Fender Vintage Finishes vs. Modern Finishes

[joey_p77]

I'm trying to get a sense of the changes over the years in the finish material on Fender basses. Can anyone provide a breif chronology?

As I understand, around the end of the 60s, fender switched from a nitrocellulose finish to a polyester finish and then, in the 80s, switched to polyurethane.

I'm wondering, then: How closely do the poly finishes used today resemble those used in the late 60s/early 70s? What are some of the different characteristics of these finishes?

Finally, what led Fender to make these changes over the years?

[savit260]

Switched from Nitro around 68-ish

[Btone]

Polyester, polyurethane - same ****, basically, isn't it?

Who knows.

[SurferJoe46]

I'm a little behind the curve on polyester paints, but I used them in electrically-charged powder coating for a short while.

They contain some nasty isocyanolates (TGICs) that I didn't want destroying my liver and kidneys, much like Imron which is a cumulative poison.

Polyurethanes are (typically now) water-based and ether concoctions that are designed to be EPA and Tree-Hugger friendly. I detest them intensity as the ether makes me vomit.

I'm prolly chemically-sensitive from all the yeas of shooting all sorts of paints for marine, aircraft and automotive/industrial finishes and sometimes just seeing the label on a can of paint can make me barf.

What I DO shoot for personal projects is either acrylic lacquers or nitro-dopes for aviation finishes on Ceconite on air frames and flight surfaces. I still keep contact with old pilots from my pylon racer days and just two years ago did a Citrabria for a friend.

OK - enough with the accolades - I believe that Fender never used a polyester paint. At least I cannot find a certifiable reference to it other than somebody's anecdotal assumption that got into print and therefor is 'the rule' by frequent reference to it.

I also believe that Fender did use things like Dulux and Centari, and currently uses a TGIC Urethane for their 'plastic' finishes.

by 1968, polyurathane (sic) replaced the original nitrocellulose lacquer that was used from Fender's conception.

Of course, we all know about the nitro-paints, and that's a whole 'nother subject.

But like I said..... I don't care much for the urethane/polyester TGICs as they make me ill for days when I shoot them, even when wearing an organic mask, enviro-suit and outside air supply or not.

As it is, I prefer to shoot arcylic lacqueers. acrylic- and/or synthetic enamels with a wet-look hardener or 2-stage kicker for hardness on the surface and less off-gassing.

When I get off my butt, I've got an Affinity that's gonna get shot Corvette Black and a Gibson Strat-style 6-er that's gonna be Porsche Arrest Me Red. These will prolly be shot this early Spring.