise that the lacquer one just blows the oil finish out of the water.

The oil one looks like something you'd sit on in a pop up artisan café.                 

I think the opposite! Wood is beautiful, and an oil finish is as natural as you can get. Wood is best when it is still 'wood' in my opinion. As soon as you encase it in a bulletproof coat of plastic it massively loses its character. I'm happy for everyone else to love poly, but I would always choose oil on a lovely bit of wood personally.

@hubobulous - your N4XX looks fantastic! I would love one of them!

Gassage

Hmmmm

But then I hate oiled cricket bats too. I much prefer 'antiscuff' sheets.

SNAKEBITE

axisus said:

SNAKEBITE said:

Seeing the two examples above makes me realise that the lacquer one just blows the oil finish out of the water.

The oil one looks like something you'd sit on in a pop up artisan café.                 

I think the opposite! Wood is beautiful, and an oil finish is as natural as you can get. Wood is best when it is still 'wood' in my opinion. As soon as you encase it in a bulletproof coat of plastic it massively loses its character. I'm happy for everyone else to love poly, but I would always choose oil on a lovely bit of wood personally.

@hubobulous - your N4XX looks fantastic! I would love one of them!

I like the look of wood, especially if it's on an old pine Welsh dresser, or on the dashboard of an MG, but not on a guitar.

Lacquer is best, but I'd rather have a Nitro finish.

When I had my Highway 1 Strat (Oh God I'm off again about that old thing) it had the thin Nitro finish where you could see the grain but only just. I'm not keen on Sunburst either.

As I said just my opinion, and whatever I think it is a very, very nice guitar.

FelineGuitars

We do a lot of both - especially since our involvement with Blackmachine.

For the Feline stuff I prefer a paint finish, but I don't like dealing with most of the paint finishers we have subcontarcted out to 

It can very frustrating (and expensive) - especially if you get a big difference in what you asked for and what you get back.

the oil finishing can be time consuming, but you can easily keep it in-house, which can save a lot of headaches.

We are just doing an oil refinish on a lovely Baja tele at the moment which should look lovely  - inspiredby what Juansolo did to his.

Gassage

@felineguitars

What oil do you use? Tung? Linseed?

hubobulous

SNAKEBITE said:

Seeing the two examples above makes me realise that the lacquer one just blows the oil finish out of the water.

The oil one looks like something you'd sit on in a pop up artisan café.

Just my opinion and hope I have not offended you hubobulous.                        

Hell no. No offence taken in the slightest. Its all about preference and opinion. Altercation and stupidity enter the frame when someone chooses a difference in opinion to be read as fact, and for that to be used to put someone else down.....and for me, even then, if anyone does that then they're not really worth engaging with any further.

But that's not at all what you've done here. You prefer lacquer to the oil, and that's cool. Even if you'd not liked the N4XX in the slightest, I wouldn't take offence. I didn't design it ;-)

ThePrettyDamned

Oil feels very nice, too.

I love oil finished guitars.

paulnb57

I think both finishes have their place, oil is easy and forgiving for a home builder and I think oil feels more woody, but like different scale lengths and pickups we all like different things……………..

bluechargeboy

When I see that ^^^ Suhr it makes me think how nice it would be if it didn't have that shiny crap all over it. And the N4 makes me want to sell my car and get one!

And oiled necks are the best. I understand that manufacturers probably expose themselves to more liability with a non-plastic finish, but I wish more of them did it.

Megii

I like using Tru Oil to finish my parts builds. That stuff does cure and harden, and can be built up in thin coats. So maybe doesn't count as a "proper" oil finish? I'm not sure. Pic of my most recent walnut strat:

What I like is that I can keep the finish very thin, and leave the grain unfilled - so kind of a naturalistic look, but with the colour and figuring in the wood being brought out nicely.  Nothing against a well-done paint finish, but I do like the natural wood look, albeit artfully enhanced. So I guess a its a yay from me.

Adam_MD

I stripped the back and sides of a tremonti SE which I finished with tru oil and loved the feel of the neck. I'd definitely do it again because it was an east finish to do at home. I traded the guitar in the end because it was far too light but that neck was awesome.

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/jwsproductions/8099976302/sizes/m/

https://m.flickr.com/#/photos/jwsproductions/8099972175/sizes/m/

Evilmags

I bought the Jaden Rose. It is exceptionally resonant, and the oil finish might be a factor in that. It is also easy to repair and if you spend ages grain filling and polishing you can get tru oil to a very glassy finish.

grungebob

I love the oil finish for natural wood look better than a shiny lacquer finish, feels better too more tactile. I honestly couldn't tell a difference if it does to how the thing sounds, but if I like the feel of something I'm more likely to pick it up and play it.