Yeah, I asked around town with some friends who work at guitar shops as well as a technician that gets the lionshare of my work.
Apparently Gibson production is basically using poly with a small amount of Nitro-base added to it so that the new guitars will check. They will not age the same way old-school guitars do.
Also, it was said to me that old Dupont cans float around of the vintage stuff--there's a video of someone spraying it--but it's basically illegal to do so in some states, and the EPA banned the production of several ingredients therefore making it basically impossible to get 60s nitro. Anything claiming to be that finish just shares a similar chemical makeup, but it's just not the same stuff.
Granted, some of them wear just the same as the old stuff does, but technically it's just similar. (poorly?)
It's also been made abundantly clear in MANY places and by MANY builders that Nitro doesn't really do anything for the sound that a thin poly finish doesn't do exactly the same. And even now--and this is coming from people I know locally who work on guitars for money (usually their living) most poly guitars are not sprayed on so thick that it's going to be a problem.
Back in the 90s I ran into a few cracked guitars from fender (2 that I recall specifically) where you could see straight through to bare wood. The finish was caked on very thickly. One was a Mexican P-Bass, and the other was a Strat, but I don't remember whether it was Squier/Mexico/USA. I think the companies have sort of got it under control now because it spreads like wildfire when someone's putting out sub-par stuff. The only time I hear about thick finishes now is weird Amazon brand guitars etc.
I want the Nitro for aesthetic reasons really. Never had the opportunity to own a vintage guitar, and being that I'm 39 and still not rich, I probably never will.
