Nitro Finishes?

[GSFV]

Hey everybody. Does anyone know what year Guild switched over from nitro finishes to poly? I’d love a nitro finished starfire.

On a separate but similarly themed note. Anyone know a place to get a poly guitar stripped and refinished? Nothing crazy, just a solid color or traditional burst. No sparkle or whatever just interested in nitro.


If you’re curious why, it’s because I like how nitro wears over time. I’ve had my NS starfire for about 5 years and I’ve worn the plating off the bridge but otherwise no signs of wear. Which is cool! But also kinda bums me out. Lol. Because I’d love for it to show a little more wear since I put so many miles on it.

 

[GSFV]

As always! If I’ve missed a thread where these topics are covered I’m happy to read it, just please post below.

 

[chazmo]

GSFV,

I'm not sure if this is a complete answer, but I am fairly sure that the Korean (and now other places as well) Newark Street guitars are indeed either polyester or polyurethane finished. This started in 2013, when Fender commissioned a bunch of wonderful electrics that were (fairly closely) based on their original, US-built ancestors. So, anyway, what I'm saying is that none of the Newark Street models are nitrocellulose-based.

Now, here's where I'm uncertain... When you go back to the US-based Starfires, I'm not sure if they were all finished with NCL. Everything that I've seen from the '70s or earlier looks like nitro to me, but after that, I just don't know.

Good luck! Oh, and I'm sure there's more woodworking folks around here that can steer you straight on the refinishing than I can. I don't know what chemicals you need to use to strip poly finishes.

 

[GSFV]

Yes, for sure the NS is poly. And I love the sound of them. No complaints there. Just thinking it’d be cool if a guitar that gets used so heavily looked a little worse for the wear.

But if I went the stripping a NS guitar route I’d probably pay for it to be done that way it’s done right. Any recommendations would be helpful.

 

[7GuildsandanSG]

It would probably be easier to have a luthier give it an artificially distressed look than to have the whole thing refinished, in my completely uninformed opinion.

 

[GSFV]

I totally get that. I was thinking about getting a used NS and stripping it and refinishing. I’m too attached to my starfire V to risk anything happening to it.

 

[fronobulax]

I found this interesting.

How to strip a modern poly guitar finish - StewMac

Erick Coleman's got a Fender bass with a purple metallic finish. He wants to spray an 1960s-style sunburst, but first he's got to get that hard plastic coating off of there...

www.stewmac.com

Before I found it I would have said stripping poly was a Fool's Errand but it sounds like that's wrong, at least for someone who is more competent with wood and tools than I am.

But if you want a factory nitro finish on a Starfire you are probably going to have to go vintage and budget accordingly.

 

[GAD]

If I recall correctly (which is always a gamble) I don’t think there’s a cutoff and I think Guild kind of dabbled back and forth for a while. I’m pretty sure there are a fair number of Poly Guilds from the ‘80s but most of my experience there is with solid bodies.

I would think my ‘99 Starfires are Poly just because they look so good, but I have lacquer Guilds from the ‘70s that look new, too. From what I gather it’s difficult to tell without destructive testing which I’ve never been willing to do.

 

[GSFV]

I found this interesting.

How to strip a modern poly guitar finish - StewMac

Erick Coleman's got a Fender bass with a purple metallic finish. He wants to spray an 1960s-style sunburst, but first he's got to get that hard plastic coating off of there...

www.stewmac.com

Before I found it I would have said stripping poly was a Fool's Errand but it sounds like that's wrong, at least for someone who is more competent with wood and tools than I am.

But if you want a factory nitro finish on a Starfire you are probably going to have to go vintage and budget accordingly.

Nice!! Very interesting. I wouldn’t have thought to use a heat gun. Would that have adverse effects on the layers of laminate glued together? Or the binding?

 

[GSFV]

If I recall correctly (which is always a gamble) I don’t think there’s a cutoff and I think Guild kind of dabbled back and forth for a while. I’m pretty sure there are a fair number of Poly Guilds from the ‘80s but most of my experience there is with solid bodies.

I would think my ‘99 Starfires are Poly just because they look so good, but I have lacquer Guilds from the ‘70s that look new, too. From what I gather it’s difficult to tell without destructive testing which I’ve never been willing to do.

Yeah…I’ve heard guild is rather inconsistent back in the day.

I’ve also heard you can tell if it’s nitro by rubbing your fingers back and forth On the finish. Nitro gets warm, poly stays the same temperature.

 

[SFIV1967]

If I recall correctly (which is always a gamble) I don’t think there’s a cutoff and I think Guild kind of dabbled back and forth for a while. I’m pretty sure there are a fair number of Poly Guilds from the ‘80s but most of my experience there is with solid bodies.

Yes, "There was plenty of polyurethane sprayed in Westerly (solidbodies and archtops)" according to member hideglue who worked there.

Hans had given previoulsy for instance a X-160 from 1988 as example of a poly finish.

Ralf

 

[mellowgerman]

My 1970 Starfire bass has been called an early example with it's original poly finish. It has some crazing, some buckle rash, and a few nicks, dings, and scratches, but no big wear areas. I love a nice nitro finish too though, like on my '67 sunburst Starfire, but a nice light poly like this red one is great too. It's when the poly gets coated on too heavy that it becomes problematic for me and feels almost plastic-y, for lack of a better term.

 

[GSFV]

That’s a beautiful bass! I’m glad you’ve gotten so much use out of it. And I’m glad to hear it has some real light aging that’s taken place. Gives me hope for my white Starfire V. I don’t want anything crazy. Some people taking the relicing too far. But I love the idea of honest wear showing up.

My initial thought was to buy another starfire, maybe a NS IV, and refinish it. But I’m not so sure that’s practical.
I love the idea of a heat gun like frono suggested. But I’m worried about the binding and the laminated layers of wood used.

 

[davismanLV]

I'm not sure why this thread exists.... so you want and older more battered guitar. So Relic'd... but without the abuse and then.... what? Sorry, I'm just lost in this whole thread so I'll shut up right now......

 

[GAD]

I'm not sure why this thread exists.... so you want and older more battered guitar. So Relic'd... but without the abuse and then.... what? Sorry, I'm just lost in this whole thread so I'll shut up right now......

Wanting to show the wear that you put on your own guitar is much different than buying a relic’d guitar.

 

[GSFV]

GAD said it best.

I know that nitro wears faster, and I like being able to see how much use my guitars get. I don’t have anything that is exceedingly valuable or collectible. So I’m not worried about pristineness. I’m not after the relic look, I’m after a guitar that has been used, by me. And looks like it.

 

[Walter Broes]

Stripping a poly finished guitar is an awful lot of work and definitely not fun. You won't find a lot of people willing to take on the work.

 

[mavuser]

a poly guitar can display play wear and patina just fine. it may take a little longer to go all richie havens on, but even that is do-able

 

[walrus]

Totally random FYI, my '09 Sadowsky has a nitro finish...

walrus

 

[davismanLV]

Nuffink wrong wiv poly.... problem wiv me guitar finish, mate???