Quote Originally Posted by shavethebadger View Post
I can ask him, though I guarentee that instrument finishes aren't applied with water resistance in mind. They may well be water resistant, but that would be a coincidence, IMO.

Any luthiers here??

If I get any info, I'll be sure to pass it on.
Well, the stringed instrument's neck gets a lot of sweat, so moisture resistant is a must.

Modern stringed instruments are finished with a choice of polyurethane 2 component lacquers, nitrocellulose in some cases, Tung oil, Tru oil, Linseed oil, Beeswax, Shellac, Lemon oil e.t.c. The fingerboards are built from Maple, Rosewood, Ebony, Cocobolo. While Maple gets whatever finish is on the back of the neck (usually made from maple or mahogany), Rosewood, Ebony and Cocobolo are usually untreated, due to their high oil content and natural water resistant properties. However, these can often get dry, shrink or crack, so a treatment of Lemon oil is recommended. But if the guitar/violin is used often, the wood soaks the sweat from the hands and it's usually fine trough the (100'ts of) years...

I have built several electric guitars and basses, and have used some of these finishes (nitro, Polyurethane, linseed, beeswax...)

Nenad