85% of the sound from a guitar is projected through the Soundboard. Timber is a porous substance and contains air pockets. The sound resonates from inside the chamber and partly through these pockets and becomes what you hear on the outside. Spraying guitar soundboards, backs and sides with layers of timber very effectively cuts off the resonance coming through the tiny pores, and reduces the volume and tone that the instrument is capable of.

Gloss finishes also restrict the timber's natural movement with changes in the weather. A guitar is built so it can move ever so slightly to reduce splits or cracks. Gloss removes this flexibility, reducing your guitars ability to adjust to higher humidity or an increase in dry weather.

Gloss finishes make the surfaces nice and smooth and easy to clean. However, the gloss acts like any hard plastic and can chip and dent. Chips and deep scratches in gloss finishes are almost impossible to repair without stripping the surface completely to get a perfect refinish, particularly if the guitar is old and the gloss has gone yellow. On the other hand natural oil finishes much more easily repaired. There are methods which can reverse the damage of a scratch or dent without having to strip or re-finish a whole body.