Bubbling on the finish?

Isaac cruz

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Nov 11, 2017
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I’m interested in a certain PRS but there’s some “bubbling” in the finish, at the neck heel area. Seller says this is not something bad and its just a minor cosmetic flaw. Has anyone encountered something like this before?

https://ibb.co/hZ2J5G9
 
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Looks like the clear finish lifted a bit there at the neck pocket. Should be purely cosmetic and not affect the tone or stability of the guitar.
 
Looks like the clear finish lifted a bit there at the neck pocket. Should be purely cosmetic and not affect the tone or stability of the guitar.

The fact that it happened around near the neck pocket area is what makes me nervous. So should relax since this is entirely cosmetic or there is no way of knowing for sure from pictures?
 
The fact that it happened around near the neck pocket area is what makes me nervous. So should relax since this is entirely cosmetic or there is no way of knowing for sure from pictures?

Well, no way to make absolutely sure without inspecting it close up. But it does look like something I've seen before around the neck pocket. As long as there aren't any major cracks or gaps in the wood itself, the guitar should be plenty stable without play-ability issues.
 
I guess my first question would be "has it stopped" and the second would be "If it would piss you off every time you saw it would you still buy?"

Apparently it has stopped. It wouldnt piss me off to much honestly. Its in the back. I dont mind scratches and stuff like that.

What I’m wondering is: what causes the finish to bubble like that in the first place? Could it have been exposure to extreme temperature?
 
Maybe some excess glue not wiped off completely before finish was put on. Personally, I wouldn’t worry about it as far as playability or structural soundness.
 
If I were buying it for collecting, it would be unacceptable.

If it was purely for playing, then no worries but don’t forget that if you ever sell the guitar in future many buyers have a collector’s angle.
 
I’ve never seen that before in my 28 years of owning MANY PRS Core models.

It honestly looks to me like a repair was made. I could be wrong, of course.
 
it looks exactly like every single Carvin/Kiesel (PRS knockoff CT6, etc...) that I've ever seen. I think it's just glue squeeze out and the finish got cloudy from it. The Carvins that I owned that had it had no issues, just a haze at the joint. I think it's probably fine, structurally.
 
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