Ugh...got the dreaded cloudy finish.....

One of my very few disappointments with PRS, but this one is particularly intense a disappointment. It’s happened on 3 of my private stock guitars. I sure hope that number doesn’t grow.
I'm very curious now, are those with nitro finish, or poly ? What years ? I sure wouldn't want to see that happen on my PS.

I've had that at the heel on the first used CU24 Core I bought, I wasn't too familiar with PRS back then and didn't know that clouding was a thing.
The guitar had clearly been stored with too much humidity (close to the ocean, frets and all hardware very oxidized, etc...)

Thing is I had never ever seen that clouding on any acoustic or electric before looking at PRS guitars since I started playing 20-ish years ago.
The PRS rep I recently talked to decide between nitro vs poly for a PS build seemed almost offended by that factual observation.
 
I'm very curious now, are those with nitro finish, or poly ? What years ? I sure wouldn't want to see that happen on my PS.

I've had that at the heel on the first used CU24 Core I bought, I wasn't too familiar with PRS back then and didn't know that clouding was a thing.
The guitar had clearly been stored with too much humidity (close to the ocean, frets and all hardware very oxidized, etc...)

Thing is I had never ever seen that clouding on any acoustic or electric before looking at PRS guitars since I started playing 20-ish years ago.
The PRS rep I recently talked to decide between nitro vs poly for a PS build seemed almost offended by that factual observation.
Of the few that I have had with minor clouding, it's all been poly.
 
Pretty sure it's internal moisture...and has nothing whatsoever to do with "smokey bars"...

...and some of y'all still live in places where you can smoke in bars??

LOL. Was trying to put a positive spin on things. Serg seemed long-faced about this regards not being able to gig regularly... or perhaps I just didn't read him correctly...was just trying to be optimistic/full glass...
 
I'm very curious now, are those with nitro finish, or poly ? What years ? I sure wouldn't want to see that happen on my PS.

I've had that at the heel on the first used CU24 Core I bought, I wasn't too familiar with PRS back then and didn't know that clouding was a thing.
The guitar had clearly been stored with too much humidity (close to the ocean, frets and all hardware very oxidized, etc...)

Thing is I had never ever seen that clouding on any acoustic or electric before looking at PRS guitars since I started playing 20-ish years ago.
The PRS rep I recently talked to decide between nitro vs poly for a PS build seemed almost offended by that factual observation.
Between 2010 to 2015, thereabouts.
 
I've got some clouding in the nitro finish of my 40 year old Japanese SA1200 (335 clone). So it's not just PRS.
 
I have a Hollowbody II that has it really badly ( I bought it used like this), doesn't effect the way it plays or sounds so I try not to worry about it too much.
The back, the top has it too.

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I'd be more concerned about the snake! :eek:
 
I like to think of this as a built in “soft lens” effect that makes the guitar look more sultry in photos.

Kidding aside...this is a relatively infrequent occurrence in PRS guitars (in my experience)...around 1% I’d estimate. My guess is it’s much more frequent on other brands (Probably more than 25% for Hamers), it just shocks you more on a PRS because of their reputation for quality/perfection.
 
I wonder about the finish issues I see with PRS, I have some bubbles on the back of my core cu24. It doesn't really bother me, well occasionally it does. It doesn't affect playability in the slightest, and I love everything else about the guitar. The time or two I briefly looked it up the census seems to be it was a factory issue of prep, drying coating too heavy or drying between them. I never thought about he swamp issue, that helps for sure. Before I'd always thought who was the slacker that they had working for them or a maybe trainee? I'm going to use the swamp excuse!
 
"cloudy PRS" finish disease
What conditions do you store it in? Do you live in a particularly hot/humid or cold country? Any chance of any photos to see it?

I remember noted luthier, Robbie Gladwell, suggesting when one was liberating ones guitar from the case into a hot/humid or cold environment, one should ‘flap’ the lid and close, wait a few minutes, flap, close and wait several times to equilibriate the guitars finish and hardware to ambient to prevent issues developing.
 
I managed to dredge something out of an ancient memory about the misting of French polishing (or some thing similar) that suggested it was due to moisture reacting with/getting under the finish, likely from a fine bone china cup and saucer filled with Earl Grey (with lemon you heathen, not milk). The suggested remedy was using a hair dryer to drive the moisture out, if I remember correctly. You could try this maybe...not too hot and keep it moving and watch out for any deleterious effects.
 
In Thailand, where the humidity and temperature are averagely higher than the US, this issue is very common.

I'm administrating a Facebook group called PRS Thailand that consists of thousands PRS owners in this country and I've seen so many old PRS affected with it. We even got a Dragon 2002 with entire body heavily covered with cloudy finish, as well as many HB II guitars. There's nothing we can do much to escape from this to happen - be it cased or standing outside the case. It would happen as the finish formula isn't designed to resist our environment.

Almost all of owners in Thailand solve this issue by sending their guitars to get refinished by local luthier because sending those PRS back to the factory cost up to $3000 - which is clearly not worth it considering the price of the guitars. In some local repaint shops you'll see many 20th Anniversary Customs, including some that belong to my friends, got sanded and laid around waiting for staining.

For US owners, the cloudy finish issue may sound weird and unbelievable that it exists, but this has been considered a serious problem and many people here are avoiding buying used PRS here becaus of it. It's simply not okay to pay for refinish job on a $3000+ guitar, oh, except the Dragon 2002 below.

PRS has been making great guitars since the start of business, but they takes 35 years to conclude that CAB finish probably be the way out of all issue like they once said when debut of V12 finish 9 years ago. Who knows what to see in the future...

Just adding some photos that were shared in my group for some evidences.

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Wow that IS ugly. I assume these are nitrocellulose finishes? It seems madness to use nitro when modern polymers are so much more durable. So you think it’s a combination of heat and humidity that causes the issue?
 
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