Gave the Purple Vela the bling it deserved

[Ovibos]

You may remember I acquired a rare purple Vela.

Finally got around to swapping the black pick guard for pearloid, and OH MY does it pop!

I also Scotch-brited the back of the neck (c'mon PRS, STOP with the gloss necks!) and strung it with 9.5s (down from 10s) for a touch more slinkiness. Plays like a dream now!

One interesting thing I learned is that it's routed for a full neck humbucker....

Question to the group: should I go full-on and get a pearloid truss rod cover made?

Before:

After:

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Nice!

What’s a truss rod cover?

 

[Ovibos]

Nice!

What’s a truss rod cover?

It's something that keeps your nuts from showing.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

It's something that keeps your nuts from showing.

So like, panties?

 

[bodia]

Dig the pearloid! Totally badass now. I'd say yes to the TRC, and maybe some tuner buttons, too.

 

[bodia]

So like, panties?

Courtesy pouch?

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Agree with going ahead on a TRC.

 

[FDHog]

These days you never know what's covering someone's nuts.

 

[alantig]

It's something that keeps your nuts from showing.

Well, one of them.

 

[JasonE]

If you asked me which pickguard I thought would look better on that color, I would have picked the black. However, seeing the white MOP on it, I like it, a lot.

 

[Going Modal]

Ultimately, I'd split the difference and put a black-pearloid pickguard on there--I bet that would be cool. (Then the truss-rod cover could remain black.) But I get it... PRS doesn't make them in black-pearloid, so you'd have to go the custom route.

The white-pearloid pickguard does indeed look good (and/or better than standard black). Wendy Melvoin would approve! Might as well go with a matching TRC so that all the "pickguard-type materials" all match.

 

[Moondog Wily]

Killer upgrade! Other than a reclaimed wood Vela, that is the Vela I desire more than any other!! Ticks all the boxes for me!!! If anyone sees another one in the wild, let me know as I definitely want one just like that (although I can't afford a pot to piss in at the moment)!!!!

 

[Silvertree]

That looks fantastic.

 

[WEDGE]

Much better

 

[DISTORT6]

Hell, yeah!
It should have been like that from the factory.

 

[Moondog Wily]

Oh, and YES on the pearloid TRC!

 

[theDeepender]

You may remember I acquired a rare purple Vela.

Finally got around to swapping the black pick guard for pearloid, and OH MY does it pop!

I also Scotch-brited the back of the neck (c'mon PRS, STOP with the gloss necks!) and strung it with 9.5s (down from 10s) for a touch more slinkiness. Plays like a dream now!

One interesting thing I learned is that it's routed for a full neck humbucker....

Question to the group: should I go full-on and get a pearloid truss rod cover made?

Before:

After:

You made the right decision, my bro.

 

[László]

As good as the black looks - very good indeed - the pearloid utterly smokes it!

 

[Tom Bradovich]

oooooh yeah! That is smoking' - good switch.

 

[danktat]

I'd split the difference and put a black-pearloid pickguard on there

That would look SICK!