Poly doesn't wear like nitro!

[Bro Blue]

This cracker wants poly.

[csm]

 

This cracker wants poly.

 

 

Heh.

[peavey_impact]

My 21 year old poly guitar

 

Then:

 

 

 

Now:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's getting there

[Beckman]

I had an almost 30 year old poly guitar. I did not look ages a bit. I was a natural finish, so maybe it yellowed a bit, I just could not tell. No cracks and no wear marks.

[Mel Cooley]

 

No {censored}ing way that's poly.

 

 

My '73 Mustang and Telecaster say different. So does my '84 Tokai, but not as loudly.

[benricci]

 

No {censored}ing way that's poly.

 

Why not? That guitar is approaching 40 years old. Poly doesn't wear as quickly as nitro, but a thin coat will still age over time. And 35-40 years is plenty of time for aging to occur, regardless of the finish.

[tim gueguen]

Don't have pictures of it obviously, but that Mustang reminds me of a mid '80s Fender Japan Jazz Bass Special that was in a local shop a few years back. Poly finish with very obvious wear, including some back of the neck wear if I remember correctly. Someone had played that bass a lot.

[atrox]

 

Nitro has more tone. Especially Gibson nitro. They're reissuing 1958 Nitro now but you have to pay more for the specially formulated vintage nitro that's mixed with the same componants and applied exactly as it was way back then.

 

 

 

 

This debate always irritates me. I use oil finish on all my guitars, which, in some people's theories, would "let the wood breath" more than nitro.

 

I have played many hundreds if not thousands of guitars in my shop. I can't honestly say that a Nitro finished guitar resonates more than a poly coated guitar. Even ones with thick coats. the wood is going to do what it is going to do regardless of what is on top of it.

 

That said, My Gilmour Custom Shop Strat is Nitro finished and that is the only feature I do not like about it. not because of wear... It's because it's sticky.

 

I do think an LP should have a nice nitro finish on it, because that is what looks best on them IMO.

[bsman]

Poly doesn't wear like nitro!!!!!!!!!:

 

[Tweedledee]

Exactly my thought.

 

You should try thinking again. I'm really sorry to disappoint you, but I guarantee it's poly.

[golias]

That said, My Gilmour Custom Shop Strat is Nitro finished and that is the only feature I do not like about it. not because of wear... It's because it's sticky.

 

 

My absolute favorite thing about nitro finishes is that they tend to be less "sticky" than poly.

 

That's why I don't give a rat's ass what Fender uses to fill wood pores with, as long as the nitro top-coat is there.

 

The fact that it often looks kinda cool as it ages is just bonus.

 

I don't buy into the tone myths either, but I still like nitro finishes a little bit better, all else being equal.

[atrox]

My absolute favorite thing about nitro finishes is that they tend to be less "sticky" than poly. That's why I don't give a rat's ass what Fender uses to fill wood pores with, as long as the nitro top-coat is there. The fact that it often looks kinda cool as it ages is just bonus. I don't buy into the tone myths either, but I still like nitro finishes a little bit better, all else being equal.

 

Depends on the type of Poly

 

Poly cures harder and therefor tends to be less sticky in general. THAT SAID, a the stuff Fender uses (which is actually a Polyester.. try using a stripper on a poly Fender... i dare ya) can be sticky as hell. Nothing worse than a glossy Fender neck IMO. So I agree in that sense, but I'm used to oil finish or satin finish's.

 

The nitro neck on the Gilmour is the only thing i hate about it. Doesn't hinder my playing, but it's annoying how sticky it is

[Flogger59]

More fuel to the fire. 1971 Rosewood Tele (not really syandard production.

Body-nitro

Neck-poly

Headstock face-nitro

[Angry Tele]

that mustang looks like poly to me. Check out Yngwie's duck Strat for another well worn poly guitar.

[Carbohydrates]

 

that mustang looks like poly to me. Check out Yngwie's duck Strat for another well worn poly guitar.

 

I don't much care for Olympic White, but I sure love how it ages!

[Belva]

Unlike a lot of of our competitors, who settle for a polyurethane finish, Gibson opts for a nitrocellulose finish that will encourage the natural vibration of the instrument for a purer tone. In addition, a nitro finish is very porous and actually gets thinner over time. That way your guitar

[atrox]

I don't much care for Olympic White, but I sure love how it ages!

 

I wonder if they have adjusted the "formula" at all in recent years like many companies seem to do. I too love the aged Olympic white

 

this is my buddies Dan Smith Strat. I love the color

[RaoulDuke]

Uh oh, here's a controversial statement: not only does the finish not matter, but neither does the wood. Wood matters in acoustic guitars, and then only the top wood is really important. An electric guitar could be made out of plastic or whatever the crap you want and almost everybody couldn't tell the difference. It's all in the pickups.

[atrox]

 

Uh oh, here's a controversial statement: not only does the finish not matter, but neither does the wood. Wood matters in acoustic guitars, and then only the top wood is really important. An electric guitar could be made out of plastic or whatever the crap you want and almost everybody couldn't tell the difference. It's all in the pickups.

 

 

I know from just taking pickguards off one guitar and putting them on another on numerous occasions that that is a false statement. Not to mention building exact guitars with different woods.... But I also know from past threads that I'm not going to change peoples minds about it, so i wont bother trying.

[Elias Graves]

I know from just taking pickguards off one guitar and putting them on another on numerous occasions that that is a false statement. Not to mention building exact guitars with different woods.... But I also know from past threads that I'm not going to change peoples minds about it, so i wont bother trying.

 

Come on. At least try.

This explains why a 335 sounds just exactly like a Les Paul, right? I mean, same pickups and everything, ya know.

 

EG

[scuzzo]

any little var that takes the tone of the guitar away from the responsibility of the Amp and secondary the pickups..

 

its the glue

its the poly vs nito

its the caps and the pots

its the cloth covered wire where all the magic happens

 

Na... not buying it... just a bunch of market hype..

sure wood matters and finish but too such a small degree it can be Eq'ed out with the amp or a gain knob or presence..

 

jhmo.

[Carbohydrates]

Uh oh, here's a controversial statement: not only does the finish not matter, but neither does the wood. Wood matters in acoustic guitars, and then only the top wood is really important. An electric guitar could be made out of plastic or whatever the crap you want and almost everybody couldn't tell the difference. It's all in the pickups.

I guess, if you play exclusively plugged in, but even then, wood just takes the backseat - it's not completely irrelevant. I, however, tend to play unplugged a lot around the house, and wood becomes a lot more important then.

[RaoulDuke]

Come on. At least try. This explains why a 335 sounds just exactly like a Les Paul, right? I mean, same pickups and everything, ya know. EG

 

well, if you're talking solid vs. semi hollow, it's a different discussion. But still, not radically different.

[Virgman]

This is a modified 1970s Mustang that I recently sold. Poly finsh. Originally white. All natural wear.

 

That is beautiful.

 

And here is the key: "All natural wear"

 

That's great.

 

Relics are like toupees. "Hey, that toupee looks "real" man!"

[RaoulDuke]

I guess, if you play exclusively plugged in, but even then, wood just takes the backseat - it's not completely irrelevant. I, however, tend to play unplugged a lot around the house, and wood becomes a lot more important then.

 

You play electric unplugged? That's like masturbating with a condom on.