Nitrocellulose and guitar tone

[HANGAR18]

 

I have a Fender '52 Tele reissue. It had a poly finish nearly this thick. I removed all of it by "popping it off." All of it! Carefully pushed the edge of a chisel under the lip. It flew off. Still finding shards in my shop. Never touched it with sandpaper until it was all gone. Followed with a light sanding, and a stain to even the finish and bring the grain up, just a little. Then hand rubbed a pastewax into it. There was a noticeable "opening up" of the guitar, after the removal of the straightjacket.

 

 

I'm going to try that on what poly remains on the Stratocaster body I'm refinishing at the moment.

[Gitfiddler]

With poly as thick as 1/4" in the photo, how does the wood grain show through on some Fenders??

[SofaPlayer]

haha, nice!!

 

 

here's an example

 

 

You have to see the bright side: They're still using a small core made of real organic wood! That's gotta count for something!

[SouthpawGuy]

 

You have to see the bright side: They're still using a small core made of real organic wood! That's gotta count for something!

 

Well it's something with an f hole, the wood almost looks like cedar. Still wondering what guitar it is.

[yoslate]

 

Well it's something with an f hole, the wood almost looks like cedar. Still wondering what guitar it is.

 

I'm thinking Fender Tele Thinline, Paul.... They had kind of a funky cut to the "F" hole, kind of squeezed, narrow left to right. The one above has that look, to me.

[SouthpawGuy]

 

I'm thinking Fender Tele Thinline, Paul.... They had kind of a funky cut to the "F" hole, kind of squeezed, narrow left to right. The one above has that look, to me.

 

Could be, doesn't look like the f hole shape G&L uses, which of course are also finished in poly.

[tbonesullivan]

Ok... finishes do no breathe. Nitrocellulose lacquer was made as a finish for automobiles. If it breathed, you would have had cars rusting left and right. I don't kow where the whole "breathability" thing came from. There's nothing breathable about nitro, especially the fumes from it drying, and as it decays over the decades.

 

Maybe once it is cracking, then you'll get breathability. Greg at BCR music told me about his Desert Island guitar: and old LP Junior in TV yellow. Really checked. So checked that when he played it on a boat gig, it was a semitone out of tune within 10 minutes because it sucked up so much water. Without those cracks, it wouldn't be sucking up anything.

 

Nitro was used mainly becuase it was cheap, and dried relatively quickly between coats.

 

Many classical guitars are French Polished. That takes months just to apply the damn finish. You take some chunks of shellac, put them in solvent, and take a wadded up cotton ball and do little swirls, over and over. Then you need to let it dry periodically. This produced a brilliant shin, and extremely thin finish, as needed on the very thin top of classical guitars.

[SteveHoffman]

Ok... finishes do no breathe. Nitrocellulose lacquer was made as a finish for automobiles. If it breathed, you would have had cars rusting left and right. I don't kow where the whole "breathability" thing came from. There's nothing breathable about nitro, especially the fumes from it drying, and as it decays over the decades.

 

Maybe once it is cracking, then you'll get breathability. Greg at BCR music told me about his Desert Island guitar: and old LP Junior in TV yellow. Really checked. So checked that when he played it on a boat gig, it was a semitone out of tune within 10 minutes because it sucked up so much water. Without those cracks, it wouldn't be sucking up anything.

 

Nitro was used mainly becuase it was cheap, and dried relatively quickly between coats.

 

Many classical guitars are French Polished. That takes months just to apply the damn finish. You take some chunks of shellac, put them in solvent, and take a wadded up cotton ball and do little swirls, over and over. Then you need to let it dry periodically. This produced a brilliant shin, and extremely thin finish, as needed on the very thin top of classical guitars.

Thank you.

[C9Y]

In re classical guitars, construction, and French polish, see this video about the Yamaha custom shop:

 

[tsp17]

Great thread guys.