New CAB Finish...who else has it? What do you think?

[Classical]

I bought a used Paul’s Guitar, so I am not sure if my experience is normal or because of the previous owner. It had some significant buildup of grime on the neck and on the body like it had been handled by someone adverse to washing their hands after eating burgers and fries. It seemed like I had to clean the guitar several times to get rid of the residue. Maybe it was coming from the case. In addition to the grime, it seemed to collect a lot of dust. I still deal with the dust, but not as often as when I first got it.
I prefer satin necks, but the gloss on this has been much better than some I have played. No stickiness for me. Maybe because I have gone over it so often with a cleaning cloth that I have polished the stickiness out of it.
I don’t know if I would be able to distinguish between poly and nitro finishes by looking at two guitars side by side, but it does look good. Imagined or real, it appears to be thinner with a different sheen that I can’t really describe.
When I first got the guitar I was thinking I should Sergio the thing and carve my name in the back. Then the ME-V was released and I thought about selling it. At that point I really started babying it so I could have the best chance at getting a good price out of it. I didn’t really play it much. The past couple of weeks I have started playing it more and I don’t think I will be letting it go. The release event next week might change my mind, but I think I might be better off hanging on to this one.

Either the previous owner was not very hygienic or he was rubbing the nitro on surfaces he shouldn't have been. Aka leather, rubber, and vinyl according to PRS faq about their new nitro finish.

Still wondering how their new finish is made is the nitro top coat is a separate layer from the CAB or are they all blended together??

 

[jak3af3r]

I'd be curious to see how these smell over time. If CAB stands for Cellulose Acetate Butyrate like I think it does, I have a set of screwdrivers with handles made of the same stuff (could be a different ratio of materials though) and as they gas off in the tool box they begin to smell slightly like vomit. A few days with the drawers open and they stop smelling so foul.

 

[László]

I'd be curious to see how these smell over time. If CAB stands for Cellulose Acetate Butyrate like I think it does, I have a set of screwdrivers with handles made of the same stuff (could be a different ratio of materials though) and as they gas off in the tool box they begin to smell slightly like vomit. A few days with the drawers open and they stop smelling so foul.

I've had mine since late summer/early fall. There's no smell.

I had a couple of Collings acoustics in the past with a similar type of finish, and they never smelled.

 

[Classical]

Yup no bad smell here lol. Mine's still less than a month old so it still smells like vanilla I'm assuming this is similar to the hyped Gibson smell..

 

[andy474x]

Is this finish susceptible to damage from guitar stands/hangers and the PRS cleaner?

 

[Stephen J.]

https://www.prsguitars.com/index.php/support/article/cleaning_and_polishing_tips

Cleaning and Polishing Tips
To prolong the life of the finish of your new PRS instrument, we highly recommend that after each use the entire instrument, including the strings, be wiped thoroughly with a soft, clean, dry cloth. We recommend PRS Guitar Cleaner and/or PRS Guitar Polish for all PRS guitars finishes.

Please note, if your guitar is uses nitro finish, we strongly recommend not hanging or setting the guitar in a guitar stand/hanger outfitted with chemically active synthetic/surgical tubing. Doing this may cause a chemical reaction with the nitrocellulose finish on the neck (ex: CE, Swamp Ash) or the body (ex: Modern Eagle, DGT, Sunburst Series), which could cause the finish to dissolve.

Nitro is also prone to chemically react to exposure to leather straps and other synthetic materials. Do not store your nitro-finished guitar with your leather strap attached as this could cause the finish to dissolve. This damage will not be covered under the PRS Limited Lifetime Warranty.

 

[aphantomvaper]

This isn't plain old nitro finish though, it's nitro over poly hybrid.

 

[Classical]

This isn't plain old nitro finish though, it's nitro over poly hybrid.

not polyurethane. It is nitro over CAB aka Cellulose Acetate Butyrate aka cellulose aka catalyzed acrylic. Poly or polyurethane is oil based and acrylic is water based. I researched all this information yet nobody knows how this blend is going to look or wear over time...

 

[bodia]

Is this finish susceptible to damage from guitar stands/hangers and the PRS cleaner?

