Polyurethane finish
A modern synthetic coating cured by a chemical reaction, harder and more durable than traditional lacquer and applied more thinly on modern instruments.
Its advantages are practical: it resists chipping, sweat and temperature change far better than nitrocellulose, so a guitar finished with it stays looking new for longer and needs less care. Some players argue that a harder coating restricts the wood's movement more than a soft one, though the effect is small and disputed, and much depends on how thick the coating is. It also does not yellow or check the way traditional lacquer does, so it ages much less visibly.
Example: a gigging guitar with a polyurethane finish can be knocked around for years without the checking and worn patches a lacquer instrument would show.
See also
Related
- PageBody
- PageNitrocellulose lacquer
- PageOpen grain
- PageAction gauge
- PageAged finish
- PageBack bow
- PageAaron Dessner
- PageAce Frehley