V12 ON AN ACOUSTIC???

[CHARISMAFIRE]

Has anyone seen or heard of a V12 finish on an acoustic? Why or why not would one choose this? I have it on a semi-hollow electric, and, I have handled alot of gtrs, and, I personally believe it to be the best gtr finish existing. It is incrediblly durable, feels slick and smooth, and most importantly it has a unique way of tying the entire instrument together into a resonate tone generating phenomena. Before I plug a gtr in, I rest my left ear on the instrument to listen to its acoustics directly to my head. Don't think this too strange unless you have tried it. This gives me a true taste of the tone without any seasoning of amps, mics, or ambient noise. Its the wood and strings directly to the ear. Anyway, with this new finish its almost impossible to do because the thing vibrates so intensely it will actually hurt my ear. It has an internal life that is too loud directly into the ear. As far as durability goes, I have accidently banged the V12 with blows that would have cracked acrylic for certain. In fact, the old "dipped in glass" reference to PRS finishes always sadly humored me a bit because in my past experiences I have found them to be so fragile that the really lived up to that reputation. Now this V12 is really special. I could go on with my opinions and I'm sure there are folks who hate it. This thread is not the place for that debate. What I want to focus on is the acoustic gtr finish question, since my feelings are now quite crystal that the V12 finish has done for gtrs what frosting has done for poptarts! -Thankyou-

 

[László]

I love the V12, too, but they only put nitro on the acoustics. This is evidently insisted on by Paul Smith, who can choose whatever finish he wants for them, so he must have his reasons.

 

[CHARISMAFIRE]

I haven't seen one before, so I am unsure if they have done it before.....but.....my PRS dealer checked into it, and, YES they will do it! It is a very thin, hard finish and I am confident that it will work as well as nitro sonically, or perhaps better. V12 is definately more durable. I am very happy with this. I will be posting the full specs I chose for my PS Angelus in the "Dream Gtrs" thread in the PS acoustic section of this forum as soon as the order is underway. I am grateful for all the imput and inspiration I have recieved both here and elsewhere. This should be a wonderful instrument, and a true work of art.

 

[CHARISMAFIRE]

Does anyone think that this is a bad idea? why?

 

[László]

Does anyone think that this is a bad idea? why?

I don't think it's a bad idea. My only concern would be if PRS hasn't done one that way, no one can predict how (or indeed, whether) the finish will affect the sound. But PRS may have done one or more that way, and they may be able to advise you on what would be the best way to go.

Like you, I'm not generally a big fan of nitro.

Some guitars turn out sticky, the finish cracks, sinks more easily, and there seems to be no scientifically verifiable reason to finish guitars in nitro at this point in time, unless one simply likes the look/feel of a nitro finish. Unless they sound better that way.

And while that's been a big-time subject of speculation in the webz over the years, I'm not 100% convinced that nitro sounds any different or better than V12. Moreover, like you, I dig V12. Still, there remains that chance, however small, that PRS uses nitro because it does something better tonally.

Having just gotten started on a PS acoustic, I went with the nitro because I figure Paul Smith knows more than me. But it's always possible that he just likes the idea of nitro, or the look and feel of nitro, or maybe nitro makes the guitar more attractive to prospective customers. Hard to say, except that the nitro Tonare sounds remarkably great. So for me, I'm a little loathe to fix what ain't broken.