Nitrocelulose lacquer

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Dogtemple

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Hi there guys

Just wondering what the deal is with nitro lacquer. is it significantly better than polyurethane for any particular reason?

its just ive seen it mentioned a few times and am not too clued up on its purpose/benefits over other types of lacquer/oil

Cheers!

Andy
 
I tends to age better than Poly, for that "vintage" look later on in life, and it also tends to be a bit thinner.

Some people think it can make a big difference to the tone of your guitar, but I haven't personally noticed a huge difference to be honest.
 
I tends to age better than Poly
Click to expand...

That depends on if you want your finish to crack up and look aged. I would say poly is a much stronger finish and if looked after will still look new 20 years down the track..I don't think there is any difference in tone, but there is a difference in feel on the neck, but thats down to personal taste.


Mick
 
leadguitar_323 said:
I tends to age better than Poly
Click to expand...

That depends on if you want your finish to crack up and look aged. I would say poly is a much stronger finish and if looked after will still look new 20 years down the track..I don't think there is any difference in tone, but there is a difference in feel on the neck, but thats down to personal taste.


Mick
Click to expand...

Sorry, yeah, I should have qualified that a bit better! :)

It tends to age "better" if you're after that classic vintage look with the small cracks etc in the finish and it tends to wear better where your forearm rubs etc.

A poly finish can still look like new years down the line. It does depend n the look you're after. Sorry if my post was misleading. :)
 
It's already been covered by others, but just remember that it's also the selling tool of the con-man. Nitro finished guitars sell for more, so ignorant or dishonest sellers will often claim that a poly finished guitar is nitro finished when it isn't. So if nitro matters to you, make sure that you know what you're buying before you hand over your cash.

Manufacturers can be dishonest too. Fender have made a big deal in their ads about the new Road Worn series, & how they are nitro finished.

http://www.fender.com/products/search.php?partno=0131012303

But read the specs. The body may be nitro finished, but the neck is finished in urethane! So the bit you actually have in your hand - the bit you feel - is poly. To me, that is fundamentally dishonest.

Caveat emptor!

Mike
 
Also be aware that - with a few exceptions only - newer nitro finishes will NOT weather check because most of them have a poly base coat or at least have a lot of plasicizer in it to avoid chacking. You will find real thin vintage correct nitro only on Custom Shop Fenders and Gibsons, on the top of the line Tokais (LS380) and a hand full of others. All other nitro Tokais, American Vintage series fenders, USA production Gibsons and most others that claim to have a nitro finish have poly involved, one way or the other.
They feel different and the surface gets dull over time nevertheless. Just don't buy that story that it let's the wood "breathe" or resonate better. It's just a marketing phrase ...
 
Bluefinger said:
You will find real thin vintage correct nitro only on Custom Shop Fenders and Gibsons, on the top of the line Tokais (LS380) and a hand full of others.
Click to expand...

My Eastman thinline has finish checking - meant it got sold to me as a second, at an appropriate discount. I don't really mind.

It's my impression that lots of acoustic guitars are still finished with nitro, because it lets the wood breathe more.

GPCarpenter said:
Only nitro is good enough for the discriminating cork sniffer! :D
Click to expand...
You sniff enough nitro...
 
from my experience, a lot of players are not so much into the minutia of guitars in general that they are even aware of the poly vs. nitro issue

many of them have no idea of which is what & vice versa

personally, I prefer a very thin poly over a nitro finish, any day but in the end it really makes no difference, just as long as the poly finishes are very thin

I have owned a ton of Burny Les Pauls and the finishes are usually very thin, poly :)
I'm playing one right now :D .................
RLG3cherry.jpg
 

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