PRS new CAB finish, advice regarding a spot repair

[Erebus]

Hello all,

I have a 2021 PRS Custom 24 with the new CAB finish. I noticed on my neck around the second fret that a really small spot has developed discoloration.

I’ve sent it to the PRS in Europe, the technicians there told me that it’s from use or a stand, but I always store my guitar in its case.

Have any owners of new PRS guitars with the nitro over CAB finish faced this kind of issues with simple use? Is the new finish so sensitive? I haven't gigged my guitar, only used it at home and stored in the case.

Should I just accept that nitro will show such wear and tear, leave it as it is, and if it gets worse in the future or the same issue appears at other places in the neck address it then?

Any advice based on your experiences will be appreciated, thank you all.

https://imgur.com/a/Xgn3fqJ

 

[show_a_little_faith]

Judging by that last close-up, it almost looks more like an abrasion/scuff than a discoloration but maybe that's just the picture?
Nitro can have a reaction to certain materials like leather straps or some stand's foam rubber parts. You said you always keep it in the case, but you also said it's a 2021 - have you had it since then, or did you buy it used, or new-old-stock (hanging in a store for a couple of years)?
In other words, did it develop since you've owned it, or was it there when you bought but only recently noticed?
The location it's in is unusual, which leads me back to wondering if something scraped or scuffed it up there?

 

[Erebus]

Thank you very much for taking the time to answer.

I am the first and only owner, I bought the guitar in 2022, it’s a PRS Custom 24 limited edition Quilt top with a flamed maple neck and an ebony fingerboard.

This small spot developed recently, it wasn’t there before. Always stored in the case without my leather strap attached.

I haven’t hit the neck anywhere, and I am fully aware that no guitar will stay pristine ever, especially if they have a nitro finish, we buy guitars to play them.

The guys at PRS Europe have been great throughout this whole process, I haven’t got any complaints and I can’t thank them enough for their patience and assistance.

I am just asking for more opinions because I haven’t decided if I should repair the spot or it would be better to leave it alone, see if it gets worse over time or another similar issue appears at another spot of the neck and address it then.

If any other forum owners of new PRS guitars with the new finish don’t have an issue like that on their guitars, then it would make sense for me to just repair that spot and call it a day.

 

[pauloqs]

I have zero experience with PRS Europe. This is also something that I would just live with. Me personally wouldn’t have contacted PRS with this type of wear on the finish. However, as someone who has dealt with non-PRS guitar Customer Service in the US and Europe, this has triggered me a bit.

In the US it feels like Customer Service is trying to find a solution for you. They ask questions to gauge validity and try to minimize unnecessary costs when solutions are trivial or expectations are unreasonable. However, it feels like they legitimately are trying to find a solution for you, while still protecting themselves. Customer Service of American guitar companies in the EU, it’s basically just get tough luck buckaroo. Not claiming that’s what PRS Europe did to you, but your story did inspire me to make the connection.

 

[MarcWink]

When chording/playing in that area, is your thumb typically on/around that spot? If so, I'd say it's probably normal playing wear that in all likelihood came from a reaction between the finish and your body oils and sweat. Nitro is definitely a sensitive finish. As an example, I had an Alpine White Gibson Les Paul Custom, and after about a month and a half of almost daily playing for an hour or two, the neck started to yellow in the areas where I played most often. That being said, I've found that PRS has a slightly more robust nitro finish, but it's not quite as tough as the old poly/acrylic finishes that they used to use up through the mid 2010's.

 

[Erebus]

I have zero experience with PRS Europe. This is also something that I would just live with. Me personally wouldn’t have contacted PRS with this type of wear on the finish. However, as someone who has dealt with non-PRS guitar Customer Service in the US and Europe, this has triggered me a bit.

In the US it feels like Customer Service is trying to find a solution for you. They ask questions to gauge validity and try to minimize unnecessary costs when solutions are trivial or expectations are unreasonable. However, it feels like they legitimately are trying to find a solution for you, while still protecting themselves. Customer Service of American guitar companies in the EU, it’s basically just get tough luck buckaroo. Not claiming that’s what PRS Europe did to you, but your story did inspire me to make the connection.

I wouldn’t have contacted them either normally, I did it is because of the new nitro finish and PRS had in the past finish issues with the old V12 finish.

And that’s the reason I started this thread to gather more info and opinions from all of you more experienced owners of newer PRS guitars with nitro over CAB. If it’s just wear and tear then that’s inevitable.

Regarding PRS Europe, I have no complaints, on the contrary they have been great so far guiding me through the whole process and providing me with solutions.

I haven’t had any problems with any of my other guitars so I can’t really comment about other guitar companies and their support in the EU.

When chording/playing in that area, is your thumb typically on/around that spot? If so, I'd say it's probably normal playing wear that in all likelihood came from a reaction between the finish and your body oils and sweat. Nitro is definitely a sensitive finish. As an example, I had an Alpine White Gibson Les Paul Custom, and after about a month and a half of almost daily playing for an hour or two, the neck started to yellow in the areas where I played most often. That being said, I've found that PRS has a slightly more robust nitro finish, but it's not quite as tough as the old poly/acrylic finishes that they used to use up through the mid 2010's.

That’s what I knew also about nitro, it’s my first nitro guitar so I don’t have any first hand experience with the wear and tear and how fast it happens by playing a nitro guitar. But I also thought that the new finish PRS is using was tougher than regular nitro.

My thumb is usually lower than that spot when I play at those frets, but that doesn’t mean that it never touches that area. Thing is, I haven't played that much with this one, you could say it is kind of a case queen. I regularly play my other guitars, including an S2 Custom 24 from 2014, this guitar has seen countless hours of playing for ten years now and the finish is still in top condition.

Thank you all for sharing your experiences, you are helping me a lot with your input.

 

[Saberslash]

@Erebus Any news on this topic?