The odd thing about it is that on the 452/455 models they used a nice finish that let the wood grain show, why they went to the mud finish on the 457 is beyond me. The only reason that I can come up with is that they are saving manhours by not filling pores ands hoping that the mud finish will make it less noticable.
I have looked at six 457 American models and they all exhibited the same finish as yours - it's too bad that they are cutting corners on the stock finish.
drover
No, not cutting corners at all. Pore filling is a non-issue also. They are using cheaper wood because it is very light, non-uniform in color, probably has sapwood, and does not make the grade. It often has lots of figure but that is actually a defect in that grade.
The mud is simply paint to make them all look the same. Just like the red in old model 70s.
Fairly easy to improve a lot. Formby's Furniture Refinisher used with a heavy hand and lots of rags to get rid of the mud will show you what you have pretty quickly. Repeat until it looks good enough for your taste.
Let it cure after rubbing the finish off. Add some spar varnish and cut it with pure, quality oil. Apply heavily, wait 15 minutes and rub dry. In a few coats it will look good.
