Nitro or not

mesatele

I bought a new USA strat in the year 2000. When you opened the case it had an addictive sweet smell. That smell lasted for a few years.  I miss that smell. 

The guitar now has some checking in the finish. I had never assumed it but did Fender finish their guitars in nitro then? How do I tell? It's definitely not thick poly like my other Fender. What other finishes did they use?

Three-ColourSunburst

Fender have traditionally used a polyester sealer (Fullerplast) and / or an acrylic base coat with a clear 'nitro' lacquer' over the top.

MattFGBI

Depends on the model you have. Is it a Vintage or a Standard for example?

mesatele

Thanks guys. The guitar is a standard USA strat. It's 3 colour sunburst and looks like an alder 3 piece body.

ICBM

mesatele said:

I bought a new USA strat in the year 2000. When you opened the case it had an addictive sweet smell. That smell lasted for a few years.  I miss that smell.

The case smell is the glue used to stick the lining in.

mesatele said:

The guitar now has some checking in the finish. I had never assumed it but did Fender finish their guitars in nitro then? How do I tell? It's definitely not thick poly like my other Fender. What other finishes did they use?

If it's a USA Standard it's polyurethane.

https://www.fender.com/articles/tech-talk/the-science-and-style-of-finishes

mesatele

All that time and I was just sniffing glue. 
Thanks all.