Faded blue color

mrk691

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Hello. I'm recently interested in a 35th anniv. Custom 24 finished in faded blue jean.
Years ago I read that PRS has some problem with their blue finish fading quickly. I want to know if they have fixed this problem?
Does anyone have example of how the "faded blue jean" would look like after it has faded further?
 
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Hello. I'm recently interested in a 35th anniv. Custom 24 finished in faded blue jean.
Years ago I read that PRS has some problem with their blue finish fading quickly. I want to know if they have fixed this problem in recent years?
Does anyone know or have example of how the "faded blue jean" would look like after it has faded further?

I think @g.wizz could help here. Maybe.
 
UV light exposure.

That is the root cause of the fading.

I have a 2010 Blue Fade guitar that is as fresh as new....and a 2014 Blue fade guitar that has faded due to Fluorescent lamp exposures and sunny outdoor gigs. My 2014 CU24 has faded pretty nicely..in fact I love the way it looks. It all boils down to how much UV exposure you subject the guitar to that determines how fast AND how much it fades. Some choose to case the guitar when it's not being used...others like me like to hang the guitars on the wall for easy access or just to enjoy the guitars. If you are a wall hanger or a guitar stander person....You might look at the lighting in the room and make sure it's all LED bulbs and not exposed to direct sunlight.

All in all it is possible to keep the color fresh. My Two blue fade guitars are pictured below. They were close to the same color new. The one with the least faded finish is the older guitar.
 
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BJhJK0P.jpg
 
UV light exposure.

That is the root cause of the fading.

I have a 2010 Blue Fade guitar that is as fresh as new....and a 2014 Blue fade guitar that has faded due to Fluorescent lamp exposures and sunny outdoor gigs. My 2014 CU24 has faded pretty nicely..in fact I love the way it looks. It all boils down to how much UV exposure you subject the guitar to that determines how fast AND how much it fades. Some choose to case the guitar when it's not being used...others like me like to hang the guitars on the wall for easy access or just to enjoy the guitars. If you are a wall hanger or a guitar stander person....You might look at the lighting in the room and make sure it's all LED bulbs and not exposed to direct sunlight.

All in all it is possible to keep the color fresh. My Two blue fade guitars are pictured below. They were close to the same color new. The one with the least faded finish is the older guitar.

So just trying to understand this long talked about issue. You state UV light exposure is the root cause of fading. Would you go as far to say to blue pigmented guitars only? I appears none of the other colors are effect to the degree that the blue ( and variations) are just an observation. I own five core guitars going back to 1990 and none have faded in any form. Disclaimer none are blue! My brother owns three going back to 1986 all blue the 86 has faded slightly however the 92 custom mix color ( when you could ask the dealer to get a custom color) has faded to a completely different blue. Originally it was more of a Cobalt color. Thanks
 
So just trying to understand this long talked about issue. You state UV light exposure is the root cause of fading. Would you go as far to say to blue pigmented guitars only? I appears none of the other colors are effect to the degree that the blue ( and variations) are just an observation. I own five core guitars going back to 1990 and none have faded in any form. Disclaimer none are blue! My brother owns three going back to 1986 all blue the 86 has faded slightly however the 92 custom mix color ( when you could ask the dealer to get a custom color) has faded to a completely different blue. Originally it was more of a Cobalt color. Thanks
It is primarily the blues. The pigment in the dye reacts to the UV light causing the fading
 
So just trying to understand this long talked about issue. You state UV light exposure is the root cause of fading. Would you go as far to say to blue pigmented guitars only? I appears none of the other colors are effect to the degree that the blue ( and variations) are just an observation. I own five core guitars going back to 1990 and none have faded in any form. Disclaimer none are blue! My brother owns three going back to 1986 all blue the 86 has faded slightly however the 92 custom mix color ( when you could ask the dealer to get a custom color) has faded to a completely different blue. Originally it was more of a Cobalt color. Thanks

I believe some of the greens are also affected by UV exposure.
 
So just trying to understand this long talked about issue. You state UV light exposure is the root cause of fading. Would you go as far to say to blue pigmented guitars only? I appears none of the other colors are effect to the degree that the blue ( and variations) are just an observation. I own five core guitars going back to 1990 and none have faded in any form. Disclaimer none are blue! My brother owns three going back to 1986 all blue the 86 has faded slightly however the 92 custom mix color ( when you could ask the dealer to get a custom color) has faded to a completely different blue. Originally it was more of a Cobalt color. Thanks

Organic dyes are photosensitive. They will react to light - not just UV, photons being photons, though UV causes the worst problems - that is their drawback. However, inorganic dyes are not transparent. If the object is to see the grain of the wood, then you have to use organic dyes.

There is no magic bullet or "fix" for what is the very essence of the dye, i.e., organic chemicals in its composition. "Fixing" this would mean that blue PRS Guitars would be opaque, not transparent.

