Nitro versus other finishes

[flyingarmadillo]

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If you take care of your instument there is no downside to nitro. It will last forever.

Can you imagine a quality violin being finished in a poly finish?? Mr. Stadavari would be turning over in his grave had someone did that to one of his instuments.

 

 

One of my wife's clients collects violins and I've talked to him a couple times about this subject - the serious violin guys consider nitro to be in the same category sound wise that some guitar people put poly. You'd never see nitro on a violin unless someone who knew nothing about violins put it there or it's a cheap student violin. Good violins are finished with an oil based varnish. The second choice seems to be catalyzed urethane resins (ie "poly") in part because both oil based varnish and poly continue to become harder over time while nitro softens.

[CowboyBillyBob1]

One of my wife's clients collects violins and I've talked to him a couple times about this subject - the serious violin guys consider nitro to be in the same category sound wise that some guitar people put poly. You'd never see nitro on a violin unless someone who knew nothing about violins put it there or it's a cheap student violin. Good violins are finished with an oil based varnish. The second choice seems to be catalyzed urethane resins (ie "poly") in part because both oil based varnish and poly continue to become harder over time while nitro softens.

Hey, thanks for the info.

[brundaddy]

We are talking about slab electric guitars right? Les Pauls and such? Taste with regards to looks is one thing. If you think you can can hear the difference between NC & poly, I'm happy for you but I don't believe you. Finish makes no remarkable difference to an electric guitar's amplified sound.

[zigzag]

Nitrocellulose does NOT soften over time.

 

Oils oxidize over time and become harder. It MAY be possible that cross-linked coatings (including UV cure coatings) harden over time.