The finish on US PRSes?

[Beery Swine]

Sorry if this is a super uninformed question, but my SC 245 and McCarty are the only US made guitars I have, and neither of them feel like the far East guitars, which all have poly finishes. I assumed the McCarty was nitrocellulose finish when I first touched it, but I couldn't be sure without a previous frame of reference.
So, they can't be cheap poly finishes, they feel totally different, and they're thinner, but when looking this up it was hard to nail down what type of finish it was. Are these nitro finishes, or something else?
Again, sorry if this is a super basic question I should already know.

 

[bodia]

They're something else. The last finish that they acknowledged by name was V12. I assume that would be Version 12, but not sure. It is some type of poly base coat with an acrylic urethane topcoat. You're right, it's thin. Nitro is used in Private Stock, and some special runs. New for 2020 on Core guitars, is the CAB finish. It's the same Nitro finish that is currently used in Private Stock.

 

[shinksma]

Finishes/lacquers have changed over the years. Some have been nitro, some a variant of poly, some custom blends such as the one known as "V12".

If you provide the years your guitars were made, that might help narrow it down. The 2020 McCartys, for example will have the new "nitro over celluose (CAB)" finish.

 

[Beery Swine]

I have a 2004 McCarty and a 2007 SC 245.