Dylan Talks Tone - Nitro VS Poly
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- Опубліковано 24 сер 2024
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Personally I like the feel of Nitro a lot better.
I do too. I don’t care about breathing or tone or magic voodoo from Brazil, I care about what feels good to me and that’s nitro lacquer.
Me too
And the smell, nothing smells like that.
@L Smith You are so wrong, I have 20 year old guitars that have that smell. You have NO CLUE what you are talking about.
@@tomlaw8821 Hi Tom, he’s actually kinda right. That smell is the lacquer not gassing off before resprays at the factory.
Okay. When we use the term, "breath" it means allowing the moisture content to fluctuate with the humidity of the room. And nitro is a practice used by violin Luther's. Yes, nitro allows a guitar to resonate longer and louder then a thick ploy coated guitar. There is no argument. The finish on an old fender would rub off in a couple years if it was played alot, thats how thin it was, ploy does not rub off... its plastic. When im buying an electric guitar I personally always play the guitar unplugged to hear the acoustic resonances. And from 30 years of doing this. If you take the right wood with a thin rub of nitro it can resonate up to 25 seconds. Ive never found a poly coated guitar resonate past 17 seconds. I love the look of poly, I love the durability of poly. But after tens of years trying to get a poly guitar to ring like a nitro, i havent found one yet. Ill say it again Dylan. Nitro finish was passed down from violin makers, such as a stratovarious. I really enjoy your videos and you are very knowledgeable. But on this particular subject you are wrong. And im saying this with 100% respect for what you do. I love your content. Keep up the good work, cheers 🍻 and one other thing to think about. saying the finish on an electric guitar doesn't effect the tone, is like saying the type of wood on a guitar doesn't effect the tone. What you seal the wood with changes how the wood resonates. Yes?, Seems like common sense to me.
I always laugh at the John Mayer video where he says he didn’t want a lot of finish on his guitar, not because he wanted it to look old, but wanted the wood to breathe. Buddy, that wood stopped breathing the moment the tree was chopped
By “breathing” they mean the wood keeps drying over time through the cracks that develop on nitro. No the actual breathing like an animal 😂
I prefer Nitro for feel & aesthetics.
The only thing I’d like to add is, builders do charge more for Nitro, because it takes more time & is more of a pain to apply, especially in certain states with different environmental restrictions.
Guitar tone: 90% electronics 10% wood 0% paint
70% amp 30% guitar
true
100% electronics.
@@HCkev Not true. I own 2 telecaster’s, one has only a thin vinyl finish, and the other has a thick urethane finish. Both guitars vibrate radically different and it’s mainly due to the thick urethane compared to a thin vinyl finish. This is just a fact that many people don’t want to accept.
@@tapelegacy nobody said it didn't change the sound acoustically. But an electric guitar isn't meant to be played acoustically. Sounds tiny and you hear more pick and strings noise than anything else. The whole point is that once plugged into an amp, it doesn't matter. The pickups is picking up the strings vibrations magnetically, and while there might be a difference in sustain, the actual tone doesn't change in any meaningful way. There's a reason why acrylic and bodyless electric guitars still sound as good as any other electric guitar.
I just like nitro because it allows the guitar to age. In my opinion the guitar builds a character when you play it for a long time.
Otherwise I don't care, except for the feel.
Could you do a video on different neck finishes, unlike the body finishes which have little to do with playability, neck finishes have everything to do with how the guitar feels
I use nitro because I would like my guitars to patina nicely as they age. Bit of a PITA though as humidity is high in my area for huge swaths of the year.
Regarding shrink and the shape of the wood grain telegraphing through the shrinking finish on top @6:53: It can happen with a thin poly finish, too. I have a partscaster jazz bass I built/assembled about 8 years ago, sprayed with a thin polyurethane finish. The finish has done a similar thing, though less extreme. In the right lighting conditions, I can definitely see the subtle or minute undulations of the grain in the alder body project through the poly.
lmao, "my guitars are dead.. they don't breathe" Thanks for sharing all the videos, Dylan. Your setup on the Floyd Rose in 10 mins really helped me. Cheers mate :)
What you said, though.. Nitro does feel nice (even on top of poly). Just a personal opinion.
