Anybody buffed out a Satin Larry?

[bsman]

I recently bought a 12-fret D40r which I love, but sometimes I wish it wasn't quite so satin.  Has anybody buffed there's to make it a bit more attractive and a bit less "sticky"?  I know it will get less matte with playing time, but that's only in very specific areas and I would like to make it that way all over, if possible.

[Queequeg]

Oh yeah. It's been done many times and documented on this forum almost as many.
Some differing opinions and techniques. So I recommend reading them all and proceed with caution.
I've done it myself with fairly good results using Meguiar's products.
Here's a few links:
(There are some rather recent threads on this but they didn't turn up in a quick search I did this morning but you can look further and find more here.)

http://www.larriveeforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=12830.msg117970#msg117970

http://www.larriveeforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=34470.msg315412#msg315412

http://www.larriveeforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=12830.msg315549#msg315549

http://www.larriveeforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=14723.msg137202#msg137202

http://www.larriveeforum.com/forum/index.php?topic=23597.msg207757#msg207757

Edited to add one recent thread here.

[bsman]

Thanks - for some reason my search didn't turn up all those threads.

Anyway, seems like a lot of effort.  Maybe I'll just play the crap out of it for a few months and see what happens...

[StringPicker6]

I recently removed my tuning pegs and polished the headstock on my Larrivee.  Didn't take too long, and it's a nice place to try it before tackling a whole guitar body.

[bsman]

I recently removed my tuning pegs and polished the headstock on my Larrivee.  Didn't take too long, and it's a nice place to try it before tackling a whole guitar body.

I saw that!  My D-40 also has the vine inlay, so it did spark a bit of interest in me!  Might be a more rational place to start...

[jazzereh]

So, it's your guitar and you can do what you want with it but I like the satin and would never buff to get rid of it. 

Why buy a satin in the first place if you knew you don't like it?  And, I would have to think that buffing would severely reduce the value when you want to sell.  But maybe you will keep it forever?

[Rockysdad]

So, it's your guitar and you can do what you want with it but I like the satin and would never buff to get rid of it. 

Why buy a satin in the first place if you knew you don't like it?  And, I would have to think that buffing would severely reduce the value when you want to sell.  But maybe you will keep it forever?

I'll second this.

I happen to like Larrivée's satin finish, I like their gloss too.

Different strokes for different folks.

[StringPicker6]

I like the satin finish a lot because I don't get so worried about blemishes, bumps and scrapes.  My only gripe is that my LV-03R has gorgeous straight grain rosewood back and sides, and I know that if it was  a gloss finish that grain would be so beautiful to look at! 

[nctom]

It has been years, but yes I have polished a Forum III (LS 03) to a very soft, attractive luster. It improved the appearance of the (real) mahogany body and Italian spruce top and made the guitar more pleasing to the touch. I understand the hesitancy expressed above, but as I don't intend to ever sell it, I will continue to enjoy it more than the original satin finish.

There are several methods for polishing. I used buffing compounds, wax, and a lot of time.

[DaveyO]

I like satin finish and I like gloss finish
But sometimes loss finish guitars get a little too ornate
More like a piece of furniture than a musical instrument
It really comes down for me is the sound in the field of the guitar
That really matters to me

[StringPicker6]

The trick is to buff out only the bad notes in the guitar and leave in all the good sounding notes.