Matching the Matte

[Nathan Laudenbach]

Anyone here have any advice on how to best match a matte finish on a Taylor guitar? I'v done several crack repairs and always have trouble matching the finish, especially on a matte finish. Thanks.

[Mike Kolb]

Pretty sure that Taylor uses a UV-cured polyester based finish for their instrument but, that being said, I like to keep a little arsenal of various "flat/matte" clear lacquers handy for touch-ups.  Mohawk offers a good selection.

Usually (on a matte finish) a "dead flat" can used to start-with, then polished-up slowly to match the surrounding area. 

[Ian Pender]

Mohawk Perfect Blend satin lacquer is the best for matte finishes on Taylor guitars, in my opinion. This blend has additives that help it flow out super even, with minimal orange peel texture. Just do a few light coats, and you should be good to go, just make sure to shake the can real well for at least a minute prior to use, as this stuff is especially prone to settling out in the can.

[Scott Supak]

I can second (third?) the Mohawk recommendation. Several years ago I had contacted Taylor directly for satin/flat finish matching advise and was pointed towards Mohawk products. Depending on the size of the area, I've decanted them and drop-filled from there. They are very low viscosity and can take several applications to build this way but ultimately the results were well worth the effort.

[Brian Stewart]

Another vote for the Mohawk Precatalyzed Lacquer.  I recently did a complex crack/smash repair on a Taylor and found a thread where someone mentioned this.  Interestingly, I'm a certified Silver Plus Taylor tech and my guy at Taylor had no recommendation for what I should use.  He did outline their process for finishing, but that was not very helpful.

The repair turned out quite well, but I did have to experiment with which sheen to use.  I think the final coats were with either the flat or dead flat...I should have taken notes...

[Nathan Laudenbach]

Thanks for the advice everybody.