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Post subject: Finish On 2008 Amercian Standard
Posted: Mon Mar 02, 2009 2:41 pm
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What is the paint or finish on the 08 American Standard P-bass? I wonder how much that influence the sound.


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Post subject: Re: Finish On 2008 Amercian Standard
Posted: Tue Mar 03, 2009 8:15 pm
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The Naturals wrote:
What is the paint or finish on the 08 American Standard P-bass? I wonder how much that influence the sound.


I believe it is polyurethane like everything else made today. Finsh does have some effect on tone but I don't think it would be something that you would hear unless you were very familiar with the sound of the particular bass.

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Posted: Wed Mar 04, 2009 7:40 am
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Thanks for the info, bro!


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Post subject: Time....keeps rolling...
Posted: Sun Mar 08, 2009 5:52 pm
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The more time that goes by, the more difference Polyester versus Nitrocellulose actually makes.

When you have two identical instruments but finish one in Poly and one in Nitro at the same time and immediately compare them you will hear no real perceptible difference. However years and decades later you certainly will.

Polyester finishes like the current MIA finishes do not breathe. In other words it is an airtight and moisture tight seal. Once finished in poly the moisture content of the wood will never change.

Nitrocellulose lacquer used on the earliest Fenders, and up until recently on the very finest and most expensive ones, actually breathes allowing moisture to continue to escape over the life of the instrument.

Cost, speed and EPA regulations led to the elimination of Nitrocellulose paints jobs on MIA instruments. Poly dries faster, is cheaper and the EPA likes it better. Nitro is a NO-NO to the EPA.

Currently you can get a Nitro finish by buying a Highway One model. These guitars, while bearing decals saying MIA, actually have their finishes applied at the Ensenada plant in Mexico beyond the reach of the US EPA.

As years and decades pass a guitar with a nitro finish continues to dry. A dryer piece of wood is desirable tonewise and actually makes the instrument a little lighter.

This natural drying over time is one reason you can not duplicate the tone of an 17th or early 18th century violin! Sure the Stradivarius violins were great instruments right off the bench, but because they have a breathable finish they got even better over time. You can not duplicate their signature tone without decades upon decades of natural drying.

Part of Fender's production process is naturally drying the wooden neck and body blanks in Corona. However this isn't done for the decades it takes to completely dry out the woods. They are simply stacked and left alone for a while. The stacks of blanks are sorted and rotated as a step in the production process.

So if you ever wondered why that old 62 P-bass sounded so much better than a new one made exactly the same way, the natural drying is probably part of the reason.

Nitro = "You're not getting older, you're getting better."
Poly = "You're getting older, but it doesn't make any difference."


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Post subject: finish on 2008 american standard p bass
Posted: Mon Mar 09, 2009 10:49 pm
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i have an american standard p bass and it sounds great. therefor if the sound is the same years down the road i'll be happy.


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