fender custom shop nitro vs vintage nitro wear

[wsaraceni]

i was wondering how the nitro on the new fender custom shop compares to the old nitro on the vintage guitars. i love the look of a beat up and relic'd guitar, but i figured i'd like to relic it myself over years of playing instead of paying someone to do it with a sander. so when i found a custom shop strat, i decided to get a NOS 60's strat model. It came to my house looking brand new. should the finish on this age the same as one that came out in 1960 or does fender do something different to the nitro now?


I was hoping that it would start to age quickly, but i only used it like i would any other guitar. i didnt purposely leave it in the cold and bring it in hoping to get it to check or anything like that. just picked it up and played it. so now, after looking at it the other day, i noticed there is one portion just above the pickguard where there are marks in the clear that you can actually feel when running your finger over.

the wear is in the same spot as this real 60s strat between the middle and neck pickup

http://www.stratcollector.com/scnimages/60/60.gif

is it normal to see wear after only a short time of use? how long would it take to get the wear seen above if you were gigging regularly in 1960? a year of playing every night? 25 years? i know these things vary, but what do people normally see.

[Dev...in]

the factors include how you play, how oftern you play and what you play. The "thin skin" finish should be already fairly damage prone compared to the real deal (original finish fenders) i think they are possibly less durable. Im super happy for you and wish i had a CS strat.

[Trebor Renkluaf]

There are just too many variables to say for certain how quick a guitar ages:
How often do you play?
Is your body pH (sweat/oils) acidic or alkaline or neutral?
Do you wipe the guitar down after playing?
How do you treat it when your are playing? Are you heavy handed like SRV, or gentler like Eric Johnson?
Do you leave it out so that is gets exposed (dust, chemicals, atmospheric changes, etc.) or do you put it back in its case after you are done playing?
Does it stay in a neutral environment (home) or does it get tossed into a cold trunk, then taken out on a hot smokey stage, only to be stuck back into the cold trunk time and time again?
Are you purposely trying to age it (it sounds like you are) or just going to let nature run it's course?
Do you let others play it? Most my nicks, dings, scratches, etc. come from letting some moron, err friend play my guitars.
The list goes on and on.

[wsaraceni]

Originally Posted by Trebor Renkluaf

There are just too many variables to say for certain how quick a guitar ages:
How often do you play?
Is your body pH (sweat/oils) acidic or alkaline or neutral?
Do you wipe the guitar down after playing?
How do you treat it when your are playing? Are you heavy handed like SRV, or gentler like Eric Johnson?
Do you leave it out so that is gets exposed (dust, chemicals, atmospheric changes, etc.) or do you put it back in its case after you are done playing?
Does it stay in a neutral environment (home) or does it get tossed into a cold trunk, then taken out on a hot smokey stage, only to be stuck back into the cold trunk time and time again?
Are you purposely trying to age it (it sounds like you are) or just going to let nature run it's course?
Do you let others play it? Most my nicks, dings, scratches, etc. come from letting some moron, err friend play my guitars.
The list goes on and on.

i play it twice a week. 30 - 60 mins each time on average. some weeks much more. i think i have pretty neutral sweat. never had any issues before. and the back of the neck rarely gunks up like some others have complained. not SRV or EJ, somewhere in the middle. i noticed i only hit that area when strumming chords heavily though which is more rare than not. i never wipe the guitar down and it stays in my 70degree bedroom almost all year. anyone can play it and i have no desire to "purposely" age it. But i also dont purposely try to keep it looking new. i plan on using it the same as all my other guitars, play it how i feel comfortable, and all that. if it ages at a rate i can see, cool. if it takes 20-30 years to look beat to hell, fine with me too. im much more worried about the sound and playability.

all my previous guitars were poly, they have dings and nicks too, but none of them seem to AGE much.

[Jaan]

It'll take a long time....

[hendo]

I recently got a 60s custom shop NOS and it's a lot more sensitive to temperature than any nitro gibson custom I have owned. I had a night practice last week and it got down to the low 30's and in the short 20 mins in the car and then opened inside revealed some small finish checks around the back metal neck plate. Never had a guitar check on me in northwest weather, so I think the nitro the custom shop uses is a bit more old school in terms of durability and needs to be acclimated a bit more than other guitars ... unless you dig the checked look of course :-)

[mrbungel]

The nitro that Fender uses now is not like the nitro they used in the 50's, different animals.

[IPLAYLOUD]

Depends also on if Base Coat is Nitro, and how thin the finish is.
Nitro dents easier, a thin finish will crack easier. That's why the old ones are so beat-up.
In the relic biz, you want it to dent and age.
I have 2 relics that were worked-on before I got them, but the years I have played them have done a job, too.
I tell people they live in Dog years compared to a regular finish...7 - 1.

[wsaraceni]

Originally Posted by mrbungel

The nitro that Fender uses now is not like the nitro they used in the 50's, different animals.

how so? just wondering from a technical perspective. i really like the guitar so i dont care what finish it has. but id be interested in learning how the nitro differs.

[bluesjuke]

If you've got wear above the pickguard I would say you less time to wait than others.

[BarkingTree]

It takes years for a guitar to age. Guitars that get used look used. I would just enjoy it while it looks new and when it begins to show signs of wear instead of waiting for a level of degradation to happen. You wont achieve the relic look for another 30 years and the nos neck finish never ambers from what I hear.

[wsaraceni]

Originally Posted by bluesjuke

If you've got wear above the pickguard I would say you less time to wait than others.

it's not through the finish down to the wood. but it's definitely "dented" or whatever. its noticeable both visually and to the touch.

[No.9]

Originally Posted by wsaraceni

i was wondering how the nitro on the new fender custom shop compares to the old nitro on the vintage guitars.

This is a picture of a custom shop reissue strat that was going to be refinished. Doesn't look like a thin skin does it? More like an epoxy.

[wsaraceni]

i wouldnt know enough to determine what is going on in that refinishing pic, but the way my poly guitars chip looks exactly like that, you can remove the whole top from the wood without sanding if you chipped away slowly enough.

[BarkingTree]

Thats the grain sealer..thin poly coat on the refin beneath the finish coat.
which to my knowledge has always been the first step in finishing. That layer varied in thickness a little depending on the day or the sprayer.
Its still done today under nitro unless requested to be left off by special order. This is rehash...sorry.