It seems that anywhere you look regarding the topic of
guitar finishes you will inevitably run into arguments
debating the merits of nitrocellulose lacquer versus
just about anything else which is usually lumped into
one lone category simply referred to as "poly". I have
ZERO interest in furthering that debate BUT since
Rowyco Kustoms
offers both nitro. and "poly" finishes - I feel I can
impartially describe the differences between the two. As
a finisher and a player I strongly feel there is no
perfect finish. They all have different characteristics
that depending on the owner could be viewed as an asset
or a liability.
NITROCELLULOSE
Most, if not all of the beloved vintage guitars from the
50’s and 60’s were finished with nitro. Most lacquers
have a slightly lower level of gloss than it’s
chemically cross linked counterparts. It’s usually
slightly amber out of the can instead of water clear
which can soften some colors. This is generally a good
thing when you’re talking bursts but as it ages and
yellows further it can change an opaque color to a
totally different shade. Nitro. is not the most durable
finish which attributes to the patina and wear it can
develop over time. It can also be very disagreeable with
certain guitar stands/hangers, colognes, bug spray,
stickers or sometimes even sweat. There are some who
love the way nitro. dulls, yellows, and checks but back
when these guitars were just considered "used" those
characteristics were not as revered by some and finish
manufacturers in turn “fixed” these issues. Lacquers
were made clearer, more flexible, the solids content
increased and in turn doesn’t age exactly like the old
stuff. Now I’m not claiming to have a secret stash of
NOS lacquer or a proprietary recipe to mix my own old
school nitro because I don’t but there are lacquers
available that are closer to what was used back then,
they just aren’t used by the companies who have
customers complaining about sticky necks.
"POLY"
Okay, I put “poly” in quotes because it’s come to be a
somewhat (if not outright) derogatory catch-all term for
any finish that isn’t nitrocellulose lacquer. Doesn’t
matter if it’s polyester, acrylic urethane, polyurethane
enamel, UV curable acrylite, epoxy - it’s "poly" and
it’s” bad”. Well, like I said earlier there is NO
perfect finish and I certainly don’t think non nitro
finishes are bad. They can be poorly applied but then
again so can nitro. Most of these finishes are water
clear and stay that way. Some folks may want a white
guitar to stay white or silver metal flake guitar to
maintain its "bling" factor. These finishes maintain
their gloss and since they fully cure much faster than
lacquer they usually keep that “new” look whereas
lacquer can shrink back (deteriorate) over time allowing
the grain of the wood to telegraph through the finish.
Not necessarily a bad thing, just a matter of personal
preference.
The most common complaint about non nitro finishes is
that it’s too thick. Well it certainly can be applied
thick and all those import guitars out there prove as
much but with a little bit of care it can be applied as
thinly as a good lacquer finish. In my years of
production work my “poly” finishes averaged .009"-.012"
give or take. Another misconception is that a nitro
finish is automatically thin. This is not always case.
I’ve stripped and re-sprayed a few factory nitro
finishes that were easily double the thickness of the
"poly" jobs I shoot. Just because someone sticks the
words “thin skin” in front of nitro. doesn’t mean all
nitro. finishes are thin.
In actuality I usually use a few different products for
a "poly" finish. Typically I start with UV curable
sealer which allows me to level sand it the same day if
need be. Epoxy and conventionally cured polyester
sealers need more time to fully cure before they should
be sanded. This step is followed by the color coat which
is a very low solids (thin) acrylic urethane. This is
followed by a few coats either a UV curable gloss
topcoat or a clear acrylic urethane.
HYBRID
Another option is a mix. Using a catalyzed sealer
underneath nitrocellulose is nothing new, ever heard of
Fullerplast? It’s the sealer Fender used from the early
days and for many years after, it is NOT nitro. Using a
catalyzed sealer is good for folks who like the look of
lacquer (and it does look good) but don’t want it to
shrink back much and have the wood grain telegraph
through the finish. Once again this is not right or
wrong, I just want to accommodate preferences on an
individual basis.
“Doesn’t nitro give you better tone?"
Easily one of the most hotly debated topics of guitar
making. The notion that nitro is unequivocally the only
true finish for guitars has been bandied about for so
long now that it seems to have become a “fact”. It’s
funny how many people I talk to that have to have nitro.
but when I tell them it could check and will yellow over
time they reply “Oh I didn’t know, I don’t want that”.
There are a lot of great sounding vintage guitars and
most vintage guitars have nitrocellulose lacquer (AKA
nitro) finishes so therefore nitro. automatically makes
a guitar sound better. Well there seem to be a lot of
people that believe that, I’m not one of them and there
are plenty of world class luithers/builders that agree.
The general consensus is that all things being equal the
chemical makeup of the finish does not affect the
overall tone, the film thickness of the finish does. As
I’ve stated above “poly” finishes can be sprayed (and
are) as thinly a properly applied nitrocellulose finish.
Nitro does not “breath” and like other non nitro.
finishes it is also a plastic. I feel I can safely
theorize that Leo Fender didn’t specify nitro. because
he thought it made the guitars sound better. He used it
because that’s all they had then. If he had access to
the finishes that are available today you can bet your
butt he would have used them and the only nitro. folks
would be talking about would be drag bikes. That said I
don’t dislike nitro. (well except for sanding it) and I
understand that some like the way it feels, looks, and
it’s reparability-I am more than happy to spray it for
you.
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