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In doing so it brought up this interesting piece which seems to back up your points well.
https://www.luthiertalk.com/threads/the-plain-truth-about-nitrocellulose-finishes.239/
I have a 2001 Squire P-bass which exhibits the ultra thick 'plastic broken off' finish damage!! My 2021 Player Tele finish looks much more refined.
Out of interest, what would a 1987 RG550 be painted with? It's dings look similar to but thinner than the P-Bass.
It's a 1980 The Strat which I assume being 1980 isn't Nitro, but it does look cool.
http://corvusguitarworks.com/images/misc/monq_strat_refret2.jpg
Internet rumour suggests the 1980 The Strat run were nitro, which is certainly how yours looks. Apparently 22k gold plated metal parts too!
Red with worn edge - 1967 Rickenbacker 450
Flame maple back with scuffs - 2008 Gibson Dove
Maple fingerboard - 1984 Aria RS Standard
Red with worn rear and scratches - 1973 Rickenbacker 4001
Sunburst with chips - Aria again
Checked metallic blue - 1972 Fender Mustang Bass
An Ibanez RG will be polyester. 'The Strat' could be nitro, but I think more likely to be acrylic - LPB was never nitro even in the 60s.
"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
• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Goldeneraguitars
Take the 3 bolt neck - On its own it is not an issue - Tom Anderson moved to a 2 bolt neck - The 3 bolt on its own is not an issue - It is just that it is part of an era that gave us over weight models, with poor contours, poor body/neck joins and of a course a thick finish that was applied with a yard brush - Even the truss rod adjustment, at the easy end of the neck to get to, was a good move - Just needed to be recessed, as per later models, not sticking out like an erection
Equally nitro is often associated with a golden era of guitar building during the 50's and 60's , certainly regarding electric guitars - Hence the desire for such a finish today by so many
In principle a modern based poly finished, be it polyester, or polyurethane can be as good + as effective and desirable as nitro - I believe one principle that many builders agree with is that the finish should be thin - Be it satin or gloss - And that was the big failing in the 70's, which as I said earlier is responsible for so much bad news, that still lives with us today
So you end up with thick plastickly looking stuff that is there for the cost/time benefit. By contrast the finish on my EBMM looks way better as its applied thinner and with more care.
Trading feedback here
What you need is a thin, fairly hard finish, but not so hard it cracks when dented.
It’s just that nitro is easy to do that with and more difficult to make thick - whereas some of the two-pack finishes are not only easy to make thick, it’s easier to then quickly polish to a high gloss because there’s no risk of going through it, which is why it’s associated with cheap guitars generally.
"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
There certainly seems to be a solid clearcoat under the paint, is it likely to be acrylic over poly?
https://i.imgur.com/Pd6bFci.jpg
But equally a modern boutique/custom built Suhr, Anderson, PRS looks like it should have a new finish - For what ever reason that maybe - Be it gloss or satin - I have 2 PRS guitars, one gloss 1 satin - My Feline is satin
My key point above was not in favour of poly or nitro - But more about that the bad reputation for poly started with a poor era for Fender and this IMO still lingers today - Yet funnily enough I've just acquired a 77 black Strat that has been played on a regular basis for many years and has all of that that aged mojo with no shortage of character
My point is that on my bath room door, where often a damp towel might be hanging, that the finish has naturally distressed over the last 2/3 years since I last painted it - It looks so effective and can imagine it looking nice on a good old Tele reissue
They might go custom shop for perceived increased quality and get nitro in the bargain but that’s slightly different.
That was my point about the Silver Sky too…no one thinks it would be made better we’re it nitro. And the imagery doesn’t require it as no blues-rock hero’s from the 70s played a distressed nitro PRS (obviously).
And the same on my 78 PB - that is 100% natural wear. Although I was told it is very thin "poly" (I do not know which variant) that flakes rather than grades down. The headstock front is nitro and has matured in colour more than the back.
I fully agree with @ICBM about finish thickness being a major factor. Personally I do prefer nitro as it feels more organic, however my PB has aged in a different but similarly pleasing way.