Blue dyes seem to be the most photosensitive. In fact, blue and purple dyes were created in the ancient world by leaving certain snail parts to lay out in the sun to change color (which, incidentally, was reputed to create a very bad smelling situation for those making the dyes!). As you probably know, the same kinds of dyes were used in the red bursts on the old Gibson bursts, and they changed color to become brown. It happens.

Nonetheless, if you keep even blue guitars cased when not in use, as opposed to hanging on a wall where natural and artificial light hit the guitar, the fading doesn't happen very much, if at all.

There is another benefit of keeping a guitar cased: Cases act as a buffer against temperature and humidity changes - meaning you don't have to make as many seasonal setup adjustments, and keeping them cased also prevents the stuff in the air (like cooking oils that float throughout homes and create stickiness in pots and switches, which attract dust and impede signal flow, f'rinstance scratchy pots) from landing on the guitar and causing problems.

So there are three good reasons to use a case.

I have two blue PRSes. One is a 5 year old PS in the notoriously fade-prone, blue and violet "Northern Lights" finish, the other one is a 2021. I keep them cased. The Northern Lights guitar is vibrant and hasn't faded in any way.

If you want to preserve the finish, keep the guitar cased and enjoy the other benefits.
 
Blackout blinds and LED lights can be your friend

51-ECD149-2-D69-4-A1-E-A1-B9-81-E5045-EED1-C.jpg


Aquamarine, I’ve owned this guitar for over 7 years now. Used to have it wall mounted in my old house for 4+ years. Current house I can’t quite control the room as well so it’s been in its case. No fading. Above pic has no flash.

Prior home (pic was dark room with camera flash trying to bring out the figure of the tops better, LOL)
F05_DB82_A-1_CCA-4_D9_F-87_CE-_B9_C82_C231_B39.jpg


92_A0_A941-_A49_E-4589-_BDC8-89922_A626_BFE.jpg


I expect the colors will start to fade some day, even if cased. No sign of it yet.
 
Blackout blinds and LED lights can be your friend

51-ECD149-2-D69-4-A1-E-A1-B9-81-E5045-EED1-C.jpg


Aquamarine, I’ve owned this guitar for over 7 years now. Used to have it wall mounted in my old house for 4+ years. Current house I can’t quite control the room as well so it’s been in its case. No fading. Above pic has no flash.

Prior home (pic was dark room with camera flash trying to bring out the figure of the tops better, LOL)
F05_DB82_A-1_CCA-4_D9_F-87_CE-_B9_C82_C231_B39.jpg


92_A0_A941-_A49_E-4589-_BDC8-89922_A626_BFE.jpg


I expect the colors will start to fade some day, even if cased. No sign of it yet.

My goodness, those guitars are spectacular!

Yes, I think even if cased, the wood absorbs some color eventually, and there's the amount of time they're out being played, especially on something like an outdoor gig. It's the nature of the beast.

But by the time mine will be especially noticeable, I suspect I'll be long-gone from this planet. And...um...not on a space voyage. ;)
 
I have IIRC 8 PRS guitars with some blue in the finish, ranging from whale blue to violet to slate to emerald and jade green. Production years range from 2001 to 2016.

I don't fastidiously keep them in cases all the time. I rotate them through my music room so any given guitar may spend weeks or months hanging on the wall. They can get exposed to indirect sunlight 8-15 hours per day depending on the season.

The only one that I've noticed any fading on is my 2011 Studio, which is in Faded Blue Burst. My 2004 Whale Blue Hollowbody and 2001 Emerald Singlecut and all the others are still going strong. I think I've treated them all about the same.

All that is a long way of saying that some fade, and in my experience most don't. I think the wood or maybe the dye that was being used in the factory at the time or maybe the quantity that's left (if they sand it down for an intentional fade) has something to do with it.
 
Organic dyes are photosensitive. They will react to light - not just UV, photons being photons, though UV causes the worst problems - that is their drawback. However, inorganic dyes are not transparent. If the object is to see the grain of the wood, then you have to use organic dyes.........

Guess I'm not crazy for doing this when I leave the room after a sesh...I turn off the lights and flip the guitars around to minimize the light as much as I can.

u2zVoY0.jpg
 
Guess I'm not crazy for doing this when I leave the room after a sesh...I turn off the lights and flip the guitars around to minimize the light as much as I can.

u2zVoY0.jpg
Backs fades too. I remember visiting my friend who used to have a McCarty GoldTop he loved to bits. He had protective mat they had in shops when they ware handing expensive guitars to customers to try. When he got this guitar (I believe from Machinehead when R.I.P Jeff Plumfrett still was around) he asked if he can keep the mat too. After few years when I lifted the mat the back underneath had darker shade then the rest of the back...

It was amazing guitar, he sold it just before he died of cancer in 2013
 
I have a scarlet red 513. It looks like someone took an eraser and was able to draw a fade 'line' across the finish in a few places. There are fade lines that circle the pick-ups, and a fade line from the 5-way blade down to the edge of the guitar. Unless I am playing it, all my guitars are in their cases, and this one was exposed to direct sunlight only once, about ten years ago.
 
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