mica cabinet finishing

[louckswayne]

Hey Guys

What do you guys know about mica finish instead of staining? It seams a shame to cover
up that nice maple but some steel companys are doing this!

[Bent]

Wayne, As a hobby woodworker and wood lover, mica is not for me. I am sure it serves a purpose in durability. To my way of thinking, formica belongs on a restaurant table, not on a steel guitar. Let the wood shine through!

[mac639]

Formica isn't for me either. Why would you do that. By the time you buy some cheap stuff to laminate it to and go through all the effort to finish(hide) the edges etc. Sure you can get some nice fake grained formica but I think it's crap and should never be on a steel guitar.
In a similar vein though, a couple of years ago one of the guitar teachers in our town sent one of his students over to my shop with a new Martin acoustic (not a Sigma) she'd bought and wanted the action a bit lower etc. I open the case and guess what...the top was formica, and she'd paid nearly $1000.00 for that guitar. I have to say it sounded alright though, so what's to complain about I guess.

And something else.... I played a gig last night. There was a fellow there, I've heard of him but didn't really know him. He's a crackerjack Dobro player and he'd made the Dobro he had there. It's the most beautiful Dobro guitar I've ever laid eyes on. Incredible abalone and pearl inlays all over it, Solid rosewood body....and a sound to die for. What a talented craftsman, and with the patience of Job too.

Anyway that's it for me
Cheers,
Mac

[Pat Comeau]

I like lacquer finish better also but the guitar i'm working on right now is gonna be mica finish, one advantage mica has is it's alot tougher and more scratch resistance than lacquer finish, i've got some peices of black and charcoal black with grey wood grain mica that a guy gave to me for free a couple of months ago and my next 2 PSG is gonna be covered with mica,and i also found that it cost less to make; less work and time to build a mica compared to a lacquer finish, but i'm planning on building a birds eyed maple red stained Double neck lacquer finish after those 2 if everything go's well.

[sheffield steel]

Yeh I'm with you Bent, GIVE ME A LACQUER FINISH ANY DAY, THE PRETTIER THE BETTER, NOTHING BEATS THE LOOK OF A BEAUTIFUL PIECE OF WOOD! I did hear a discussion that a mica finish give a better tone, well in my very humble opinion, WHAT LOAD OF C**P! I'm I getting synical in my old age? but I think that we are being conditioned into believing things like this so as to:
A. keep the cost low and
B. ease of build for the manufacturer
and if you want all the nice finish with inlays it will cost you a fortune (ka ching!).

But a mica finish is more durable!

Sorry guys, but that's my RANT for today.

Dave.

[Farmer]

Guys ,Do you think back in the day they started building the mica finished guitars that smoaking was a bigger deal tan it is now, and playing in the dives, if by accident a cigarette got laid down on a mica finish, as opposed to a lacquer, it wouldn't be damaged as bad. Plus the cheaper cost to produce.....Mike

[Bent]

Smoking was the thinking behind the first mica covered Emmons PP. You could lay a cigarette on it and let it burn without damaging the mica.
And then there are some that think that mica has some good tonal properties...

[Pat Comeau]

And then there are some that think that mica has some good tonal properties...

Bent...i will know in a few weeks .

Pat C