Nitro looks cooler and that's about it for me
nitro just has the vibe
If you want the "look" to fade, if you want the finish to "age fast", then you'll chose a softer finish. If you want the color to remain "vibrant" and the finish to remain "sort of" mint for a longer period of time, then you'll chose a hard finish (like any modern vehicles), and I'd recommend quality products from the car industry. On top of that, quality finishes from the car industry can be treated just like the finishes of modern cars (polishing, applying "ceramic coating", blah blah).
Personally, as you might have already understood, I greatly prefer "hard finish coating". I don't mangle my guitars, but I do play them, and I have guitars which are now nearly 30 years old and still look nearly mint after a nice careful polish on a hard polyurethane finish.
I like it like that, and I do agree that it's purely a question of aesthetic taste, so, any opposite opinion is also valid, for as long as it is justified by aesthetic preferences.
For instance, on one of the Strats that I built for myself and which single piece body came with a really nice natural look, I applied an extremely hard epoxy finish normally designed to coat the wooden decks of boats, and the result was really satisfying.
Preach brother! Personally, I greatly prefer non-nitro finishes. That's what I got started on and I prefer the feel/wear of it. Different strokes and all that.
I prefer a poly finish because I like a guitar to maintain it’s like new and more durable finish. I’m not into the aged or distressed looks that many seem to desire lately.
Dale Palmer I agree. Play and gig a lot if you want a genuine relic. That's the proper way to get that finish. I did my Tele in nitro. from use, it's wearing quickly. Some gear heads think it's an actual 50's relic... I laugh. I just play the damn thing. It's not jewelry, it's a tool.
+Thomas Walz damn right !!!
Dale Palmer Exactly. I see guitars like classic cars. You try to maintain them.
It seems that some need all the damage on a guitar so it looks old because there aren't almost no new shapes/models out there. With cars you can distinguish the old and new models. But on guitars, they try to build the same live rear axle pony car for 60 years.
@@thomaswalz3515 but poly does NOT relic at all
I love the aged look but only if I'm the one who does it I can't stand artificial relic'in/aging its dumb.
So if you think a thin coat of paint will kill the tone and stop the resonance of your guitar, what about having your guitar pressed between your body and your arm? What if you are wearing a thick polyester shirt?
excellent comprehensive tutorial. For me it's poly all the way, more forgiving, faster, looks great and no toxic fumes. I will never do nitro again.
I agree. Both are great but I like how a poly guitar after 40 years looks exactly the same.
Great video! One thing you didn't mention, is that fender, back in the day, also painted over top of numerous guitar bodies that were previously finished. Whether they were blemished or they just needed to do a different color to get it out the door to the customer. So....the thickness of the finish would be twice as thick, but still didn't affect the tone.
Also, what about the fact that holding a guitar between you arm and body would have a huge effect on the sustain of the guitar. What about sitting verse standing? The guitar being clamped between you arm and body and then sitting on your leg.
Shouldn't this also be considered in the tone argument??
It has a big influence when you play any acoustic instrument. If you don't press your body against the back it will sound different. Theoretically it makes a differnce cause you touch the neck (which has a tiny influence) but you're playing it so what do you want to do? Put it in a corner and enjoy the look of it. This shit is getting ridiculous. After a good setup people should play a lot more instead of drooling about instruments.
I see it myself. I have much more instruments than I need and i just should play more.
Get video and thank you. I like the Nitro because, poly doesn't age(25 yr old Fender still looks new), nitro feels better to me, and nitro has a great smell to it. LOL Crazy. I know there is NO difference in sound. Thanks again.
I have a poly finish on my guitar and i have heard that poly finishes dont wear? Im thinking about the neck. If so i would choose nitro over poly everyday, because it kind of gives the guitar a different feel.
I use like 4-5 coats shellac with increasing dilution, then wax on my acoustics, and a thin poly coat on my electrics
Great video! With great information, but people will still think nitro is better no matter what.
