Vela Finish Cracking or Checking

[Jimster]

Hello Everyone,

I have a 2 or 3 year old PRS Vela Semi-Hollow with the finish cracking or checking. I opened a ticket with PRS support a week or two ago and am still waiting for someone to respond. I have several other instruments (Gibson, Kiesel, Taylor, etc.) and store them all the same way in my music studio and they don't have this issue. I don't think I have stored the Vela in an extreme temperature or humidity condition that would degrade the finish.

I think the color is called Frost Blue Metallic. Does anyone know if there have been any reported issues with this finish or with this instrument?

I tried to add a link to photo's but apparently, I can't post a link until I have made 3 posts to help identify spam.

 

[Jimster]

Post #2 so I can post pictures after 3.

 

[Jimster]

Post #3

 

[Jimster]

 

[Jimster]

 

[Jimster]

 

[Glide-bpm]

Oucho....

 

[bodia]

Yikes, that's nasty

 

[d^rren]

That is definitely checking, and that shouldn't be happening on a 2-3 year old guitar without being hit with extreme heat or cold.

 

[dmatthews]

Never seen that before. Good to see you opened a ticket.

 

[Jimster]

I'll post an update when/if I hear from PRS Support.

 

[Bobd]

Ouch ... I would say it's a structural problem with the body(wood) or the guitar faced severe impact...

 

[Bogner]

Some Brands Charge Good Money For That...

Sorry You Are Having An Issue. Hopefully Your Support Ticket Brings Swift And Favorable Resolution.

 

[SinSir]

Ouch ... I would say it's a structural problem with the body(wood) or the guitar faced severe impact...

Thats along the lines or my first thoughts. Definitely not normal.

 

[MarcWink]

Yikes, I've never seen that on a PRS of this age. There's definitely something up. Now that said, a certain G brand charges a hell of a lot of money to purposely do that to a brand new instrument.

Hopefully the CS folks at PRS will get you sorted in short order.

 

[DISTORT6]

I’d be fine with it. If it was the ENTIRE guitar.
That’s just me.
Weird being in just that one small section.

 

[Jimster]

Bobd: I don't see any signs of impact and don't recall ever dropping it.
DISTOR6: Ya, if I get stuck with it, it would be better to have the checking on the entire instrument.

I think this particular color, Frost Blue Metallic has been discontinued. This checking issue may be one of the reasons.

 

[Black Dog]

It's called mojo.

 

[Moondog Wily]

I have to agree with the problem being the wood beneath the finish. If it was from cold/heat, I would guess it would be more randomly dispersed on the guitar. This is all in a very concentrated area and not just a single crack. Did you purchase new from an authorized dealer? Hope they are able to resolve things for you!

 

[Bogner]

If There Are No Other Issues And This Is A Checking Incident Only This Type Of Thing Has To Start Somewhere. None Of The Guitars I Have That Are Checking All Stated At Once All Over The Place. Things Grew Over Time. The Lacquer (For Lack Of A Better Term) Could Be A Little Thicker Or Lighter In Some Areas And That Would Likely Effect Things.Once It Starts Checking It Will Likely Continue And Branch Out. Some Like The Look, Some Don't. I See Both Sides Of The Coin.