Satin Poly finishes - durable?

[ebagjones]

So guitar manufacturers latest trend seems to be satin or matte finishes. I like to keep my guitars nice and new looking, being that I’m more than a little OCD, and have always avoided satin finishes for this reason. That being said, it seemed to only be used as a cost saving method on nitro finishes, which are already very delicate, but now seems to be being used on polyurethane. Every poly finished guitar I’ve had has been very durable as far as finish goes, but does that extend to these new satin poly finishes? If anyone has any experience please chip in, but keep in mind I’m very aware how delicate satin nitro is. Thanks everyone.

 

[GuitarStv]

I've found that satin poly finishes turn into gloss in areas where your arm/clothes contact them after a good 8 - 10 years of use. Other than that, they're pretty bulletproof. If you really bang them hard they'll crack and chip like all poly finishes . . . but they're much tougher than nitro.

 

[PoorMan]

I've found that satin poly finishes turn into gloss in areas where your arm/clothes contact them after a good 8 - 10 years of use. Other than that, they're pretty bulletproof. If you really bang them hard they'll crack and chip like all poly finishes . . . but they're much tougher than nitro.

+1

 

[St_Genesius]

You will buff them into a shine in no time, but you can scotchbrite them back to matte pretty easily too.

 

[Mincer]

In fact, I like the satin more, as I don't stick to it as much. Everyone here is right, though, you will notice some shiny spots over the span of 5-10 years. No biggie, that is easily remedied if that is an issue for you.

 

[ebagjones]

That’s great to hear. I’ve been looking at the Yamaha RSP20CR for a while as it seems to check all of my boxes but the top is entirely satin finished which made me concerned about its durability. A dealer I spoke with confirmed it’s poly urethane finished.

 

[ErikH]

The satin finishes are pretty much the paint without a clear coat or a satin clear coat over the paint. And yes, frequently rubbed areas will gloss over time.