Fullerplast or Nitrocellulose

[slimt]

1 hour ago, DanyJr said:

My issue is not really 'breathing'. While I can understand the argument of wood being in direct contact with air and thus changing (losing moisture content, resin hardening etc) as time passes, indeed as you said the inside of the guitar is not covered and hence in direct contact with air.

My concern with a Fullerplast finished wood are a couple of things:

1- As users have mentioned, it makes the guitar incredibly difficult to repair further down the line;

2- The plasticity of Fullerplast acts as a dampener to the vibrations of the top. On a nitrocellulose finished guitar the lacquer thins over time, allowing the wood to resonate more freely but Fullerplast won't degrade (much like polyurethane). Hence 'aging' won't have much of a pleasant effect on the tone.

Of course this is just my theory backed by science. I haven't lived long enough to tell for sure if what I predict will happen will actually happen!

Nope it does not act like a dampner at all. Fullerplast was only a a 1 step process to fill grain . A easy approach for the builder.  But with this it had its down side.  Checking .  Nitro is able to flex. More  and checks alot finer.  These guitars are sent all over the world and all those climates are different along with humidity and dryness.  

But to hamper tone.  Not at all. 

[DanyJr]

Thanks for your comment, slimt. Do you think this guitar would age as well as a nitrocellulose finished guitar? I always love the sound of an old nitro guitar!

It's also interesting that in early 90s Gibson used Fullerplast to save time,  but at the same time used paddle-cut necks which were seemingly far more time consuming to assemble that normal dovetail necks!

Cheers!

[slimt]

1 minute ago, DanyJr said:

Thanks for your comment, slimt. Do you think this guitar would age as well as a nitrocellulose finished guitar? I always love the sound of an old nitro guitar!

It's also interesting that in early 90s Gibson used Fullerplast to save time,  but at the same time used paddle-cut necks which were seemingly far more time consuming to assemble that normal dovetail necks!

Cheers!

You put a nitro side by side with yours there the same . Im not sure why this a big deal. AJs are cool guitars. Enjoy it. The more you play it the better it gets. 

[zombywoof]

1 hour ago, DanyJr said:

It's also interesting that in early 90s Gibson used Fullerplast to save time,  but at the same time used paddle-cut necks which were seemingly far more time consuming to assemble that normal dovetail necks!

 

The reason Gibson initially went with Fullerplast finishes is that is what the Flatiron Mandolin Company was using to finish their instruments and so was what the spray booth at the factory was set up to handle when Gibson purchased it.   And I believe (although am not positive) the double dovetail neck joint had originated in the mid-1970s so was simply the way Gibson had been building acoustics at the time Bozeman came into existence..

There is some really good advice being offered here.  Any hard finish is going to stifle/dampen top vibration.  But I doubt you will hear any difference sonically between a thin Fullerplast finish and a full nitro coating.   Also remember, all the voodoo breathing stuff aside, nitro was developed as an automobile finish in the 1920as  and was not supposed to "breathe" but to serve as a sealant and barrier against the forces of nature.  

Lastly, my feeling is that these earlier Bozeman guitars are going to become quite collectible.  There really is a kind of a mystique about these pre-1992 acoustics built  before Bozeman had gotten its act together.

Edited September 4, 2019 by zombywoof

[slimt]

1 hour ago, zombywoof said:

The reason Gibson initially went with Fullerplast finishes is that is what the Flatiron Mandolin Company was using to finish their instruments and so was what the spray booth at the factory was set up to handle when Gibson purchased it.   And I believe (although am not positive) the double dovetail neck joint had originated in the mid-1970s so was simply the way Gibson had been building acoustics at the time Bozeman came into existence..

There is some really good advice being offered here.  Any hard finish is going to stifle/dampen top vibration.  But I doubt you will hear any difference sonically between a thin Fullerplast finish and a full nitro coating.   Also remember, all the voodoo breathing stuff aside, nitro was developed as an automobile finish in the 1920as  and was not supposed to "breathe" but to serve as a sealant and barrier against the forces of nature.  

Lastly, my feeling is that these earlier Bozeman guitars are going to become quite collectible.  There really is a kind of a mystique about these pre-1992 acoustics built  before Bozeman had gotten its act together.

I agree .  

[bobouz]

Back in the '70s, I decided it was pointless to consider what an acoustic guitar might do as it ages.  If I didn't like the way it sounded, right then and there, it seemed like a giant leap of faith to hope that someday a guitar's tone might develop into something more satisfying.  I've since held true to that position.  A guitar has to tonally be a winner in hand, right now, or have an overwhelmingly positive playability factor for me to consider it as a potential keeper.

Does this guitar, as it currently presents itself, satisfy you tonally to the point that it might be difficult to find the same sound elsewhere?  Does it's playability, combined with it's tone, make you want to pick it up & play?  Imho, those should be the main considerations.

Fullerplast or nitro, checking will frequently occur.  Paddle or dovetail, a neck reset might someday be needed.  If those future possibilities tend to dominate your view, it would probably be better to just move on to another instrument.

Hope it all turns out to your liking.