Yes because it's on Gibson Les Pauls!
I really enjoy your UA-cam channel. You create really great content and I've been extremely interested in making my own pickups. I appreciate that you willing to demystify the process.
'breathing' just means that nitro is more permeable than poly and so the wood can continue to dry (or if in a humid environment take in moisture) more than would be the case with poly, personally i just think it looks better, smells better, feels better, and ages better
I really wish my strat was nitro solely because i wanted the paint to age like my dad's 70s strat
Your dad's '70's strat was finished with poly, so you're good to go!
I think Laquer just looks better, plus I feel it can be worked better and is more forgiving
Poly is cheaper. This video is a good way to get customers to buy into your cheaper paints
I think it’s also a feel thing, particularly on necks. Satin poly necks suck, thin nitro or oil feel like you’re more in contact with the guitar
I hate nitro... its sticky
DylanTalksTone keep it thin and it wears off quickly (if you like relics) but TruOil necks feel the best to me. But I do agree finish is of minimal impact to tone in an electromagnetic system.
I didn't notice my new LP type had a urethane finish until I saw all this stuff on youtube and gear page touting nitro over poly finishes. I wanted to not care but I keep hearing about it over and over again. Not sure what the recent obsession is with nitro, but people are starting to even now say it effects tone and yes all the stuff about cut wood 'living and breathing'. This was not a thing when I bought my nitro finish 78'LP Custom in 89'.
If nitro actually "breathed", all the early Ford automobiles would've rusted out overnight. No matter the sealant underneath, all that Nitrocellulous does is off-gas. And it smells great.
A lot of people are saying nitro "feels" better, but why couldn't poly just be sanded and polished to feel similar? It's not obvious to me why it couldn't be.
My cheap Ibanez Gio, slim and light poplar body with a very thick coat of poly (over 1mm, probably dip painted), is my best sounding with nice sustain even unplugged. She sings.
And I think the thick and also hard poly coat contributed in this case to sound better.
Because a hard shell on a light and soft wood ads a bit mass and can shift the vibrational balance between neck and body to the better. And the bridge is also screwed on a much harder surface rather then directly on the soft poplar.
I use both but like you said it depends on what you're going 4. Each have their pluses and minuses. Interesting Prince painting...
Love it, slaughter the sacred cows baby!
I fought with nitro for years and when I switched to modern paints I was like... why did I wait so long to do this?
Great information Dillion. I'm more concerned about what I can spray under poly. So many sites say that poly will not adhere to sanding sealers that are lacquer based (nitro). I bought some Deft Sanding Sealer, and wanted to spray that first on a Billy Bo build I'm doing, then the poly with tint in it. I kept running into issues of no, you can't do that. Therefore I went with just a Primer Sealer, then the Poly. Any comments? Thanks for your comments.
Any advice on how to turn a modern silver burst to look like an aged silver burst!?
Check out PRS S2 satins if you get a chance. No grain filler or sealer. Just stain and enough clear satin nitro to keep the wood stable. Wether or not they sound better is subjective. The fact that they resonate longer than any other electric guitar on the wall is an objective reality. Doesn’t necessarily mean it’s better, just means it rings forever
Nitro is the best at allowing it to be fixed. Nitro melts and you can melt nitro from the can or a dried piece right into an imperfection.
Well, all of those are electric guitars, so the tone doesn't really come from the wood (or mostly not) but from the pickups and the amps. But what about an acoustic instrument...?
Polyurethane but there’s also polyester aka fenders “nitro” outside of the custom shop
I used nitro on natural wood finishes because the shine is fabulous. Nitro transfers to leather, plastics and other materials and can make a mess when that happens. I only used vinyl sealer once and was not impressed. Some poly looks like almost plastic but on a solid color guitar it is fine. Finishing is the hardest part of guitar building. Filling pores and areas at glue joints/bindings is a real pain. Your guitars are beautiful. I have 25+ year old lacquered guitars that still look great. I have never been able to tell if finish had anything to do with tone but have had people who think they are college graduates try to explain that to me. I even had people tell me a red guitar sounds better than a black one, ha! It Great information!
