V12 finish issues 2012 Custom 24 10 Top

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Nate

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Hey guys, i'm a proud new owner of a 2012 PRS (Lefty) & hence new to the forums here also! :)

My question is regarding PRS's new V12 finish. After some research i've found that they've been using this new finish since late 2010 and based on the glassy feel of my 2012 Custom 24 and ofcourse the date of production, it must be V12.

For those of you that have models with the finish, have you experience chipping and cracking that happens VERY easily with just regular use? I've had the guitar for no more than 5 days and have already had a noticable chip occur on the back of the neck and a small one on the back of the body and i've not even bumped it!

Needless to say as much as i love the new guitar, this fragile finish has taken the excitement away somewhat given i paid alot for this guitar. It seems this finish is not even nearly as durable as any other previous PRS finish.
 
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I've had no problems at all with the V12.

It is a very thin finish, they do it that way for reasons of tone. The idea is that a thicker finish impedes the resonance of the guitar.

It may be easier to chip than PRS' older, thicker finishes. However, I've been playing PRS since 1991, and haven't noticed a difference, but I'm a pretty careful guy, so take that for what it's worth.
 
The finish is thin, but doesn't chip all by itself....

If you have dings that are definitely new and you are absolutely positive the guitar was not bumped, try contacting customer service.
 
Thanks for your replys. I do absolutely love the guitar and understand the tonal improvements with a very thin & hard finish such as this.

I'll keep an eye on it over time I guess. I own another Charles Cilia Strat with a thin modern finish that is still perfect after gigging 2/3 nights a week for quite awhile.

I'm probably over careful with all my guitars so the easy chips and scratches do come as a surprise!
 
That is definitely not a typical issue, especially not with a core model like yours. All of mine have had no such problems, but I am super protective in that regard, because I have 3 grand kids who bear the strictest supervision whenever they are allowed into Poppa's music room. I would absolutely check with customer service as suggested by ruger.
 
My SC 58 had problems with some separation on the edge of the fretboard. So I sold it. Very skeptical of the V12 finish. Just my opinion, the old finish process is much better hands down.
 
Just take some good photos and send PTC an email they have been great with me !!!
 
My problem is that I bought it used. Not being the original owner means I have no recourse on this.

I may take it to the luthier who built my strat and get the chip on the back of the neck touched up & just hope I have no more dramas with it!

On the plus side, this guitar is just wonderful to play and hear. Being a single coil Strat player for 12 years, this guitar is a revelation!
 
I will say it again if you own a PRS product and are having an issue you owe it to yourself to contact PTC !!!!
original owner or not -- "in my experience" PRS will stand behind there product.
 
Rider1260 said:
I will say it again if you own a PRS product and are having an issue you owe it to yourself to contact PTC !!!!
original owner or not -- "in my experience" PRS will stand behind there product.
Click to expand...
^^^ THIS ^^^
One of the few remaining companies that care about you/your gear whether you purchased new or used. Huge selling point for me to invest in a PRS product.
 
Comparing the V12 lacquer of my really adored PRS with the PU-coating of my luthier made guitar.
The PU coating is as thin as you can feel (and see in the breaking light) the flames of the maple of top, back, and headstock frontside.
But this coating is like armour. No dings and dongs up to now.
V12 is thin, indeed, but not as thin as the coating mentioned above, because it has a flat surface. It is supposed that the V12 coating didn't have the time to descend on the wooden surface or - after sanding - on each lacquer layer.
I have my PRS since NOV 2011, I purchased it new from the trader's stock. Regular useage leads to (light) scratches, dings and dongs. I take care of preventing serious hazards.

But this is driven by use.

Positions with "faulty" lacquer on a PRS, where intended use has no impact on it, should being recorded by appropriate means (f.e. camera) and send to your official PRS trader, or even to Customer Service or PTC directly to receive advice sufficient suggestions, advice, or support.
 
I have a 2012 Custom 24 and have experienced the V12 finish flaking. From what I understand it had something to do with air pockets getting in between the wood and clear coat.

I have a little flaking on the headstock and a couple tiny areas on the body where I can see the clear coat "raised" off the body but never ended up flaking.

It's never really bothered me enough to do anything about it, the guitar plays and sounds absolutely beautiful. But if it's something that does bother you, I'm sure contacting PRS will prove fruitful in getting the issue resolved.
 
ElrytNamrogo said:
I have a 2012 Custom 24 and have experienced the V12 finish flaking. From what I understand it had something to do with air pockets getting in between the wood and clear coat.

I have a little flaking on the headstock and a couple tiny areas on the body where I can see the clear coat "raised" off the body but never ended up flaking.

It's never really bothered me enough to do anything about it, the guitar plays and sounds absolutely beautiful. But if it's something that does bother you, I'm sure contacting PRS will prove fruitful in getting the issue resolved.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the input. Not an uncommon problem with V12 it seems. Being in Australia makes it a little bit of a task to ship it back to the US & have PRS re-touch up any flaking spots.

I may just accept that the finish is more brittle than some of my other guitars. I also have a form of very thin PU on my luthier custom built strat that is indescructible in comparison.

The custom 24 sounds superb. It sustains & resonates better than any guitar i've ever heard. Probably due somewhat to the very thin, hard (& yes brittle) finish.

The guitar may look like a well-loved relic in a few years. I was hoping my strat would be the one :D
 
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The issue of of the V12 de-laminating was usually seen where the neck meets the fretboard and not random spots on the neck or body. You might not have noticed the imperfections when you got the guitar. They may always have been there. I have a 2012 MC58 and I haven't noticed anything delicate about the finish.
 
Yeah, I went over this thing completely when I first got it....I went over it obsessively. It was my first brand new PRS and, as anyone else would I suppose, wanted to drool over how beautiful it was but also check to see if there were any imperfections. I even had a couple pictures of the guitar the day I got it. After I noticed the spot, I went back to check the pictures and the spot wasn't on the body. I think it showed up after about 8 months of owning the guitar.

Random probably wasn't the word I should have used. The spot on the body is on the edge near the binding, rather than dead center on top. Running my finger over it, I can tell the finish has lifted. There are couple of very tiny spots (size of maybe a pinhead) on the sides, they take on a slightly yellowish color. The only flaking spots are on the head stock, right at the horn and on the edge by the tuners. I also have a couple at the upper frets, like Drew said, where the neck meets the fretboard. Those aren't flaking, but it's the same issue where it looks like it's raised a bit and yellow in color. From what I have seen, the spots can really show up anywhere, but are most common on the edges of the guitar and at the neck joint.
 
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