High Durability Created by Tradition
Japanese lacquer or urushi is the purified sap of the urushi tree. It is as strong and lasting as nitrocellulose lacquer or polyester, which are common coating materials for musical instruments. In certain conditions, Japanese lacquer can even display stronger durability than these compounds. In Japan, the lacquer has long been used to coat tableware and houseware as well as, in the past, for samurai sword scabbards and armors.
At GWNN, we use this natural paint for electric guitars, but we do not spray it or simply paint the surface with a brush. We rather apply a traditional method called fuki-urushi or wipe-lacquering, the process in which raw urushi is rubbed on to the wood surface many times to enhance the natural beauty of the wood’s grain. This is a rather time-consuming process, but the very thin lacquer film thus created on the wood surface, unlike the one thickly coated, displays totally unique appearance as well as high durability.
Incredibly Smooth and Accurate Response
Not only it offers uniquely beautiful appearance, urushi — because it is a natural material made from tree sap itself — matches so naturally with the wood body that the player can feel the smoothness and richness on the surface. The thinness of its coating film enhances the response of the guitar to the player’s intention. Once combined with high-accuracy hardware and pickups, the wipe-lacquered guitar can provide superb sound that no other high-end guitars can compete with, even using the body of a mass-production model.
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