Thin finishes

[38thBeatle]

My '76 Strat has a thinnish finish ( sorry for the crashing rhyme) and is a very live guitar. My Japanese Strat has a thickish finish ( there I almost go again) and isn't quite so vibrant but still it sounds pretty damn fine to me.

[jpfamps]

nitro is a very generic term and all nitro finishes are certainly not equal - but thankfully most are compatible, at least compared to other types of lacquer

Presumably different colours of nitro are also different formulations as well.

The reason I ask is that the finishes that I have seen done in  nitro in the UV have smelt of solvent for several weeks, whereas the recent Fender nitro finishes don't smell. Now of course it could be that the Fender nitro finishes have had more time to go off (although this would delay shipping and hence cost money), or they use different solvents.

It has even been suggested that a water-based lacquer is used, however I not convinced that this is a great idea for finishing a wooden guitar, although of course I'm not speaking from a position of any great knowledge.

[WezV]

there are some pretty decent waterbased finishes now - but they are not really less toxic than other lacquers, just less gassing off.  they can also have issues with a bit of a blue hue and not being as hard as nitro - but now they are not far off now.  they dont add enough water to the surface to cause any issues but the initial coats can raise the grain


fenders nitro never seems very nitro like to me - but i would say the same about gibsons on the unbuffed guitars.   i think it has more plasticisers in the mix to help with the process and cure time

[AndyR]

Definitely the (modern, anyway) Gibson nitro seems to smell and feel different than the (modern) Fender nitro. The only way I can describe the Gibson smell is "hot chocolate".

I got into an argument/discussion on another forum whether this is smell is the guitar/finish or the case. Some are adamant that it's the cases Gibson uses. I am firmly in the camp that these people are all unobservant idiots :lol: (one of my Gibsons was separate from its case for a long period, the case no longer smelt of chocolate at the end of that, the guitar still did... put the guitar back in the case, and the case started smelling like it again...)

[jpfamps]

I got into an argument/discussion on another forum whether this is smell is the guitar/finish or the case.

!!

The wonders of the internet!

[gwEm]

I got into an argument/discussion on another forum whether this is smell is the guitar/finish or the case.

!!

The wonders of the internet!

the fur of the case can react with the finish sometimes though I hear.

theres nothing quite like opening the case of an old guitar and getting that first waft of smell :)

[AndyR]

theres nothing quite like opening the case of an old guitar and getting that first waft of smell :)

+1

But I actually learnt to loathe the Gibson smell for quite some time :lol:. It came to mean my Explorer to me, which, before I stripped it, was a horrible sticky gunky thing everytime I played it. It didn't matter what I did, including the rubbing the neck down and leaving it out of the case for nearly TWO YEARS for the finish to settle.

Anyway, no such problems with the 335 I got at the end of last summer. I now love the smell because it means my 335, which has probably become my favourite guitar.

[TheyCallMeVolume]

Oh my lord, that smell is heavenly. They should make Gibson nitro air fresheners, I know I'd buy a few! :D

[Philly Q]

I got into an argument/discussion on another forum whether this is smell is the guitar/finish or the case.

!!

The wonders of the internet!

the fur of the case can react with the finish sometimes though I hear.

theres nothing quite like opening the case of an old guitar and getting that first waft of smell :)

Which is what happened to my original 1980 Hamer Special.... the fur reacted with the nitro finish and left the back of the guitar all rough and mottled.  It's still in there and I haven't looked at it for years.... God knows what it looks like now.  :(

I had the beginnings of the same phenomenon with my Tokai SG, but I noticed it straight away - ditched the Tokai case and replaced it with an SKB one.

You'd think they'd be smart enough to make sure things like that didn't happen.  I also wonder if light-coloured Gibsons will absorb colour from the maroon plush case lining - but again, I hope Gibson aren't that dumb....  :?

[WezV]

You'd think they'd be smart enough to make sure things like that didn't happen.  I also wonder if light-coloured Gibsons will absorb colour from the maroon plush case lining - but again, I hope Gibson aren't that dumb....  :?

they certainly absorb the colour form lobster fancy dress costumes - at least that was my mates excuse for his pink les paul custom

[Philly Q]

You'd think they'd be smart enough to make sure things like that didn't happen.  I also wonder if light-coloured Gibsons will absorb colour from the maroon plush case lining - but again, I hope Gibson aren't that dumb....  :?

they certainly absorb the colour form lobster fancy dress costumes - at least that was my mates excuse for his pink les paul custom

 :lol:  He must have spent a lot of time in that costume!