Look harder. Go to the specs in the link I posted. It's polyurethane on the American Standards at the very least. I'd lay money on it being the same stuff on the American Deluxe models too
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Does this P bass really has a nitro finish?
- Thread starter emilythemartian
- Start date
Look harder. Go to the specs in the link I posted. It's polyurethane on the American Standards at the very least. I'd lay money on it being the same stuff on the American Deluxe models too
I'm interested in buying a 1993 Fender '51 RI P-Bass. The seller claims it has a nitro finish. Do you guys know if Fender were doing these in Nitro in the 90s?
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Until a couple of years ago, nitro wasn't used at all on production instruments because of several factors- a catalyzed finish cures faster and that means it can leave the factory sooner- nitro takes a while to be hard enough to ship. Also, use of nitro was forbidden in CA and being caught came with really harsh penalties unless certain procedures were performed WRT how the fumes and overspray were collected. Fender now has a spray booth that collects the particulates and fumes in a water curtain, so whatever gets into the atmosphere is clean enough for CARB and EPA guidelines.
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Thanks again guys. The reason I want a nitro finish is so that it will wear with use over the years.
I don't think this is right... Fender has been making AVRI instruments finished in nitro for as far back as I can remember. Same for Gibson and many other high end manufacturers.
Yes - there are pretty strict laws surrounding the use of various types of lacquer - but they have not stopped the major manufacturers from using it.
To the OP - if that's a CIJ or MIJ reissue - then it's poly.
Woah, not my cup of tea. The reason I want it to wear over time is so it will remind me of all the good times touring around and playing bass. Rather than reminding me of the time I commited a bass related hate crime.
Can I quote you at my next meet-n-greet or cocktail party?
I like that thought - it IS a crime to relic a bass I feel.
Precision2564 said:
My '70 Guild is glossy and nitro, and those nitro finished Fender CS basses sure look shiny.
My G&L ASAT was polyurethane. A very, very tough and beautiful finish. My limited experience suggests nitro finishes are often thinner and preferred for their acoustic properties, as many find poly to be somewhat sound-deadening, though that hasn't necessarily been my experience.
Its all hogwash unless you're playing an acoustic instrument. Since its the electric bass, don't sweat what your guitar is finished in. The nitrocellulose is only the top (clear) coat. The color coat is often acrylic. The base coat is rockhard.
I own basses in both nitro and poly. It doesn't make a difference either way in terms of tone. I've also refinished basses from poly to nitro and there hasn't been a difference in terms of tone.
