FWIW, all my instruments are nitro, and the only varnish instruments in the house are my S.O.'s fiddles.
To me, and as others have said above. the only thing that matters is that the finish is thin enough. If I tilt the soundboards of my mandolin, OM, and two remaining acoustic guitars against a background light source, I can see ridges of wood grain, not a smooth surface. That's a thin finish. The last thick finish instrument I owned was a 1970's Guild D25M (since sold), with a nitro finish so thick it looked like glass when tilted against the light. It still sounded okay for what it was, but that's not a characteristic you want to see in a more high-end acoustic instrument.
Concerning wear, some of these nitro finishes are tough. I actually wish my Lebeda showed a little more personalized wear, after 10+ years of playing it almost every day. It's a thin finish but tough as nails. The only wear it shows (ignoring the neck I stripped) is a light haze from my pinky fingernail scratching the top below the strings. The rest of the instrument looks almost new, unless you look real close.
Bookmarks