Yes, I know this vid is 6 years old, but hoping I get a reply from Dylan still lol…what color is that strat body? Is that shoreline gold? I’m getting a custom strat made and I’m looking at a lot of variations of gold and that one looks particularly cool. TIA!
Cool nice info for me it's simple it's all about the quality of wood the aging it got trough the years the pickups that also aged and most of all the player if you can't play you can't play no matter what finish
I guess I'll be the odd duck. I prefer a properly applied polyurethane finish, particularly on new guitars. I want it to look like the day I bought it 10 years down the road. I also don't like the feel of sanded necks and glossy poly doesn't get "sticky" on a neck like nitro does.
The only reason I would care is that nitro will eventually crack most likely and poly is easy to find
I think theres probably a scientific test to test body reverberation on a nitro paint vs poly paint. It is probably splitting hairs in tonal difference. The argument for nitro has always been to have the guitar age with your playing. It is a selling point for sure. Lots mfgs dont want to use nitro for qc reasons and cure time.
I’ve done scientific tests on instruments with different finishes. Thick finishes prevent wood from vibrating, especially urethane.
Thank you! What about the FEEL? Right after you mention a difference in feel, you say the issue boils down to aesthetics. The field of the neck it is definitely a functional property not an aesthetic one. I would like to hear more about how they feel when they are new or old, thin or thick.
I have poly finish satin and the feel is superb
A lot of people probably don't want to hear this. And I'm someone who prefers nitro.
I think when people refer to "breathing" they mean wood can continue to dry and age as sap and moisture evaporates, and they believe a plastic coating locks this in. I've noticed recent squiers leave the spring cavity unfinished. No idea why. But problem solved!
Thank you so much for all that info. Great Channel. Do you by chance paint other guitars? I have a '87 RG 550 that I would love to have Chrome finish on and that Tele behind you in the vid looks Awesome.
Neither. Best is oil finish. The wood becomes nourished and resonates better. For pickups that has little difference, but for acoustic instruments can have a huge impact (depends what you want to achieve).
Thank you for speaking rationally about a subject that is so irrational, man I can't believe that all these people actually buy into all this tonewood stuff, yeah, right. When someone starts some weird postulate about anything related to electric guitars it gets totally taken out of proportion and context until it get to the point of utter crap and ridiculousness and yet some of these dudes keep propagating these weird myths.
Nice video, to me Nitro feels substantially better in the hands then anything else.
All the guitars I own are poly, but Im refinishing a strat and thinking about using nitro.
My thing with poly on a guitar is that (my) guitars tend to take abuse, and I think abused nitro looks better than abused poly which sorta chips in an uglier fashion. Not to say that I wont finish a guitar with poly though.
Anyway I had a question: if fender was putting a catalyzed urethane layer under their nitro, why is it that those old nitro guitars seem to check off to bare wood? Shouldnt there be a durable poly layer visible under that worn nitro?
Thanks for the vid. Whats the colour of that "blue" tele? Its a beauty!
The only guitar you haven't had in your hand in this video is the only guitar i want to see.
Is it a silver colour, chrome / mirror finishes or just reflecting of light looks like that?
Because of reflection of light, this guitar is actually a random colour Telly?
Ones guitar is with a nitro finished, can anyone says if its 1 or 2 pieaces body under the paint? Im tryint go find out for my partcaster.
Dylan I am 72 and havin dusted my Wheaties a few times I absolutely agree with you with regards to guitars. What I can"t understand is how do you put up with all the BS. Keep up the great work .
Yep ,I agree 90% of the sound is pickups,Body construction ,nut ,bridge ,neck Make up pretty much the rest ,Dosent matter if the wood came over on the mayflower or Jimmy page painted it ugly back in 1964.
Does it kill the tone? Nah. Does it kill the resonance? That’s the question.
