Murphy Lab Nitro vs. Custom Shop Plasticized Nitro

[MrNubs]

those that have both a Murphy Lab LP and a Custom Shop LP

why are the Murphy Lab's sounding better ?

is it he finish being harder and cracked, letting the wood vibrate more ?

or are the Murphy Lab guitars more dialed in ? Meaning better setup - tweaking the nut slot and bridge saddle slot so more string actually makes contact with their counter part - pickups more dialed in based on individual guitar

what say you ?

 

[ADP]

I have a 2014 R8 VOS and a 2010 Murphy Aged Clapton. Neither sounds better than the other. The Clapton has more power and attack, but the R8 sounds equally great and more midrangey.

The Clapton has a harder clear coat and doesn't get sticky with sweat, always stays slick. The R8 feels like it has a thinner clear coat and almost to the wood, granted I have been playing it everyday since November of 2014. It doesn't really gum up, but it is not the same type of slick as whatever Murphy used. I wouldn't say the Murphy Aged Clapton sounds better or worse based on the finish, it just feels different.

Obviously the choice of wood is usually as premium as possibly available when they make a "Murphy Aged" and that's what makes the biggest difference in my experience - the Clapton weighs 8lbs even and the maple is among the finest I've seen on a modern guitar. This gives most "Murphy Aged" guitars the highest percentage of being a magic guitar.

 

[Tim Plains]

Who said they sound better?

 

[MrNubs]

Murphy Lab sellers said so

 

[garywright]

?

 

[CAGinLA]

those that have both a Murphy Lab LP and a Custom Shop LP

why are the Murphy Lab's sounding better ?

is it he finish being harder and cracked, letting the wood vibrate more ?

or are the Murphy Lab guitars more dialed in ? Meaning better setup - tweaking the nut slot and bridge saddle slot so more string actually makes contact with their counter part - pickups more dialed in based on individual guitar

what say you ?

Finish has a subtle affect on the feel and resonance of the guitar but, IMHO, the tone is all in the quality and setup of the pickups, bridge and tailpiece (and having high quality, properly spec'd pots, of course).

My light aged Murphy Lab ES-335 is maybe the best sounding and feeling Gibson I have ever owned (and I've owned a lot) , but I did have to do my own setup on it to get it the way I want it to sound and feel. I replaced the stock bridge with a Faber and added Faber spacers under the tailpiece (which I had to raise up to get the action that I like and to avoid strings hitting the back of the bridge). It has way better sustain and clarity now.

 

[Pat Boyack]

Murphy Lab sellers said so

Are you related to Mr Green?

 

[Dr. Green]

the big thing is you don't want nasty tacky nitro with tones of plasticizer in it .

its unfortunate that Gibson has used this type of nitro in the past

the murphy labs I checked out first hand - but dont own - have real nice rock hard nitro which seems to almost sink into the wood - instead of the dopey tacky type .

If I was to be in the market to buy a Historic this year it would be Murphy lab for me - hands down

if this has an effect on tone is open for endless debate

would I ever buy one with the tacky nitro ? ..... yes if it has amazing tone or an insane top which would assure great resale value



( Pat or Big Al will almost invariably tell you I am wrong - thats ok - I am ready for it - in fact I look forward to it )

 

[Pat Boyack]

( Pat or Big Al will almost invariably tell you I am wrong - thats ok - I am ready for it - in fact I look forward to it )

This is an amazing thread.

 

[renderit]

the big thing is you don't want nasty tacky nitro with tones of plasticizer in it .

its unfortunate that Gibson has used this type of nitro in the past

the murphy labs I checked out first hand - but dont own - have real nice rock hard nitro which seems to almost sink into the wood - instead of the dopey tacky type .

If I was to be in the market to buy a Historic this year it would be Murphy lab for me - hands down

if this has an effect on tone is open for endless debate

would I ever buy one with the tacky nitro ? ..... yes if it has amazing tone or an insane top which would assure great resale value



( Pat or Big Al will almost invariably tell you I am wrong - thats ok - I am ready for it - in fact I look forward to it )

Let me.

You are wrong.

And you have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[Pat Boyack]

Let me.

You are wrong.

And you have no idea what you are talking about.

.....and it just got better.......

 

[Dr. Green]

Let me.

You are wrong.

And you have no idea what you are talking about.

I call Bullshit on you

This is a well known subject - there have been plenty of folks besides me bring up the plasticizer issue - both on this forum and on Youtube videos

what they add to the nitro is not known to me - if its a true plasticizer or the formula is different I dont know but it sure as heck is not hard like the Murphy lab nitro and its not like vintage nitro

I just compared 3 regular Historic with 3 Murphy labs last week - the difference was plain as day

 

[ADP]

I call Bullshit on you

This is a well known subject....

...what they add to the nitro is not known to me - if its a true plasticizer or the formula is different I dont know...

This is all I understood from that.

 

[Dr. Green]

OK FOLKS -

WANT PROOF I WAS RIGHT AND THESE OTHER CHARATERS ON HERE ARE WRONG ?

READ THIS :

“We’re using a proprietary lacquer formula,” says Koehler. “1950s and 1960s lacquer was reverse-engineered so it could be recreated in its original brittleness. Without going too deep into trade secrets, I can say that it’s not just the lacquer that’s at work. Tom’s still using his bag of tricks, ....."

- Mat Koehler
Director of product development Gibson
during an interview for guitar.com


perhaps you guys think the nitro on your regular historic is ever going to get rock hard like a Murphy - all I have to say is " good luck with that "

 

[jb_abides]

Candy hard rock Lesters... and a 3 popcorn alert, watching... ???

 

[renderit]

Here we go.

WHAT IS PLASTICIZER, oh idiot savant?

It is what makes the nitro flow through the gun.

Been used since the advent of spray guns.

IT IS USED ON MURPHYS GUITARS.

It ain't what you think it is.

You know what water is when added to portland cement?

Plasticizer.

You drink it.

And I (hopefully) pee in it first...

 

[MrNubs]

 

[60thR0]

The quote from Matt only says they reverse engineered the brittle feeling, not that there are less plasticisers used. And in that quote he also said that getting that feeling involved more than just changing lacquer. The fact that it had to be “reverse engineered” to me implies more ingredients, not fewer. It is not necessarily “purer” or more original in any sense- it is literally just engineered to feel like that.

The funniest part of this is that even Gibson USA uses nitro for the very stated reason that it improves guitar resonance etc over a poly for example.

Also, wouldn’t plasticisers be a good thing, that means the lacquer is able to move with the guitar. A brittle finish is surely like a rigid encasement so that’s bad right? Genuine question. I get that brittle leads to more checking and more pleasant looking checking but not all vintage guitars have checking, does that mean their tone is terrible?

 

[60thR0]

Now show someone stripping a burst for comparison.

If this is concerning to you then why not just remove the finish on all guitars and just oil it. Or remove the finish, play it like that and simply keep it in a vacuum bag to ensure it doesn’t warp. Wouldn’t that be better?

 

[MrNubs]

if someone wants to donate a real burst, i'm in ... i'll strip that thing faster then a guy with the poo's trying to strip his own trousers off