From expert-level guitar players to the first-day beginner, how a guitar is finished matters. A nitro guitar finish, or nitrocellulose finish, has many rules and benefits to carrying a guitar adorned with it. Lots of guitar players love the way that nitro finishes wear. It does not keep a guitar looking like new. It resembles a working man’s guitar, giving it character and personality you can’t buy.
If you want a guitar representing you and how you play, here are the benefits of a nitro guitar finish.
Benefit #1: It’s a Classic Guitar Finish
Nitro guitar finishes are over a hundred years old. They are used by the top names in guitar, from Gibson to Fender, Martin, and others. They are the look of the guitars seen in the 1950s and 1960s, in the golden era of guitar-making.
While nitro finishes have many different aesthetics, they can be made to harken back to yesteryear and give your instrument the same appearance as the great players of that period.
Benefit #2: It’s a Very Slick Look
Nitro finishes in the early days were used to replicate the aesthetic of car finishes. It’s high-gloss, thin, and slick. If the style of music you’re playing is retro, vintage, guitar-driven, or slick, you may lean on cues like a nitro guitar finish to emphasize the aesthetics you are playing up and your music.
It offers an amazing look, sadly not often used by the major brands anymore who have switched to cheaper finishes.
Benefit #3: It Looks Nicer to Most Players
Most guitar players enjoy the look of nitrocellulose lacquer on their instruments. They do tend to be buffed a little more thoroughly, come with a greater shine compared to polyurethane and other finishes, and there’s a greater emphasis on the wood grain underneath.
Most guitar players prefer it if budget isn’t a concern and when comparing different finishes side-by-side.
Benefit #4: It Allows the Guitar to Breathe More
A nitro guitar finish is more porous than polyurethane, which is predominantly used in guitar finishes now. This porous characteristic can be a disadvantage in some instances.
However, many guitarists argue that it allows the guitar to breathe more and is healthier for the wood. It can add a sort of organic component to the overall design.
Benefit #5: It Gives the Guitar a Richer Sound
While this can be debated for hours, most say that nitro as a finish will aid in sustaining the natural frequencies played against the wood. Many players swear by nitro guitar finishes because they believe it helps them to create a fuller, richer sound that is more honest to the instrument’s design.
A rich-sounding guitar is particularly important for guitar-driven music.
Benefit #6: It Creates a More Vintage Look
Nitro will wear down on the most played spots. It will chip and degrade, but as a guitar player, that’s great because it gives your instrument a more vintage, played-in feel.
Nitro guitar finishes will turn your guitar into a more classic, harder-looking instrument over time simply by playing how you play. Let the finish take that chip away, leaving you with a whole new look that is you.
Benefit #7: It Has a Whole Different Feel
Some guitars can feel like you’re carrying around a piece of plastic because of the poor way the finish was done. A nitro guitar finish is more organic, and the texture under the hands feels more natural.
You won’t necessarily notice a difference in appearance at times, but there is a feel to nitro guitar finishes that any player can appreciate.
Benefit #8: It’s in High Demand
Nitro finishes are sought-after. Cost is The only thing preventing companies from switching back to nitro. Unfortunately, it’s simply cheaper to use another finish. That said, nitro has a lot to offer for the players with a bit of extra spending money. You can’t go wrong with a nitro guitar finish, from the appearance to the tone.
Benefit #9: It Tells a Story
It’s almost impossible to have a nitro finish and not have it become damaged somehow. That’s sort of the beauty of it, too. Your guitar becomes a story unto itself. It becomes its work of art. Extreme temperature changes can cause the nitro finish to crack.
The finish will also wear down over time from playing. If you pour your heart into your playing with nitro, you illustrate that in the guitar’s design.
Benefit #10: Pro vs Amateur
If you’re starting out and still learning how to play the guitar, you may just want something cheap, and certain aspects of the guitar don’t matter. To have a nitro guitar finish, though, really signifies to others a level of professionalism.
Suppose you’re focused on being portrayed as a professional or simply want the best quality for your guitar. In that case, it’s hard to argue that there is anything better than a nitro guitar finish.