Thanks! That was very helpful :)
With that purple guitar dylan what do you do of the process of painting it do yo seal it with polly then put the color of polly on and then seal it again or do you just go straight on with polly color then seal it
I know it's and old video but what about the thickness? You talked about it briefly but how much will it affect general tone? I'm asking because I have a G&L S500 that was beautifully refinished in poly but I can tell that the thickness of the whole finish is way thicker than normal... Thanks in advance!
Also, everything else been equal, Nitro guitars tend to cost more not because quality but because apparently applying it is more labor intensive.
Personal preference
There’s differences in nitro lacquer itself. I think the big companies use something more durable than what you can buy off the shelf. The lacquer I buy ages and cracks more easily than what’s on some of the lacquer fenders I’ve owned.
Companies now put plasticizers in the lacquer in order to stop the cracking.
Shouldn’t the thickness of the finish be even regardless of where it’s measured on the guitar if you’ve done a good job wet-sanding and leveling, edges and all?
I'll try to remember to talk about this on the LIVE FAQ tomorrow. this is a great question
yo whats that beautiful double cut in the middle behind you? head doesn't look like gibson.... vintage?
Vappo Riesat that is one of our builds.
@@DylanTalksToneit looks great. i am currently looking for a DC... how much would one of those cost? (if you still got that one, or produce such)
which woods have been used? is it poly finish? is the neck finished? do you ship to europe? is there maybe a video with that guitar?
sorry for bombing you with questions, it would be nice if you answer. maybe if i like it and the price is ok we can make a deal.
I would say that adding a layer of plastic over the wood is always going to make the wood vibrate less (you know how drummers put a plastic ring on top of the snare to dead the ringing?) that's kind of what I think happens with putting primer, paint, clear over guitar bodies. It alters the resonance (like, when you rap the body with a knuckle and it's just raw wood, it will sound slightly different doing the same to that same body after you finish it). But it's probably neglegable (how the f do you spell NEGLIGIBLE? Why, if the root is from neglect, why is it negli ? stupid English).
So, perhaps it's not a big deal. Probably MORE of a big deal on hollow instruments such as violin, acoustic guitar, etc, where the body resonates far more. I think I'm going to just stick to poly when I clear my elec guitar.
the only real argument left for nitro vs poly is if you're into a vintage relic aesthetic. Nitro will age and show signs of wear a lot easier than poly. As Dylan says Fender adds urethane coating before the nitro, so would the guitar still show signs of aging through years of play? Not a fan of the relic look my self, but that's the only reason I see to reach for nitro finish.
You’re neglecting the FEEL. I think there’s more to discuss there, not just aesthetics or arguments about breathing wood (not the same issue as “tonewoods”).
yeah
I was going to mention something about acoustic and hollow bodies as well. I agree that true electric solid body guitars don't needing anything other than poly, but a hollow body IMO sounds different with shellac or oil varnish rather than poly.
I have a Gibson Les Paul Classic "1960 reissue" but I don't know if this guitar has a poly finish or a nitro finish...
Nitro
The problem I have with modern finishes it’s just to thick. I have a 1955 6120 Gretsch and and 2014 6120 Gretsch the finish on the two is ridiculous. The 55 is wafer thin whereas the 2014 syrup thick.
The old paints where cellulose car paints you could not over apply or it would run and you’d have to cut and polish very time consuming. But as a byproduct the guitar resonates far better in the thin paint and far less in the modern Finnish. The old style Finnish is just a nicer feel in the hand I find the modern finish has a slightly sticky feel. The age thing the old just looks beautiful as it ages the modern just looks unloved. Just my take in it.
Great video:)
Wood doesn't breath...it's fucking dead when it's turned into a guitar. It will absorb and lose moisture...but it stopped "breathing" when the tree was cut down. On an acoustic, too much finish of any kind...you inhibit tone.
Electrics? Doesn't mean a damn thing. A Strat or Les Paul for example...the string runs thru a metal bridge over magnets to metal tuners. Your "tone" isn't being effected by nitro...or body wood for that matter...it's the strings and pickups period. An ash Telecaster isn't any brighter than an Alder....HOW could it be? As long as the wood isn't soft and allowing parts to shift...it means nothing. You know why 50's Strats sound different than 60's Strats....it ain't the rosewood and maple fretboards causing it. Fender CHANGED the way the pickups were wound.
