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Ok not versus but more what is what? I'm confused about my US52RI Tele. Is the body finish poly and the neck nitro? The body has a very shiny, liquid appearance which suggests poly but the guitar came with a pamphlet that describes the maintenance of nitro. And my MIJ52RI body doesnt look as shiny or liquid but isn't all MIJ poly?
From what I read you can't mix poly and nitro but then I read that the 52RI neck is stained with lacquer so it can't be poly?

I'm confused.

Shiny or not makes no difference.  I have no idea what your tele is but nitro can be shiny and poly can be not shiny and vice versa.  Go to any guitar store and look at an Epiphone Les Paul Ultra and feel the neck - they call it "satin poly" but it feels almost unfinished.  I've finished some woodwork in my house the same way.  Poly *can be* a thinner, duller finish than nitro.  And nitro *can be* thicker and shinier than poly.

Sorry I can't help with your actual question but the point is I think whatever the pamphlet says is probably right.

spacecadet wrote: Sorry I can't help with your actual question but the point is I think whatever the pamphlet says is probably right.

Well the pamphlet implies it's nitro. I think it is nitro on top of poly otherwise what's a 'thinskin'? I know it's not 'thinskin'. I just thought poly and nitro don't go together but maybe that is a different poly. (I know there is the vintage poly-? and then there is modern poly-?)

The difference in my US52 and MIJ52 is noticeable especially in the body cavities. That's why I figured one was not the same as the other. The US52 seems really thick and the MIJ52 seems thinner. My AVRI Jag seems to be thinner as well.

Surfoverb wrote: I think it is nitro on top of poly otherwise what's a 'thinskin'?

Just a thin layer of nitro.

Fab wrote:

Surfoverb wrote: I think it is nitro on top of poly otherwise what's a 'thinskin'?

Just a thin layer of nitro.

I think he means the finish is obviously too thick to just be thinskin nitro.  Right?

I looked at the pics of this guitar on various web sites and the finish does look pretty thick, even though it's called thinskin.

Just my guess..but I doubt Fender would do a REAL thinskin unless it's a relic.  Thin nitro wears through in no time and the typical customer would be pissed off (like they were with the thin low gloss poly on the Highway guitars when they first came out) when it wears through in a year or two of heavy play.

i have heard that fender does the color coat in poly and just clearcoats with nitro. not sure if that's true or not, but it would explain the difference between a thin-skin reissue and the regular ones.
the '52 reissues i've played certainly felt like nitro (it has a slightly warmer, softer feel to it), but that is the extent of my experience with them.

Ok reading this helped:
http://www.provide.net/~cfh/fenderc.html
So I think my52ri is poly+clear nitro

Surfoverb wrote: Ok reading this helped:
http://www.provide.net/~cfh/fenderc.html
So I think my52ri is poly+clear nitro

I'm pretty sure all the AVRIs are Nitro over Poly.  '52 RI Teles seem to be the thickest finishes for some reason.  The ones I've played seem VERY thick and almost plastic feeling.  Not that they weren't cool guitars, it's just that the finish was ...erm..weird.