Catalyzed oil finish
This is our standard finish. The oil is a special, in-house-developed, catalyzed blend that preserves the wood and gives it the perfect protection against moisture and stains. Our oil blend has the ability to penetrate the wood and harden into a natural, tough, solid polymer, making the surface of the wood harder and more resistant to wear.
Thanks to its natural look and feel, we believe that oil gives the most pleasing finish on the majority of hardwoods.
Aging
The durability of the instrument depends on the wood itself, so softer woods tend to wear easier, but hardwoods like ebony are more wear-resistant than most hard finishes. The oil enhances the durability of softer woods.
A nice feature of oiled basses is that, after a while, the scratches blend out through constant contact with your hands and clothing, giving it a natural patina. We feel that, after many years, our oil-finished instruments tend to look more attractive and more natural than hard-finished instruments. The dents and scratches are not as obvious as on a hard finish, and instead add character to the raw wood.
Stability
When paired with an oiled fingerboard, an oil-finished neck is more humidity-stable. The same principle applies to a lacquered neck paired with a lacquered fingerboard. This is because for the neck to be humidity-stable, the back of the neck and the fingerboard should gain and lose moisture at an equal rate.