I prefer nitro because it feels great broken in...slap to much of on and it feels as "encased in plastic" as a 70's era 3 bolt...but won't change the tone.
Now someone's going to coming along and claim nitro sounds better than poly....it doesn't.
Except it...you're hearing something you want to hear because you have a preference.
People says nitro sound better because they know that one guitar is nitro and that other isn't. That's all. It's like a placebo effect. People listen with their eyes; now, tell them to tell which is which in a blind test and they can't tell the difference.
I have 2 Mexican Strats . The 60th Anniversary has a "Thin Skin" Nitrocellulose lacquer finish and , unplugged it is louder, brighter and more resonant than my Hendrix model which has a Polyester finish. Both have alder bodies & one piece maple necks. Any ideas on this ?
I would wager it's more the difference between the pieces of alder than it is the types of finish.
@@brandowhitemusic Interesting . The anniversary is really quite light too, which may be why the Guitarist magazine here in Britain thought it was ash when they reviewed it.
That’s right . The silver finish on my car has nothing to do with how it works. Guitars are no different.
So is what your car looks like important to you at all?
@@greenbrightly Not really, as long as it looks fairly clean. I do care, however, that it works as expected.
PRS pres in the PRS tour talks tone and says its important thinner and harder is better.
Modern poly can be sprayed thinner and harder than laquer.
PRS is doing marketing with that tour, with full knowledge of the "accepted wisdom" of their customers. Nothing more, nothing less. Also, there are different kinds of hardness. Glass hard? Tire hard?
What a lot of good sense spoken. Subscribed.
I'll take Eric Johnsons word thanks
Lol. Go sniff that cork.
Agree. It’s common sense.
Poly💯
Great! Man you crack me up :)
My 70s Strat has big chunks of finish missing in a few places. 1mm thick large missing pieces of finish that make it uncomfortable and ugly. My early 60s jazzmaster has gradually worn areas that graduate from bare wood to nitro finish. Completely comfortable to play, gracefully showing it’s age. I will have to chip of that ugly poly from the Strat and do a refinish, however, the jazzmaster will live on the way it is. It has nothing to do with “breathing” to me.
Curved surfaces do require more finish. correct.
Depends on how you apply it and what type of finish it is.
Dylan.... Hopefully you know about House Of Kolor paints , is so ...Can I paint a guitar with this type of paint and not be too thick ?
The reason I like House of Kolor is they have some great colors and their paints are top of the line.
House of color, is an automotive paint. It is some form of laquer one of which is nitrocellulose.
You can use it.
@@charlesharper7292 .... I have not painted a guitar with it . I did paint my Harley with it and it came out beautiful .
I like it so much I'd like to paint a guitar with it. It is a urethane paint not Laquer. In my opinion you can paint a guitar with any paint you like as long
as you do a good job. House of Kolor has some great colors and their product is fantastic from the primer to the clear ! Just know how to paint and use
House of Kolor formula & mixing directions .
@@goodboyringo9716 Interesting, they used to be laquer paint.
@@charlesharper7292 ... Manufactures have been Phasing out Laquer paints according to paint stores but they are still available .
What's the difference between polyurethane and polyester?
I also think it's not only about looks but feel. Lacquer feels a lot different to the touch vs a poly of some sort.
You should play it, no pet it.
I don't know how you categorize finishes. It's all a sort of lacquer. Cellulosenitrate is a cotton based resin.Cellulosenitrate (nitrocellulose is not correct) is a sort of lacquer, so is polyurethane and polyester. Take the poly- away and you end up with urethane and the ester. Now look up those chemical structures on wikipedia or a good website of a lacquer company.
Urethanes have a certain structure as have polyesters.
