Re: Finish types?
Well, heres another vote for Nitro.
Yeah, I know that Nitro is more delicate than Poly and I know that it keeps shrinking over the years but I really like those qualities and having owned a few guitars, I'm also aware that nitro finished guitars dry out, the finish shrinks and the guitars begin to sound better and better. Thats why when I bought an EJ Strat. Well OK, I love the neck, the two piece body, the pickups and the traditional hardware but the finish was a huge plus for me and even after three short years, I can see that the lacquer is shrinking, the grain is coming through and the guitar is picking up small dings and scratches. I like that!
On the other side of the coin, when I needed an acoustic, I bought a MIC Epi Masterbuilt. Whoever sprayed the poly on that one (Probably a computer aided machine.) did a great job. The finish is perfectly even, very thin and the guitar sounded like a vintage Martin right off of the dealers wall. All it took was good materials, well thought out light weight construction and great execution. Good job Epi!
Lastly, I own a few Fender MIM's and Squires but I don't even consider those bodies to be "finished". It's more like they've been encapsulated! The Strat is one of the "Satin" finish models and as an experiment, I sanded about 2/3 of the poly off the body and then polished it up. Results? Acoustically the guitar livened up a tiny bit and it looks a lot better but theres still a lot of sound deadening material on there, so I guess I'll have to keep my eyes open for a better Strat body to refinish in Nitro and use for a rebuild. It's unfortunate that Fender and some other companies feel the need to pour thick layers of plastic on their guitars. Sure, it lowers reject numbers and increases profits but its at the expense of overall quality and thats the way it's going to be until the buying public demands better instruments in exchange for their hard earned dollars.
PS Ayrton:
If the woods used in Guitars don't "breathe", why do guitars need to be humidified in dry climates?
Lacquer doesn't breath but it does keep shrinking deeper into the wood for the life of the instrument. That makes a difference doesn't it?
I would argue that there are sonic differences between the finishes and as time passes, those differences are accentuated. My Epi will probably sound the same in 40 years as it does now, while my Martins will get better and better. Doesn't that apply to electrics too?
Finish thickness matters. Period.
