Re: How to liven up a black guitar?
take it apart, strip it, stain then apply some nitro to it. It will probably sound better as well.
Why would nitro make it sound any better? Nitrocellulose is a very broad term these days and each brand/type of nitrocellulose is entirely different. This is partly due to many regulations on how to make and use nitrocellulose for the effects it is supposed to have on the environment, and nitrocellulose from the '50s isn't nearly the same as today's nitrocellulose. More and more plasticizers are being added to the solvents, and cotton is replacing the cellulose (yet it is still advertised as nitro
cellulose). So the argument of "nitrocellulose enhances sound because it is made of the same type of cells as wood, therefore letting it breathe" isn't valid.
Next the argument "nitrocellulose rubs into the wood" or something similar to that. It simply does not. If you feel any thinning, that is simply wear by friction, or more of the solvents evaporating. If there is any form of sealer or filler, nothing is getting into the wood. Also, yes, nitrocellulose is a flexible finish, but just like polyurethane it will react to changes in the wood. the visibility and visual results are simply different.
Finally there is no empirical evidence to suggest it has any change in sound. Any 'evidence' in the cases of nitrocellulose affecting sound is only of subjective human perception, and human hearing adjusts to sound over time which makes something as small as the finish material of lesser importance. What it comes down to is feel and practicality. Nitro works great as a clear finish, but it boils down to if you like the feel and aesthetics.
