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In fairness, the Tokai LS-128 Poly Les Pauls- the one below the top of the range- if I'd not been told it was poly I'd never have guessed. Incredible finish on those things.
Would it be fair to suggest that poly was tarnished (no pun) through the palette knife applied finishes of 70's Fender? Things have moved on.
*An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.
I spray the clear coat based on the customers spec. I can assure you 99% of them go for a thin clear coat as they want it to wear quicker. Without doing a long winded scientific analysis of poly vs nitro I'm unable to comment on the acoustic quality.
• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Goldeneraguitars
There is some suggestion that properly applied thin nitro helps the guitar breath at the cost of a nice durable shine. Poly is quick and easy (therefore cheap) to apply and gives a fast durable shiny finish. One of the reasons nitro is used far less is the health and safety aspect of using and applying it as well as the cost of storage for curing.
Anyway we have the options to buy either so always play the guitar you think you want and assess it's suitability for you on it's playability first.
This is my old Matsumoku-made Aria, which has a very thin (what looks like) polyurethane finish with no undercoat or filler. (Factory original.)
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
In 2010, PRS Guitars introduced its new V12 finish. This finish was developed over 12 years, and it is intended as a midpoint between nitro and acrylic with a classic feel all its own. V12 is extremely thin to allow the guitar to resonate, but it is still incredibly durable with no risk of reacting to leather or guitar stands in a negative way.
I just Googled and found a thread on TGP where some people are saying it's very hard, and can chip and flake off.
• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Goldeneraguitars
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
I have a Les Paul Studio that's only a 2016 so still has that lovely smell to it, and I'd have to agree that one also feels way more organic and desirable somehow than, say, my strat in its modern poly finish, despite the strat costing lots more.
• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Goldeneraguitars
Just to chime in again with regards to Gassage and a connection one feels with a guitar/amp/etc. I absolutely agree, there is intense psychology at work here, and the best surrogate example I can think of would be drinking wine. I love wine, and almost always drink it from a thin-walled fine glass. If I were to put that wine into a china mug (and I do have some goblets from a pottery on Skye), I am convinced it tastes different. The wine is *exactly* the same, but what do I prefer drinking from?
Anyway, a thin finish can only enhance the aesthetic of an instrument, but horses for courses.
Adam
The guitar is also very resonant, and I've always assumed the thin finish was a factor in that.
"Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski
"Only two things are infinite - the universe, and human stupidity. And I'm not sure about the universe." - Albert Einstein
What I do like is the look and feel, it's also thin and the best looking faded bursts are in nitro imo
It ages lovely just like nickel hardware
Obviously no plasticizers in the nitro so it checks nicely if you want it
(formerly customkits)
https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2013/jun/23/wine-tasting-junk-science-analysis
https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-decision-tree/201207/cheap-and-expensive-wine-taste-the-same-in-blind-taste-tests
If I give you two identical glasses of wine from the same bottle, but tell you one is from a £50 bottle and the other is from a £5 bottle, there is a strong chance that you will prefer the one that I've labelled as expensive, even though it is the same wine (!)
The implication is that how much you like something is driven by not only the product, but also the expectations that are created by the 'positioning' of that product (these are created through your experiences, marketing etc).
So if you take a Fender strat, remove the Fender logo and put a Squier logo on it, then most people will prefer the 'Fender' one, despite the fact that it is an identical guitar.
Same applies to your expectations of nitro vs poly
Or for mahogony vs alder
etc....
The other implication of this is that simply paying more for something (e.g. wine) does actually increase your enjoyment of it.
Which is bad news for the more thrifty amongst us.
I actually WANTED to like the PRS in standard poly finish (more money) and expected to, but preferred the cheaper satin finished version as it simply sounded much better in a direct comparison.
It's quite possible that the satin finish gave you a different set of expectations (e.g. raw, more natural, vintage etc) which you prefer. Or maybe it just had better pickups in it ;-)
I really like it, actually, in terms of the perceived thinness of it anyway, and I haven't had any issues myself (although I did have to send back an S2 guitar for a similar delam problem, but those aren't V12, they are essentially the original poly formulation PRS was using way back when).
Only BilT seems to be able to achieve an equally thin polyurethane finish that I've seen so far. Fender is certainly nowhere near it...