Maybe a better physical bond with the wood so that they move as a unit in response to stress? Maybe thinner, too? I know the finish on my Tacoma-build DV-6 (hand-rubbed satin gel) "feels" thin.
Yeah if it's thinner it's able to "stretch" a little more easily if it's exposed to "twisting torque" like pressure on the top or heat expansion of the wood.
And maybe working it into the grain by the rubbing instead of it just "sitting" on top from being sprayed.
Anyway, I'm still positive D4's were all NCL whether gloss or HR.
Let's not forget they put "HR" on DV-52's and DV-6's in Westerly, too, and I'm absolutely positive those were NC gel.
Doesn't seem to make sense to start using poly on one model only.
Another "tell" is that the HR finishes start to buff up to near-gloss or even actual gloss in areas of lots of contact like a shirtsleeve against a lower bout, poly simply won't do that, it would retain its original catalyzed surface texture. Once it 's done it's done forever.
AZ, are there any "shiny spots" on the D4-12?
That'll tell you what it really is.
Interesting , from that chip on my cv-1 headstock the finish is pretty thick though the boby has some checks there’s no chips , yet lol hmmm .
I get my HR today maybe noonish I’ll report on that from the pics best I can tell it’s not a thick coat from its looks .
Yeah my Corona D40's pretty darn thick too, but interestingly it's the smoothest and glossiest of all 3.
It's the one thing I always said about it early on, best finish of the bunch, although I used to wonder if it was part of the reason it was a sonic runt as a baby.
It's only just starting to show some of the grain texture underneath the original smoothness, since it spends all of it's non-playing time in the case.