Vinyl, Nitro Finish and Strap Use

[Anxiety Serum]

So I never store my guitar in the case with its strap on (pun intended), and made sure my guitar stand was Nitro safe. But no one ever told me I shouldn't leave the strap on the guitar when its hanging and not to use Vinyl.

So maybe a rookie mistake, but I was using a Vinyl strap from Couch and some of the nitro started to disintegrate on the binding (after 5-6 months). Note this guitar supposedly has a thinner coat of Nitro (my full gloss guitar had the same strap and did not do this despite 1.5 more years of contact with the strap).

I play my guitar multiple times a day, so I don't want to take the strap and locks off every time. And I understand if you play it it's gonna get some usage marks on it, so in some ways...fuck it.

But 2 Questions.

1. Is this just a Vinyl issue or would this happen even with a leather strap left on the guitar constantly?
2. What do most of you do: Take strap off after each use or leave it on, drill into guitar and use aftermarket strap locks or no?

 

[MadAsAHatter]

Finishes like nitro can be so delicate and finicky on how and what they react with it's hard to give a blanket statement answer. Leather can be safe, but not knowing if there are any chemical treatments or additives to preserve it can be a crapshoot. The leather shouldn't harm the nitro but any additives can. It also depends on how old the finish is. Some take years to fully harden and cure depending on the environment they are stored. There's more of a chance the finish will react when not cured. And nitro is soft as finishes go so even if fully cured some things like the weight of the guitar while on a stand can still make small impressions.

This is all assuming the paint underneath the clear was fully dry. If the paint is still gassing off when the finish is applied that all can react too and really F things up. I don't suspect that is your particular issue though so take it as some extra info.

Your best bet is to find something from a trusted manufacturer that says it's nitro safe. outside of that it's pretty much anyone's guess if the material itself or some extra additive will react and cause a rash spot.

Personally I like having a harder finish like shellac, polyurethane, or tru-oil/linseed oil that doesn't react with much.

 

[Findthetone1]

Don't feel bad, I've had the same thing happen.
Your answer to your questions 1: Vinyl will probably always burn the nitro. I have no idea if anybody even makes a true nitro safe strap so I'm curious if you find anything.
2: I don't use strap locks anymore, just the rubber washers. I hate taking straps off so I'm rolling the dice I guess.