Guess what? Poly/Nitro/oil...It doesn't matter!

[Smokestack]

I know some of us will cry "foul!' when I say this, but the sound of a guitar has NO BEARING on its finish material or method. I know we are all fond of "the way it used to be," but.... Poly does not sound worse. Nitro does not allow a guitar to breathe. As a matter of fact, once a properly dried piece of tonewood (about 6-9%) is sealed...with anything.... it sounds the same. It isn't supposed to "breath" as that would make the wood unstable and suspect to warping. Hmmm.... just food for though. So, what are your thoughts?????

[WickedGTR]

Metalflake sounds the best to me.

[paulbaribeau]

But they do look different. And that matters.

[rcole_sooner]

Shhhhh.. they're listening... and they'll come get you.

[boris bubbanov]

http://www.usacustomguitars.com/usac...ale/body2f.jpg

I hope you are right that poly doesn't matter.

I finally broke convention and bought this extra light 1 piece swamper from USACG

http://www.usacustomguitars.com/usac...ale/body2b.jpg

I don't know if the guitar bodies are coming to get me, but they sure are here around me. I better sleep light.

[musicalmartin]

This information can blow TDPRI apart ,its why it exists .If its ever finally settled, a whole generation of Tele fanatics will lose all will to post......Disaster .Your right of course ,but dont tell anyone else .They wont thank you for it.

[fraser]

thats gonna make one sharp looking hardtail boris- real nice.

i started playing in the early 80s, so most of my guitars are poly.
its not something that turns me off in any way, i just buy what i can get, and im not paying the extra cash for a fender nitro finish. no way.
i dont hear a difference, and wood breathing and all that is crazy talk meant to stuff wallets.
if i finish a raw wood guitar myself, i use nitro or oil.
it feels and looks better, its easy to apply, and it looks good as it ages.
but i refuse to buy into any of the marketing.

[LuvN Guitars]

I think you're right, but if a particular finish matters to someone that's OK.

We see what we want to see and hear what we want to hear.

[txspreacher]

Yeah lots of folks just prefer one finish over the other. Sonic differences? That's a microtone debate...

[PengBoy]

Sure it makes a difference... I can't imagine it's a huge one, but every speck of dust on your guitar makes a difference... it's just a matter of how much.

There's a lot of polarization on these ideas. It either makes NO DIFFERENCE or a HUGE DIFFERENCE it seems... How about it makes a little difference that you may or may not hear.

[SacDAve]

No clear works like it should, If you use a deep red you get a deep red guitar if ‘ you use a brilliant yellow seems to reason you’ll end up with a brilliant yellow guitar , but now use a clear you can still see the guitar it should be clear.

[voided3]

I think what makes the difference isn't what the finish is composed of but how much is applied, and the difference is more so in the weight and feel of the guitar, not the tone so much (at least for a solid body electric).

For example, I have an inexpensive Les Paul copy that had been painted over it's factory black finish with a thick coat of primer and red paint. I completely stripped it bare and put on only a thin acrylic clear coat. It didn't sound any different plugged in, but it sure weighed less afterward and gave a different feel on the neck.

For store bought guitars, I prefer poly over nitro as most new nitro finished guitars feel like fly paper after a while. I owned a '99 Gibson SG that I bought new and in the ten years I owned it, the neck still felt like fly paper to the last day even after buffing it with 0000 steel wool, so it must not be a curing issue. When I apply my own finishes, I go for what's easiest so I use wipe on finishes like tung oil and I like the results.

[Buckocaster51]

Well now there then now then I would say you are preaching to the choir.

[LarryM]

I played a tape of a rehearsal for a friend, a real vintage expert/ connoisseur of tone.
He nodded with approval and asked me " '64 (strat) through your Deluxe?" I didn't have the heart to tell him Harmony Strat (Korea) w/ ceramic pups and a 10 watt solid state Fender - I think a Frontman.
Then there are the guys who can hear the difference between different Strat saddles, tuning pegs, brands of capacitors, amp wiring, tremelo blocks- it goes on and on. I don't see people who make a living from music paying much attention to any of this.....

Saw a cool video the other day- this guy makes piezo bridges(Lashbrook- Guitar), he mounted one to a cinder block w/ a neck & strings,plugged it in, and it sounded great! - Maybe the cinder block was sprayed with nitro?

[thepassivevoice]

Originally Posted by boris bubbanov

I don't know if the guitar bodies are coming to get me, but they sure are here around me. I better sleep light.

If you also bought that mahogany body with the P90/Mini-humbucker combo, I would say the guitar bodies have already taken over.

[Jimo]

The body is just there to hold the pickups in place on a electric guitar.

[boris bubbanov]

Originally Posted by thepassivevoice

If you also bought that mahogany body with the P90/Mini-humbucker combo, I would say the guitar bodies have already taken over.

No, I am trying my best not to buy too many Strat bodies.

But I did get that 1 piece light ash Tele body, #4. Doesn't that look like a Bubba body? You know it does! Nitro? Yes, again.

http://www.usacustomguitars.com/usac...ale/body4f.jpg

http://www.usacustomguitars.com/usac...ale/body4b.jpg

I can't stand to buy just one thing from USACG. Twos or Threes in bodies, necks I order 8 all the same specifications because then Tommy can make you a serious deal.

I'm curtailing my use of Minwax Tung Oil Finish as a top coat on anything but the hardest wood bodies; it simply gets beat up way too fast.

And I have 2 Fender bodies, one USA and one MIM, where the poly is just spontaneously delaminating. This poly is my number one thing I am scared about falling apart in my Fender-01K plan. A little nitro falls off and the value doubles. A quarter sized piece of plastic finish wants to come off and the value is cut in half.

[JCBurke59]

My priorities are:
1. How does it feel? (you have to hold it, right?),
2. How does it look?
3. Which can I apply successfully and have it look good?

I use Tru-Oil on necks (usually over vintage amber dye) and lacquer on bodies. I like the look of a thin nitro finish when new and after it's worn a bit. I also generally take my appearance cues from vintage instruments - I'm not much for trying 'new things' with the appearance of a guitar. I do like to mix and match traditional designs and features with modern tech in new ways.

This is about as rad as it gets for me:

[Happy Tele]

thats like saying sugar pills dont work. They do.

If someone thinks nitro sounds better then guess what? It does.

[JCBurke59]

Originally Posted by Happy Tele

...If someone thinks nitro sounds better then guess what? It does.

True - at least to them.
Also true - Don't expect me to hear it just because you can 'hear' it.
Also true - Just because I can 'hear' it doesn't mean I should expect you to hear it.

And finally - Even if we do hear it differently, we might disagree on which is better or if it matters at all...