Signatures and Info on Back of Headstock

BlueSkye

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Sep 20, 2019
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Hi, I have just purchased a PRS guitar and it is being shipped to me. It is a Private Stock with a Brazilian neck and fingerboard.

My question is regarding the signature in gold on the back of the headstock. Is the writing under any sort of finish to protect it or is it merely Sharpie on top of any finish? I want to make sure of how careful I need to be when handling the guitar.

Thank you.
 
If its like every other PRS, then it would have been written and signed before the last clear coat is sprayed on. In all the years that I have seen and even on guitars that are used and used and used, it would take some very rough treatment to wear down and remove the signatures. Considering where the signatures are, I would think that you would have to be playing it oddly or doing something to actively wear out that position. There are guitars that have been around for years, played until all the finish has come off in areas of contact, yet the area between the tuners and just below literally show no wear. move down an inch or two and then you see wear and an inch or two below that's where you tend to see bare wood wear. That is with the Nitro finish.

I know Private Stock can have Nitro finish but even if yours does too, the chances of wearing that area down is remarkably low through general play and care. Short of using a sandpaper or even buffing wheels for example, then you might wear through it but through general use, I would say you are safe...
 
The signatures appear to be under the clear coat on my PS models.

You might also be relieved to know that PRS’ nitro finish is very hard, wears extremely well, and even if you played the guitar for many years, I doubt any of the finish would wear off. I certainly have no worries about them, and I play them as I would any other guitar.

incidentally, nitro is pretty hard-wearing stuff! They originally painted cars with it: in fact, Cadillacs were finished in nitro lacquer until the 1960s because GM felt that it polished up better than the other finishes around back then.. The finishes held up to the road just fine.

I have an old ‘65 Gibson finished in nitro that I played for 25 years as my main axe, and the finish on the back of the neck shows no wear-through. The old Fender necks show much more finish wear than the old Gibsons for some reason, but knowing Leo Fender’s obsession with cost reduction, I’d guess that fewer coats were applied back then.
 
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But, alas, there's no finish on a rosewood neck.

I'm sure PRS customer service can give you some solid advice on care.

I completely missed that part too and I agree that the OP should contact PRS Customer Service on care. I still think that during the course of regular playing, you wouldn't have your hand on the signatures and where it is, shouldn't require any maintenance or hands on - it shouldn't be touched at all so shouldn't wear. I say shouldn't but that's with a 'general' user but there are always exceptions to the rule and you might be one of those. Its far better to get the information from PRS and not really need it rather than of really needed it but its now too late to be of use
 
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