You've got the answer. Thin nitro vs thick poly. I tried some industrial paint stripper on a Fender bass once. It sat on the finish for 3 hrs. and didn't touch it. The same stuff takes lacquer off in 20 minutes.

Ya, Poly is indistructable. You can chip it, but it doesn't wear. Don't try to relic a Poly finish. 😄

Rain Relic Guitars
100% no fake, environmentally friendly and natural, really manually reliced relic guitars
Personally played by the relic master himself.
 
I wish I could afford one.......

 
Well you may have heard the same about Rory Gallagher:
I quote:
"His Fender Stratocaster was in good shape when he got it in 1963. The guitar had most of its varnish peeled off, reportedly from the high alkaline content of Gallagher’s sweat. "

Hi,
 
The worst I ever saw was Mike Howlett's modified small scale bass guitar ... a modified one that had both types of pick ups like the Special version of the Fender has ... and the top, that little wood bridge that guides the strings, was loose and falling off every hour on the hour! 
 
When they got it glued and he warmed up on sound check, he goes ... is it too bass'y? I said not in rock'n'roll! It must be right, then, he said! It was! I have that show on tape from the master board man himself, who went on to play the bass in University of Errors. Both him and Pierre Moerlin were on steroids on both of those nights in Portland and Eugene!
 
And the darn little piece was loose again at the end of the show. The image is just below the Daevid Allen pics on 
 
http://pedrosena.com/photos.htm.
 
Thx

As shown before, here is Walter Trout's Artic White Strat.  Heck, if I saw this laying by the trash pile even I might just leave it there!
 
(But oh does it sound GOOD!)
 

Hi Rain ,
 
Yeah man , I like the way your guitars look . to me it looks like all natural wear.
 
Say, with all the animals and critters you have at home , I'm surprised your guitars don't have teeth and claw marks on them ….
btw I saw a picture of your new puppy ..really cute ..that's the one your gonna have to keep a close eye on 
 
the guitar in the middle I bought new in 87 ( modified by me American Standard )…it used to be white …
it has been the way it is electronically  for almost 25 years 
 
the other 2 guitars are sort of just hogging space in the picture…
 

 
have a good one , 
Kenny

I like that hog on the right. 😄

kennywtelejazz
 
Say, with all the animals and critters you have at home , I'm surprised your guitars don't have teeth and claw marks on them ….

The studio is the only cat/animal-free room in the house. Though I do make exceptions for my baby girl Mongoline aka Googlie every now and then. But then, as you see...
 

I love interactive animals.