You can "ester" an acid. You basically take an alcohol (or acid) that is splitting off water during a condensationreaction. You have estered an acid(or alcohol). If you have that structure a lot...you got a poly-version of it which have very different attributes to them. So your polyester can be used for a PET bottle or it can become a lacquer. For that look for alkyd-resins.
alcohol + acid = alkyd
A polyurethane can be polyester-based or polyether-based. Just look it up.
It's best to get a basic understanding about synthetic materials. See the difference between elastomeres and duromeres (i guess you'd call it thermoset)
I prefer Poly. Dead wood doesn't breathe lol.
Electric solid body guitar... a plank with a nice neck.
I replaced the mega heavy baseball bat ash body on my '52 ri Tele with white pine. I can now wear the guitar all night without blinking an eye. Contrarily, I felt it improved the tone, not drastically but IMO, it made it "warmer." Placebo effect? Maybe. I did it for weight reasons.
I did spray it in clear nitro. A friend, who makes acoustic guitars, is the ultimate anti-poly guy. I can see it for acoustic. One thing I noticed is that through use, the guitar is "relicing" quickly. Gear nuts reverently treat it like it's really from the 50's... I laugh...
I have a MIM Tele, that when I feel like it, I can peal the poly finish off as entertainment. It's a great instrument, sorely in need of decent pups.
To me, I take Pete Townsend's view of guitars. "It's just a fucking tool, not a icon to worship." Let's get to work.
I can imagine you smirking when they think it's that old.
Sure thing for the acoustic guitars...the body here has to move so a thin lacquer is important (while today you can make a longer lasting lacquer almost as thin as cellulosenitrate).
I'm in the middle...I see some like classic cars that i want to maintain. While they have to be used instead of being hidden in a shed.
I like nitro because of how it looks but alas I can't afford it. so poly all the way I guess 😂
I'd like to know how much of this finish propaganda is actually dictated by the EPA and how much is actually about the the musical value of the finishes. Across the globe, different finishes get put on the same style of instruments as they're made and some cheaper guitars seem to have much nicer finishes than some expensive ones. Are the rules causing companies to put a romanticized spin on outdated and subpar finishes because those companies don't want to pay for special equipment to do finishes that are illegal to do here but look better and last better. Once again, I'd really like to know.
fyi...Nitrocellulose finishes are a pain in the ass.
They are more dangerous for the health of the sprayer, it is harder to work with and you have to wait ages to hand it over to the player.
The next horrible thing is the UV-Problem. You can't put them in a regular shopping window without UV-Filtering glass. This is why old Gibson SG's that were once red turned very quickly to brownish/black/bit of black-purple-ish colour. The Sunbursts and Vintage Fenders never looked like they look now.
The Sun gives them this lighter "Ice-Tea" colour.
So what do you want? You can get the exact same colour by spraying it from the get-go and it will stay that way for decades. It won't get damaged that easily, it is cheaper for you and the sprayer that can hand you your instrument after one day of drying. The only reason why nitrocellulose is still used that there are people demanding it.
Again...huge difference on acoustic instruments, we're talking solid body electric guitars.
I'd rather have poly it doesn't check or fade like nitro
What kind of junior is that Dylan I'm interested in one.
That's mine. I built it.
@@DylanTalksTone looks good man I just built my first tele not that long ago, I did every aspect of it my first time doing frets, and it plays good, I got some 150 year old barn walnut and cherry I'm thinking about using on the next one, I just need a planer.
There is no difference in tone .. none whatsoever
Oops, I found it!
Nitro ages like a pair of faded jeans, poly looks new unless you chip it
are you hip hop singer ? why you wear hip hop hat?
What's a hip hop hat?
Yes you are right brother polyurethane is a much more durable and shinier finish and it is baloney that poly kills the tone. Many luthiers dont like it because they want to slap something on and go which to me is sloppy work nothing done right is quick.
Vintage 70s Japanese guitars and banjos(all poly) sounded better than any or all of any american made 70s guitars and the core of the tone has to do w the core construction of the instrument, wood choice, tone ring etc.
A vintage cracked look(nitro) got nothing to do w being able to play better or sound better or be worth a lot of money and is just dumb to think so.
There is no difference