Can the finish clouding occur in a 2015 Private Stock?

flatfeed611

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I recently saw a video that talks about an issue with the finish that some PRS made between late 90's to 2015 that allegedly can make it look cloudy/milky. have a 2015 Private Stock and was wondering if it would be suceptible to this issue (I'm especially concerned, because I am currently living in a high humidity environment).

My guitar's spec sheet says "High gloss nitro." Not sure if it would be affected by this issue.

 
I swear I just read a post where someone polished out the clouding on a guitar also , I will have to search for that post
 
Do you know why the poly had that issue but the nitro didn't?
Think of it this way (this is my theory, it ain't proven fact):

Styrene boxes are much harder (and more brittle) than Saran Wrap. Yet both are plastics (nitro is a type of plastic).

Saran Wrap is a plastic that clings to what's inside it, regardless of temperature and humidity changes, but the Styrene plastic box isn't going to conform its shape to the food that's in it if the temperature and humidity changes.

This is due to differences in the chemistry of the materials.

Poly is a hard plastic that creates a thicker finish, more like a shell. It dries pretty stiff; it also doesn't adhere as well as nitro. It's more like the Styrene box.

Nitro is more like the Saran Wrap.

If the guitar is bumped, or the wood inside the hard poly "shell" shrinks for reasons like temperature and humidity, the wood moves and the paint doesn't always move with it. It separates, and can get cloudy.

Like the Saran Wrap, Nitro stays comparatively malleable and sticks to the wood better. So it doesn't separate as easily. That might also explain why nitro guitars sound a little different than poly guitars (this may be controversial, but it's based on experience with lots of guitars over a period of 58 years - it's an opinion I've formed and I can't objectively prove it, so YMMV).

Granted, like any material, each finish has its pros and cons, and in this case the nitro is more delicate. But the primary function of the guitar is to be a wooden musical instrument. The nitro compliments that function pretty well; in fact, its greater delicacy works with the instrument in its primary function, instead of against it.

As a result, it's my belief - opinion - that nitro is a more complimentary finish for a wooden instrument than a harder poly because it 'follows the wood' a little better, whether that's referring to the wood's hygroscopic nature (swelling or shrinking due to humidity and temp changes), or referring to the fact that the wood is allowed to vibrate a bit more freely.
 
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The guitar that I had the fogging issue on had the V12 finish. It now has Nitro over CAB because that Is whap PRS was spraying when they refinished it for me. My guitar is a 2016. I have recently noticed that my DGT, 2011, is starting to show slight signs of fogging on the neck heel. This is the same place by SC-58 started to have the issue. I expect this to continue to get worse and I will have to contact PRS about it. This is also a V12 finish.
 
Nitro yellows, checks, and flakes, but I’ve not seen it do the clouding/blushing thing like poly does.


Do you know why the poly had that issue but the nitro didn't?
(Weak analogy time) Imagine nitro is like that model cement you played with as a kid; it’s got a (more) volatile chemical compound going on. When you spray (or respray to repair) nitro it kinda melts the layer under it and absorbs itself into it, similar to model cement.

Whereas poly remains mostly a distinct layer upon the previous layer, kinda like “stacks” or clear coat like a deck of cards stacked upon each other instead of one gelatinous schmoo.

My uneducated and completely uninformed theory on it is that moisture got trapped between base and topcoat, and that when it eventually dries completely it can cause clouding.

While I’m not a smart man, I am going with my gut here… and I have a huge gut.
 
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