Is poly finish undesirable to you as a hunter for an old 'n' good Taylors ?

[gotomsdos]

Hi, guys out there.
Nice to meet you here  . I'm new. I'm doing some search, learning some about Taylor guitar history, trying to hunt a couple of old 'n' good GC Taylors(say 512, 712 Brazilian). Some say that Golden Era for Taylor is 90's(majority mid, some mid to late). But some say that there's a finish change from lacquer(nitro?) to poly around 1995. It seems to be that poly is not as good as lacquer to sound. If so, I prefer sound to gloss appearance. Weather checking is to my liking. Finish crazing is no problem to me.
Is this change to poly undesirable to you as a hunter for an old 'n' good Taylors ?
Any input would be much appreciated.
Best, Dave.

[tedtan]

This really comes down to to personal preference, but personally, I prefer ploy finishes as they are better than nitro at protecting the instrument, which is what a finish is intended to do.

As far as sound goes, I notice a difference in the thickness of the finish much more than the material comprising the finish. And Taylor uses a thin finish, so a poly finish isn't a problem on a Taylor guitar IMO.

[Strumming Fool]

The UV cured poly finish has been around since the early 90s for Taylor. Considering the problems I've seen with nitrocellulose finishes, I'm  very happy with Taylor's work on this.

[gotomsdos]

Thanks, but "The UV cured poly finish has been around since the early 90s for Taylor",REALLY ?
Dave.

[Strumming Fool]

Thanks, but "The UV cured poly finish has been around since the early 90s for Taylor",REALLY ?
Dave.

Yes sir! For example, I asked Taylor about my '95 Taylor when it went back to El Cajon for cosmetic work, and they replied that the photo cured poly finish had been in place for a couple of years before this guitar had been built. It still looks great!

[sstaylor58]

So I am helping a friend do a little work on her ‘89 512. Beautiful instrument by the way...so I assume after reading this thread that the finish on that would be nitro? Just wanting to confirm...thanks.

[Strumming Fool]

So I am helping a friend do a little work on her ‘89 512. Beautiful instrument by the way...so I assume after reading this thread that the finish on that would be nitro? Just wanting to confirm...thanks.

I went back to one of my Taylor books to research. Sometime in the mid 80s, Taylor began using Fullerplast, a catalyzed acrylic resin. In early 1995, they began using the UV cured poly finish. Hope this helps!

[sstaylor58]

Thanks!

[gotomsdos]

Some say it started on May, 1995.