Spider wrote:macg1 wrote:I 100% fully believe in nitro finishes. The thinner the better. It allows the wood to breathe, and although it may not be apparent on a brand new guitar, after 10 years or so, pick up a gunked up, 2 inch thick urethane coated guitar vs a nitro finish. The agin process IMHO is the advantage of nitro which allows the guitar to breathe and dry up better over time.
Wood has lungs? That plank of wood is freaking dead! It ain't growing no more! It absorbs and what it absorbs is moisture. How is moisture beneficial to tone? Any guitar with a so called "nitro" finish will most likely have a poly undercoat. How do you know it's actually a nitrocellulose finish on your guitar? And please post a link to a picture of a guitar that has a 2 inches of poly covering it. I'd love to see it. Were you around when the sales pitch was "Thick Skin", not "thin skin"?
Guess it all depends upon what sales bull$hit you wish to believe.
Spider, I must say that I 100% disagree with you, and that it does make a difference. Sure that if you mix finishes, like poly under nitro you negate the effect, but the truth of the matter is that wood does breathe. Why do you think vintage guitars sound better than new ones? Build quality and aging of the wood. Ask any violin player and see what they prefer (new vs old and why). The nitro finish allows for a better, time-dependent aging of the instrument so it can release more moisture than trap it. Now, the reason nitro was "banished" by law is because of environmental concerns and that is why gibson, PRS, and other companies which still use nitro, must pay an upfront yearly "fine" in order to use it. The tone characteristics of a 1959 LP Standard have 100% to do with the building techniques, and the aging of the wood. Also the wood should not be soaking any moisture, especially mahogany, so my advice is not to store your guitars in a filled bath tub. I have a feeling this could turn into a long back and forth in what we believe, but my experience, and this includes even the the very thin finishes on Eric Johnson model strats, just make the guitar sound better. There is a lengthy interview with Paul Reed Smith on youtube; just do a search for it where he discusses several things, from choice of woods, how to cut, how to dry, and how finishes on guitars 100% affect the tone. Now, does that mean that all guitars that have a half inch thick poly coating will sound bad? no... hell even the old lucite guitars sound cool, but if you coat wood in plastic, suddenly you get the tonal characteristics of plastic and not the wood.
Amp: Firebird Musical Amplifiers
Guitars: 2x 1962 LPs , 02 FB VII, 76 Electra Omega, 64 SG Special, 63 LP Jr, 73 LPC
Effects: Van Weelden ROD