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Nitro or poly?

Nitro or Poly

  • Nitro

    Votes: 200 70.7%

  • Poly

    Votes: 92 32.5%
  • Total voters
    283
#81
Poly, because it is more durable and will look better for longer. I never liked the look of worn out instrument. If you do, I think they make them beat up from the factory now. You also could buy any new bass, tie it to your car, and drag it on your way to and from work for a few days. That makes your instrument look like you've been practicing a whole lot.
 
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#82
I think there are a lot of variables. As others have pointed out, there are some really nasty thick poly finishes out there (and I think they run later than some are saying, I remember seeing chips out of fenders from the 90s that were absurdly thick). But a lot of newer poly (and higher end stuff) is really thin (I've got a couple poly warmoths, and they are really good finishes).

That said, I generally prefer the look at feel of nitro. I like the way it wears better than poly (even if that means it's inferior). I like weather checking. I like yellowed olympic white. No real functional reason. But just on aesthetic grounds. I also wouldn't pay much of an upcharge for it. It's not a real strong preference.
 
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#83
RedBadger said:
I don't have any polyurethane finish basses currently.
Precision Nitro finish white over CAR, with matching headstock;
JB 1, Nitro fiesta red with matching headstock;
JB 2, Nitro white body;
JB 3, white nitro with matching headstock.
Click to expand...

There's a common misconception reflected here... Not just here but throughout this thread of discussion.

With Fender's so-called custom colors, such as CAR, the finish could be nitro (originally DuPont's Duco brand ) or acrylic lacquers (Lucite brand) or a combination. In the case of CAR, the undercoat color (Fender has alternately used silver or gold undercoats over the decades) could be acrylic lacquer and the red tinted clear top coat is nitro. Olympic White base color is Lucite acrylic. Fiesta Red base color is Duco nitro. It's rather difficult to even memorize and keep straight which or what finish color names are made of, without reference.

Also, something I learned recently, it's quite common these days for the chemical compositions of lacquers marketed as nitro--colors, ambers and clears--to have some acrylic in the blend.

Somehow by default all lacquer guitar finishes have come to be commonly or generically referred to as nitro regardless of the fact that a guitar's lacquer finish might be nitro lacquer or actually acrylic lacquer or actually a combination of both.

The bottom line is that it's all lacquer.
 
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#84
arbiterusa said:
Oh, it most certainly can and does. You've just been lucky enough to not see it.
Click to expand...
A guitar player I used to play with had a 60s melody maker (I think, it was SG shaped, but had a single coil or maybe 2, kind of green, probably started life as pelham blue). IT had a lot of weather checking, and probably 20% of that eventually flaked off.

on the other hand, I have a 65 Epiphone olympic and a 73 Guild JS2 that have a ton of checking, but no paint loss. In fact, that surface is still perfectly smooth, but there are cracks under the surface
 
#85
Grinderman said:
There's a common misconception reflected here. With Fenders so-called custom colors such as CAR finish could be nitro (originally DuPont's Duco brand ) or acrylic lacquers (Lucite brand) or a combination In the case of CAR, the undercoat color (Fender has alternately used silver or gold undercoats over the decades) could be acrylic lacquer and the red tinted clear top coat is nitro. Olympic White base color is Lucite acrylic. Fiesta Red base color is Duco nitro. It's rather difficult to even memorize and keep straight which or what finish color names are made of, without reference.

Also, something I learned recently, it's quite common these days for the chemical compositions of lacquers marketed as nitro--colors, ambers and clears--to have some acrylic in the blend.

Somehow by default all lacquer guitar finishes have come to be commonly or generically referred to as nitro regardless of the fact that a guitar's lacquer finish might be nitro lacquer or actually acrylic lacquer or actually a combination of both.

The bottom line is that it's all lacquer.
Click to expand...
As I recall, some colors switched from nitro to acrylic, and some (e.g. charcoal frost) were always acrylic

edited to add
I've heard claims that modern nitro has various components added to make it more colorfast and less prone to checking. I guess we'll have to wait 20 years to see. But I have been trying to "naturally" get one of my nitro basses to check (set it out on the screened in porch in sub zero weather and bring it back inside) and that has done absolutely nothing
 
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#87
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#88
SJan3 said:
If you could have your choice between nitrocellulose or polyurethane on a Fender "type" bass at the same cost, what would you choose and why?
Click to expand...

Neither. I refinished my bass in acrylic lacquer, which has none of the hazards of nitro but will show wear unlike poly. Easy to find, and much of the auto paints out there in rattle cans are acrylic lacquer.
 
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#89
MobileHolmes said:
There used to be a really good website that had all the paint codes, manufacturers, changes to the process etc. and what cars they came from...

found it
Vintage Guitars Info - Fender custom color finishes on vintage Fender guitars
man, those early web photos were really poor.
Click to expand...

I know of and refer to this reference myself. Just reading through that alone it isn't so easy retain all the information it contains. It supports the basic underlying point though: it's all lacquer.
 
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#90
If it's your forever, number one Fender style bass I'd go nitro. In 20 years you will be able to see the time you put into it. If it's one you want to play a bit and probably sell, get poly so you don't have worry about advertising the "worse" condition when it inevitably damages. I'm actually less likely to sell my Tony Franklin due to the wear I'm putting on it. It's a GAS killer, which is great because it's a fantastic bass.
 
#91
Pilgrim said:
Neither. I refinished my bass in acrylic lacquer, which has none of the hazards of nitro but will show wear unlike poly. Easy to find, and much of the auto paints out there in rattle cans are acrylic lacquer.
Click to expand...

Acrylic lacquer involves comparatively less hazards than nitro but acrylic lacquer certainly doesn't come without hazards and it does not come with none of the hazards of nitro lacquer.

The solvents are the same. They both involve health and environmental hazards, to varying degrees. Both types of lacquer finishes can react with the foam padding on guitar stands.
 
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#94
SJan3 said:
If you could have your choice between nitrocellulose or polyurethane on a Fender "type" bass at the same cost, what would you choose and why?
Click to expand...
I have basses with both. I prefer nitro. I expect nitro on more expensive basses but I'm not gonna pout that my Mexican jazz has a poly finish. Poly in many ways reminds me of tungsten jewelry. In many ways tungsten is more durable than gold, but when it breaks it's a freaking travesty. I'd hate to have a big money bass with a nasty poly chip. On cheap basses I really don't care as long as the chipping isn't felt by me while I'm playing.
 
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