This isn't plain old nitro finish though, it's nitro over poly hybrid.

I asked Shawn these two question back in June:

- Is the new finish permanent strap friendly? Meaning can I leave a strap on 24x7?
- When pickups are back in stock at the PRS Store, will they have the TCI treatment? Thinking of putting a 59/09 in my 2020 594, and just curious.

This was his response:

- It's not advised to leave a strap on the new finish 24/7. Eventually the leather or vinyl will eat the nitro.
- The pickups that are for sale will not be TCI tuned, only pickups that are used in new guitars have the new TCI technology for now.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

- Is the new finish permanent strap friendly? Meaning can I leave a strap on,
on 24x7?

Well come on, what did you think was going to happen?

 

[aphantomvaper]

Thanks for the clarification on that hybrid finish. Strap off!

 

[alantig]

- Is the new finish permanent strap friendly? Meaning can I leave a strap on 24x7?

Keeping the strap on can stop you from rolling out of bed.

 

[ViggoP]

That is a perfect Cu24. I would buy it in a heartbeat if I got a chance. It would be a perfect match to my MEV.

 

[László]

Is this finish susceptible to damage from guitar stands/hangers and the PRS cleaner?

Andy, I think the nitro top coat is going to be damaged from the wrong stands or hangers, because it's still nitrocellulose. But there are plenty of nitro-safe stands and hangers out there.

The PRS cleaner (the clear stuff without abrasives) was never harmful to nitro per PRS said. I've used it for years on my PS models, The old PRS polish could cloud the nitro. PRS is offering a new polish that is nitro-safe.

I can also recommend Virtuoso. I've used it for a long time on my PS models if something needed polishing.

By definition, a polish is abrasive, so I use polishes as little as possible.

 

[Arpeggio Andy]

Hey, guys! Another "Andy" here. I just bought the s2 McCarty 594 Singlecut in a gorgeous scarlet red color. It has the CAB finish too, I think. Is it safe to lean the guitar on a stand that I covered with white cotton socks? It looks a little weird, I know. But I don't want to damage the sweet finish on the guitar. Any more info would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Hey, guys! Another "Andy" here. I just bought the s2 McCarty 594 Singlecut in a gorgeous scarlet red color. It has the CAB finish too, I think. Is it safe to lean the guitar on a stand that I covered with white cotton socks? It looks a little weird, I know. But I don't want to damage the sweet finish on the guitar. Any more info would be appreciated. Thanks.

You could always change to black cotton socks! I think they’re safe too

 

[László]

Hey, guys! Another "Andy" here. I just bought the s2 McCarty 594 Singlecut in a gorgeous scarlet red color. It has the CAB finish too, I think. Is it safe to lean the guitar on a stand that I covered with white cotton socks? It looks a little weird, I know. But I don't want to damage the sweet finish on the guitar. Any more info would be appreciated. Thanks.

My guess is yes, should be safe.

 

[Simon Says]

From the horse mouth:

“The final piece of this 2020 McCarty puzzle is a new nitro-over-cellulose finish, or NOC, that originally was called CAB. But what does that actually mean?

“It’s simple,” says Paul to clarify. “CAB stands for cellulose acetate butyrate. It’s nitrocellulose lacquer mixed with Plexiglas. It’s crystal clear and acts a lot like nitro – it makes a wonderful base coat and we spray nitro over it.

“It’s that simple: it’s a nitro-ish base coat with a topcoat of nitrocellulose lacquer. It works great, looks great and sounds great. It’s now used on all USA PRS guitars except Private Stock and the David Grissom’s [DGTs], which are all nitro.”

 

[Arpeggio Andy]

I appreciate the feedback, but here's another question: Why are nitro-safe guitar stands non-existent in my local brick and mortar guitar store? (Yeah, it's the famous chain store that's been around forever.) With all these nitro-finish (or partially nitro-finished) guitars being made, you would think there'd be a big market for these things. I would also think PRS Inc. would make a bigger statement about the dangers of damaging such finishes on their specs pages, owner's manuals, etc.

In the end, I will probably order my nitro-safe stand from PRS's online store... which I'm sure is their idea all along.