Guitar Finish ... Nitro or Poly?

Nitro or Poly?


  • Total voters
    39
I do like Nitro, can't really put it into words why. I guess it comes down to feel. (and I like the look)

My first electric guitar is a 1980 Les Paul Standard, purchased new in 81, and yes I still have it. My second a 82 Flying V, Gibson so also Nitro (still have that too). Just so use to that feel of a Nitro finish. Could not understand when people would say they hated painted necks, hated Nitro and would rather just strip it down to the bare wood. I do understand it now, but I still prefer Nitro.

The Nitro can become problematic depending on how clean you keep the instrument and your body chemistry plays a role. It wears quickly and the next to go is the paint, which no big deal in my book, add's character. However it becomes tacky at some point and can interfere when moving up and down the neck. All the polishing is usually a temp fix at best. It started becoming a real problem for me on the Les Paul around the late 90's. Do I strip it or have it refinished?? Till one tech told me don't do either. He rubbed it down with this green stuff (don't know what it was) did the trick also gave me a small amount to take with me and explained to me dirt and my body chemistry was getting trapped in the Nitro and to use it once every year or so. Ran out of the stuff lost contact with that tech, what to do. Till my current tech turned me on to Music Nomad Guitar Polish, again once a year or so does the trick.

Poly finishes, don't really have anything against them. Except when they are sprayed on to thick for my taste.
Like I said above for whatever reason I still prefer nitro.
 
If you want the guitar to 'relic' faster/easier and age like a vintage guitar then go nitro. If you want the finish to be strong and last, with the guitar looking 'new' longer go poly.

I have a nitro finished Strat from the USA Select series that I bought in 2012 and the finish is already wearing/thinning and has areas where it's kind of just kind of oxidized from sweat and stuff.

It's cool because the guitar is very naturally 'reliced' and looks and feels as comfy as can be. It reflects the amount of play it gets and is honest. But all my poly finished guitars still look pretty much brand new except for clumsy/stupid dings. I should also mention on the Strat that I stripped the nitro finish completely from the neck (minus the headstock) and refinished it with Tung oil. Didn't like the nitro on the neck AT ALL. Especially the way Fender blows it over top of the frets on maple necks, it's a disaster as it wears.
 
Like Hellbat said, my thoughts are on how do you want it to age? I have a couple guitars with nitro (2008 les paul, 2015 lpjr, and a fender roadworn 60's strat). The les paul I had to scotchbrite the neck as it was a sticky mess. I think the guy before me had acid sweat or something. I also had to rub out a fore arm wear pattern. Nitro changes over time, poly not so much. I have guitars from the 80's where they look exactly the same.

I'm not sure i notice a difference in sound, because it's really apples and oranges unless you have the same instrument in both.
 
I have no experience with nitro finished guitars, but I do have several late 80's Ibanez guitars that I stripped of (somewhat thick) poly finish and then stained and finished with hand rubbed varnish (it is also poly).

These guitars seem to have a better resonance than the ones that have the sprayer on poly on them. They are mahogany bodies...

Downside for the varnish is that it's pretty thin and doesn't protect the wood very well.
 
I have no experience with nitro finished guitars, but I do have several late 80's Ibanez guitars that I stripped of (somewhat thick) poly finish and then stained and finished with hand rubbed varnish (it is also poly).

These guitars seem to have a better resonance than the ones that have the sprayer on poly on them. They are mahogany bodies...

Downside for the varnish is that it's pretty thin and doesn't protect the wood very well.
Ohhhh. I have an oil-rubbed Schecter Strat from the early 90s that rings like a bell. Swamp ash. Kind of on the heavy side. But dang is it resonant. Never really figured it was much attributable to the finish, but maybe you're on to something?
 
Ohhhh. I have an oil-rubbed Schecter Strat from the early 90s that rings like a bell. Swamp ash. Kind of on the heavy side. But dang is it resonant. Never really figured it was much attributable to the finish, but maybe you're on to something?
I think the guitar can "breathe" better without a heavy finish... That's how I describe it, anyway.
 
I love tru oil best myself... but if going for gloss it is way too much work and I'll never do it again now that I've used nitro.

I can totally see why nitro is so popular among luthiers - it is a breeze. I've done poly... it hardens really well and will be more durable.

the only reason not to go with nitro is the risk of fire and durability (IMO).

don't have golden ears and don't want to start a riot, but I really don't think it's a coincidence that my fav sounding guitar has about the thinnest finish on it... tru oil with a mist of nitro satin.
 
I've built many guitars using nitro, but the durability of poly appeals to me. Anyone know where I can find a tutorial on applying a poly finish?
 
I found these videos for finishing a guitar in nitro. They are excellent videos and the guy does a very professional looking job.

Still looking for a poly series.






 
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The Nitro can become problematic depending on how clean you keep the instrument and your body chemistry plays a role.

This is my biggest concern with Nitro.

Cabinet makers use Lacquer finishes because they dry really fast and in only a couple of hours, they can complete an entire set of cabinets and ship them out the door. I'm sure when Fender and others first starting making guitars, they went to cabinet makers for advice and that's why they used lacquer...not to mention, I don't think poly had been invented yet...don't quote me on that. They probably looked to the automotive industry too, I believe they were using lacquer at the time.

The problem with lacquer however, is it's reaction with body oils and other contaminants. My step-son has very oily skin and when he was living at home, I noticed that after only a few years, the cupboards were getting very sticky around the handles. I did some research and this is when I learned about body chemistry and lacquer reactions. It's why some older nitro guitars get sticky over time. The good thing about nitro, is that it's very forgiving though. You can reapply lacquer over lacquer and the new lacquer will reactivate the old lacquer and the two will basically melt into one another, then cure as one over time. Learning this, I was able to repair the cupboards. So this is one of the cons, ie. oils, etc., about lacquer. One pro though, is that it is forgiving and easy to repair.

I also have a 1987 LPC, which was finished in lacquer and stupid me, I put it on a guitar stand without putting something over the foam padding and it turned the lacquer amber, in a couple of spots. Of course this happened before I had done all the research on lacquer. However, that same LPC, which was arctic white, when it was made, is now a beautiful, warm cream colour. Think Randy Rhoads and Edge's auctioned LPC.
 
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I've done poly a few times, works great, super durable and holds well with age. I've also done the "wipe on", and if you get the hang of it you can do a really nice finish.

I've also used tru-oil a LOT and I love that stuff! Poly still gets my vote for durability though.

That being said, I like the love of lacquer, but you can get a very similar look with poly too.
 
Everyone has a different experience, but my personal preference has always been a THIN layer of nitro. And if you decide to go poly, use as little as possible. A thick coat of either is the easiest way to squash the natural resonance of a guitar, so ease into it. I personally like nitro better because it allows the instrument to age better. Poly is like shooting a guitar with a plastic coat, so the guitar basically sounds the same from when you first get it to 10-15 years down the road. Nitro tends to allow the guitar to breathe a bit better IMO and it ages in a natural way.

Just my two cents, but I still think it’s awesome that you’re making a guitar and getting some opinions to think over. My advice is to play several guitars with each finish and see what feels better in your hands.
 
Totally agreed with the thin layers, I usually only go thick via multiple thinner layers if I'm going for a see through glossy look and need to buff and wet sand and really work in the finish to get there. Lacquer kinda already looks that way so it's easier in that regard. Boiled linseed oil is another nice option though it takes MUCH longer to cure. I'm leaning toward the oil based finishes lately lol
 
Most, not all, but most high end guitar makers use nitro, and I'm sure there's a reason for that. ;) Nitro all day long for me.
 
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