# Nitro vs Poly - what's the big dif?



## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

What is the difference and how much of a difference is it?


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## chimo (Mar 29, 2006)

nitro becomes one w/ the wood, poly encapsulates it. Nitro has a more organic feel whereas poly can feel very plastic-like. If poly is impacted sharply, it's likely to shatter. If the same is done to nitro it will dent instead. Poly cures very quickly and nitro never fully cures (endlessly evaporates) leading to very thin finishes over time (think 50s gibsons and fenders)

Poly is getting better, especially those that have the capability to shoot it very very thin (Taylor guitars for instance), but generally Nitro is the mark of an upper end instrument.


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

and the ubiquitous tone question?


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

GuitarsCanada said:


> and the ubiquitous tone question?



I googled this ......"nitro vs poly finish on guitars"

 I got this "About 1,250,000 results (0.29 seconds)"

Reading some of the threads ia a blast !!

Cheers

Dave


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

greco said:


> I googled this ......"nitro vs poly finish on guitars"
> 
> I got this "About 1,250,000 results (0.29 seconds)"
> 
> ...


Perhaps another one of those tube vs SS questions


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## Swervin55 (Oct 30, 2009)

Scott:

I appreciate my poly guitars for the beating that they will take, but I wouldn't trade for nitro. In addition to what Chimo said above, poly just feels "thick" kinda like the new Chinese Fenders whereas nitro just feels "right". Nitro doesn't hold up as well but it also ages nicely. Can't (won't) comment on the tone issue and I think that's what you were really after.


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

I love that some refer to poly as the "chicklet" finish"

Cheers

Dave


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

GuitarsCanada said:


> Perhaps another one of those tube vs SS questions


Yep...falls directly into the "guitar mythology" category, along with cables, tone caps, etc., etc., etc.

Cheers

Dave


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## GuitarsCanada (Dec 30, 2005)

Swervin55 said:


> Scott:
> 
> I appreciate my poly guitars for the beating that they will take, but I wouldn't trade for nitro. In addition to what Chimo said above, poly just feels "thick" kinda like the new Chinese Fenders whereas nitro just feels "right". Nitro doesn't hold up as well but it also ages nicely. Can't (won't) comment on the tone issue and I think that's what you were really after.


Not entirely, I was interested in all differences and now fully understand the difference in terms of finish. Which is much appreciated. But it appears, so far, that it's mainly a personal preference in terms of the feel and natural wear of the guitar body. But, it would seem to me that since the nitro does wear and is much thinner than the poly that it eventually allows the wood to breathe. Maybe that does have an effect on tone. Or is it purely the pickups that contribute to that?


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

its the pickups, the neck, the set-up, the strings, the pick, the hands.
on an electric guitar the finish means very little in terms of its voice.
wood doesnt breathe when its no longer attached to a tree, so thats a joke right there.
i believe a body may be more resonant with a thinner finish- but you wont hear that through an amp.

the reason nitro is touted in such glowing terms is-
1. its really easy to use. the most forgiving finish you can spray on a guitar.
2. its the best feeling and nicest wearing finish you can use, other than some oils or french polish, but they take more elbow grease and time.
3. its hyped to high heavens so you can charge a premium for it.

i would use nitro on everything if it wasnt a pain in the ass to get here in rattle cans.
but not for its tonal qualities on an electric instrument..
sure, if buying a guitar, nitro is the finish you want- other than an oil or french polished finish it feels the best.
spraying poly finishes is expensive and a pain in the ass for small guitar makers.
nitro is the easiest for them.
and they can charge extra for a nitro finish.
the circle is complete.


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## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Keep in mind that the guitar has to start with decent wood and design from the outset. I can't imagine that a guitar made from MDF would demonstrate any audible difference between nitro and poly finish. So, depending on the instruments in question, and their materials and construction, you WILL see strong cases for nitro being audibly far superior and worth the extra effort and cost, and other cases where the finish durability and cost of poly stands out above any putative difference in tone.


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

I think all the main points have been addressed already.

I don't know how someone can say nitro allows for better tone without having played the same guitar that has been refinished in the other finish. (poly -> nitro or vice versa)

I personally like nitro purely because of the feel. though I've yet to experience it, I also like the aging characteristics. A naturally aged nitro finish is a beautiful thing.


