Help me PTC, you're my only hope! ( Finish issues )

[Gnash]

Hello!

So I've got this 2002 Singlecut. Nice hunk o' wood, bit of BRW in the neck department, natural finish. Pretty sweet guitar, but a bit heavy for my tastes, so I decided I was going to move it on by trade over on TGP, some might have seen it. ( thread is now deleted, I don't want to pass on this guitar if it's going to cause issues for the next owner )

Anyway - Shock, horror. When I was giving it a once over this afternoon, I notice the 2 small areas of what had appeared to be 'mistiness' in the finish had spread and now it's looking pretty bad.
The guitar is located in Thailand ( where I live ) and was imported from Canada about 18 months ago. It stays in it's case most of the time. I suspect the humidity over here, but I'm really not sure.

Anyone have any ideas about what's going on here? Or how I can fix it?

Pics:




These are the worst areas but it looks like a general mistiness is creeping in on the back side of the guitar.

Quick frontal, just because :



Any help or advice will be greatly appreciated!

Thanks

Richie

 

[themike]

I would shootPTC an email at :[email protected] - while Shawn is a member on the forum, it's not really meant for "official" repair inqueries.

They could definitely restore it back to perfect with no question - but whether its worth it to you is another question being that you would have to ship it to the US from Thailand AND would also just be bringining it back into a very humid environment.

 

[Gnash]

Fair enough Mike. Maybe it was a mistake mentioning the PTC in the post, but they were first on my mind having just read the PTC Prowess thread.
I wouldn't class this as an official repair enquiry at all, like you say it would be a pain in the.....neck, shipping the guitar from TH to the US and back. Also quite expensive.

However, any input any other forum members might have on this issue would be appreciated. Especially those who have experienced the same thing and found a way to sort it with resorting to complete re-fins etc.

I've tried searching the web to very little avail. Maybe I'm not searching for the right things.
I know for a fact that there were several threads about this issue on BAM, so I'm hoping someone has moved over that was involved in those threads.

It's interesting, but I was just ( I mean like 5 minutes ago just )having a conversation with a Thai chap ( fellow guitar player ) and he said he had seen 3 or 4 guitars from '02/'03 with the same issue, especially around the top and bottom cutaways, but had no idea what may have caused it.

It's worth noting that all my other guitars have no issues with the humidity over here. Various finish types and manufacturers, and my other PRS are rock solid. It's only this one that's got a problem.

 

[themike]

Oh no, I didn't mean to come off as I was talking down to you about it - I simply meant that PTC prefers to give official advice and opinions via their email and not on the forum since it sounded like you were directly asking them about it I am sure that Shawn will chime in here and talk about.

Ive seen it happen before, they usually refer to it as cloudyness in the clearcoat and it requires elbow grease and some sort of finish-abbrasive polish if I remember correctly.

 

[]-[@n$0Ma☩!©]

I LOVE that guitar.

 

[László]

That one is really sweet!

 

[Gnash]

Well! ( deep subject I know )

My dilemma has officially got less than half the amount of views as a Banana Yellow Standard ( PRS Electric ? ).

I see now where the priorities lie on this forum!




( admittedly I've been in and out of that thread at least a dozen times myself )

 

[Proxmax]

maybe there was any finger fat on the wood...
but still a great guitar - i love natural finishes.

i had a similar issue too - there was a rest of the filler imho.

 

[Hopeful Sinner]

I wonder if it could be a similar condition that happens sometimes with clear coat on cars called delamination? Essentially, the clear gets "cloudy" and eventually starts to peel...

 

[Nahguavkire]

Am I the only person on this forum who would be happy to leave it? I think natural relic process gives character to a guitar... Maybe that is just me...

 

[dantedayjob]

Am I the only person on this forum who would be happy to leave it? I think natural relic process gives character to a guitar... Maybe that is just me...

I would agree with you, but in this case it appears it is a flaw in the finish itself, not the result of natural play wear, etc.

 

[marlon1211]

Hello Gnash, did you ever solve your haze/milky/blushing issue? cuz I to have the same problem with my PRS. The back cutaway and almost the same Horn area as shown on your photos is where my cloudy spit are. I heard HEAT GUN will work but I dont want to take a chance.
Let me know if you find a solution.

Thanks

 

[CantankerousCarl]

FWIW during some searching I came across a used CU24 on the GC web site that is purple that has the WORST case of this I have ever seen. It was a good price, but when I got the pics I saw why:

 

[Howlingmine]

I've been in the Automotive Refinish industry for the past 25 years and I see this type of thing all the time. Yes, it is being caused by moisture/humidity. I would definitely check out your options for the PTC first, but if that doesn't work out for you I can give you some tips on how to fix this yourself.

I think I need to explain what's happening a little bit before I try to tell you how to fix it. Wood is like a sponge..to a point, it will try to absorb water until it can't hold any more. The clearcoat on the guitar usually protects it from this happening, but in your case the moisture is getting in somewhere. If there is any raw wood surfaces at all like around the control cavities on the back, this is probably where it's getting in. As the humidity in the air goes down and the temperature starts to rise, the pores in the wood start to tighten up forcing that built up moisture to go somewhere. In your case it's coming up underneath the clear and causing it to fog. If the guitar is left in this environment, this problem will continue until eventually the clearcoat will delaminate.

That being said you can try something pretty simple (and harmless) to fix it. Go to your local hardware or auto parts store and gt a sheet of 2000 grit sandpaper. Soak the paper in water for an hour or so then wrap it around something firm (like a hard sponge) and LIGHTLY sand the area that is foggy. Be very careful not to sand through the clearcoat as I'm not sure how thick PRS applies it at the factory. Once the area is sanded you'll see that the area looks smooth and has no gloss, there is no need to sand any further. Now move the guitar to an area of your home with drier air and let it set for a few days. Sanding the clear "opens" it up and allows it to breathe, with any luck the moisture will escape. Once it has sat for a few days pick up a small container of fine rubbing compound and a cotton rag (a clean old t-shirt works well). Put a tiny bit of the compound on the rag and buff the sanded area back to full gloss (it will take a while, be patient). with any luck the damage will be gone.

Be careful though, if the guitar is kept in an area with very high humidity, the problem could always come back.

...hope this helps