Is this a QC issue or defect?

[Planter]

Hi Everyone,

I bought this guitar new last year at a PRS dealer here in town. This guitar is my first core model and from the moment I purchased this guitar I instantly became a PRS fan.So much so that I am not looking at ordering a McCarty 594 Hollowbody ii. Trouble is I may not be able to afford one unless I sell my P22 and a few other guitars for that matter. The issue I am referring to is the discoloration of the stain where the two maple pcs meet under the bridge. I kind of like the way it looks but a friend of mine said that it will hurt the trade value as it appears to be finished incorrectly. I can't tell if this discoloration was the result of something going wrong when it was sprayed or if its something to do with the natural color of the wood itself. Also opinions on if this would result would devalue the guitar are welcome.

it's a ten top BTW

 

[Planter]

And I just realized that I posted this in the wrong section of the forum and I don't know how to rectify that. Can one of the mods please move this to the right section.

Sorry about that.

 

[CandidPicker]

It's likely that the stain issue you're worried about is actually the photographed angle of the grain of the book match.

Does the guitar finish display differently when you hold the guitar at another angle, tilted away, towards, etc? If so, this image above may not accurately describe your guitar.

My educated guess is to photograph the guitar from several different angles (i.e. headstock facing upper right & lower right) and then allow the viewer to decide whether the guitar might have finish issues or not. However, if the different angles display the same feature from all angles, then yes, your guitar might have finish issues.

 

[Planter]

No its from every angle.

 

[WEDGE]

It happens, the line of dirty 100’s is a good example. Sometimes wood doesn’t take stain evenly. No biggie, adds character.

 

[Herr Squid]

That's a thing that wood does sometimes, just as Wedge said. I'd say that if it's not graded as a 10 top, it's not a defect. Some would consider it character, others might consider it a flaw.

 

[Planter]

It's graded as a 10 top...

 

[CandidPicker]

Thanks for providing the additional pics. What Wedge and Herr Squid said. Some might view this as an issue, but others might consider as giving the guitar character.

Perhaps looking at the guitar in context might be better than looking in part...?

 

[bodia]

Dude, I love this stuff! Quirky figure, weird streaks, etc. Totally dig!

 

[Bill SAS 513]

And...I love how a few flames get thicker near the neck pickup...beautiful axe, btw...

 

[Alnus Rubra]

It’s a stunner!

 

[Planter]

It's a nice top but I would hate to sell it for less than it's worth because of that blemish. Its seems that the consensus so far is that it's a natural "flaw" in the maple itself and not a mistake made when it was sprayed. Since those McCarty hollowbodys were announced I've been inching to order one. I'd hate to part with this one but I really want to pull the trigger on one.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

It's a nice top but I would hate to sell it for less than it's worth because of that blemish. Its seems that the consensus so far is that it's a natural "flaw" in the maple itself and not a mistake made when it was sprayed. Since those McCarty hollowbodys were announced I've been inching to order one. I'd hate to part with this one but I really want to pull the trigger on one.

I would class it as an anomaly rather than a flaw. You might be forced to keep it!

 

[AP515]

What you are seeing is not a stain and it's not a factory defect. What you are seeing is the edge of what is called "heartwood". It's the best part of the center of a maple tree. It doesn't take the stain the same way that the rest of the wood in the tree does and that is why it looks different. Here is a photo of my artist 20th Anni SC. Look at the heartwood in the bookmatch.
https://imgur.com/foNaOqq

 

[Planter]

Thank you that's the answer I was looking for. So no matter what there is no way to get the stain to cover evenly over this heartwood. So not a defect just a funky piece of wood. Very nice SC by the way.

I guess that explains why this guitar came with all of the appointments of an artist series guitar but was sold as a ten top. It might have been destined to be a artist series guitar but with the heartwood discoloration they may have decided to let it go as a ten top.

 

[dmatthews]

Yeah... what @AP515 said...
Trees don't do what we want them to, they do what they want, and we like it!

 

[AP515]

...I guess that explains why this guitar came with all of the appointments of an artist series guitar but was sold as a ten top. It might have been destined to be a artist series guitar but with the heartwood discoloration they may have decided to let it go as a ten top.

Your response presupposes that we look at heartwood as a detriment. Some of us look at it as a bonus. The definition of a 10 top is that at least 90% of the flame is consistent. An Artist top is a step above that. So while you may be right that they moved what might have been an Artist guitar to a 10 top, it may have been because of the non-conforming flame (which I love BTW), between the pickups, that forced the change more than the heartwood.

 

[Planter]

I just didn't know what was causing the discoloration I'm happy with the guitar itself. In fact, I found it funky and it stuck out over the other custom 24's at the store. It wasn't until I mentioned to a friend that I may sell it that the question if the heartwood would devalue the guitar came up.

 

[Mozzi]

I just didn't know what was causing the discoloration I'm happy with the guitar itself. In fact, I found it funky and it stuck out over the other custom 24's at the store. It wasn't until I mentioned to a friend that I may sell it that the question if the heartwood would devalue the guitar came up.

A used guitar is only worth what someone will be willing to pay for it! That goes for whether you sell privately or to a shop. There maybe some who will see that top and want to knock the price down a lot for that reason or just not interested at all and others will, like you, find it unique and funky and will try and knock the price down anyway but perhaps more reasonable. It really doesn't matter what the 'book' price of a used Custom 24 w 10top is, if people aren't willing to spend that for whatever reason, you won't get that. If you sell to a retailer, you certainly won't get that price for it.

If you like the guitar, like the way it sounds/plays etc, then that's all that matters unless you are planning to sell. However, if you are looking to sell its value to you will be different to anyone else's valuation - some may value it closer to 'book' price whilst others won't. I love my guitars and I wouldn't be happy to sell any of mine for 'book' price because I value mine more than that. Point is, people value guitars differently and that 'discolouration', even the colour itself, will be attractive to some and not to others and that will affect how they value the guitar - 10top or not.

 

[Planter]

Truthfully I would love to keep it and get a McCarty but unless I manage to find one used I dont think that is going to happen.