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## Hamstrung (Sep 21, 2007)

This thread got me thinking about finishes on acoustic instruments. Stradivarius violins in particular. I was wondering if the technology had been available when he was making his famous violins and had he used a poly finish would these instruments be held in the same regard as the ones we currently know?
Here's an interesting article on what modern science has been able to find (or not) about the finishes he used and their effect on that famous sound.

http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-new...iolin-varnish-picked-apart-20091205-kbb1.html


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## Arcane (Oct 14, 2012)

It is all about feel for me. I have both and I agree the Poly can certainly take more punishment than Nitro but I love the feel of a Nitro neck.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

I personally think that the big guys switched to Poly because it, being a stronger finish ... makes the guitar stand up better before it's sold ( insert Smoke on the Water and Stairway here). Infrared heaters on the finishing line is how they get the stuff to dry quickly.That is the main reason the little guys use Nitro. This also why Nitro was the standard in the first place.


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

blam;446199
I don't know how someone can say nitro allows for better tone without having played the same guitar that has been refinished in the other finish. (poly -> nitro or vice versa)[/QUOTE said:


> I actually did that test last year..2 identical Strats, got a buch of guys to play them, and all execpt one picked the Poly one, is reason?.."it's more shinny"..ahaha..


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

al3d said:


> I actually did that test last year..2 identical Strats, got a buch of guys to play them, and all execpt one picked the Poly one, is reason?.."it's more shinny"..ahaha..


Thanks for providing my laugh for the day!! ...no offence to (all but one of) the bunch of guys that played your 2 Strats.

Cheers

Dave


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

greco said:


> Thanks for providing my laugh for the day!! ...no offence to (all but one of) the bunch of guys that played your 2 Strats.
> 
> Cheers
> 
> Dave



Glad you find it funny, cause i don't see anything funny in my post


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## blam (Feb 18, 2011)

"..ahaha.."

This leads me to believe you did find something funny about your post..... Jussayin....


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## bluzfish (Mar 12, 2011)

Beside more of a game of pickup road hockey, what does " more shinny" mean then. I though it was a mispelling of "more shiny" which is a pretty funny reason to like one guitar better than another.


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## bluzfish (Mar 12, 2011)

Just an anecdote here - A friend of mine once had his beloved early 60s ES 335 refinished in poly and although I never heard him play it before he had it re-re-finished, he told me the poly finish ruined the tone of the guitar.


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## Macki (Jun 14, 2010)

I don't have a lot of experience finishing guitars (I have done two and I am putting together my first baritone). But I finally bought a book on wood finishing ("Understand Wood Finishing" by Bob Flexner if you are interested) as I hated to try to discern what was truth or not from what I read on the net. Nitro is termed an evaporative finish and poly is a coalescing finish. 

One odd thing that I have noted especially when I was refinishing my tele. You have to watch how someone defines the "coats". For example say you got a guitar with a thin top coat of nitro but has a burst underneath. You may think that the only coats are nitro and burst coloring. But there may have been a conditioner coat(s), sealer coat(s), sanding coat(s) etc. My burst tele had a poly finish but underneath that was a thick rock hard finish (vinyl sealer?) that they used to seal the wood before they sprayed the burst finish.


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## al3d (Oct 3, 2007)

unfortunately there is no ONE WAY of finishing a guitar, we seem to develop our methods bases on our learning curve. I don't consider the grain filler a real coat since it's sanded flat with the wood personally. I know a LOT of guys use clear coat to seal the wood before even shooting any top color, when i do a Burst, that's what i do as well. thing coat to seal the wood...then sand, then burst goes on..




Macki said:


> I don't have a lot of experience finishing guitars (I have done two and I am putting together my first baritone). But I finally bought a book on wood finishing ("Understand Wood Finishing" by Bob Flexner if you are interested) as I hated to try to discern what was truth or not from what I read on the net. Nitro is termed an evaporative finish and poly is a coalescing finish.
> 
> One odd thing that I have noted especially when I was refinishing my tele. You have to watch how someone defines the "coats". For example say you got a guitar with a thin top coat of nitro but has a burst underneath. You may think that the only coats are nitro and burst coloring. But there may have been a conditioner coat(s), sealer coat(s), sanding coat(s) etc. My burst tele had a poly finish but underneath that was a thick rock hard finish (vinyl sealer?) that they used to seal the wood before they sprayed the burst finish.


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## Macki (Jun 14, 2010)

Yah I totally agree that there is no "set" way to finish.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

"Understand Wood Finishing" by Bob Flexner is a good book


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