Vintage yellow Custom 24

[Duffy]

I have a new SE Custom 24 in vintage yellow about to arrive.

Based on the photos on the various web pages and pictures people have taken, I am wondering what color I should expect to receive. There seems to be great variance in the color as seen in the photos. This must be a difficult color/finish to photograph. I have seen everything from an almost quilt mustard color to a very light washed out looking flame.

What can I reasonably expect the color/finish to look like? Will it be more of a flame or a quilt?

I wonder why this color displays so much variance in its pictures. The PRS site displays the "Products" and the pictures of the SE Custom 24 look great in their images. They show a tight flame and a lot of contrast in the vintage yellow color. Is this the color that most are greeted with when the box is unsealed?

Any feedback is, as always, greatly appreciated.

Has anyone else noticed a significant variance in the color of the guitar as shown in the various forum posts and web page images?

This is a very cool guitar in my opinion and I hope that the color is going to be remarkably impressive.

 

[JMintzer]

My guess is it will be Vintage Yellow...

But yes, the color -can- vary, depending on the underlying maple... No way to know until you see it...

 

[tonyvenn]

Hi ya!

This is one of my biggest pet peeves of the PRS website.

Click on "colors" for whatever model...and you get a handy square of a color splotch.

And $4000 later......

It would be nothing to create a good "gallery" on their website. I say this mainly because, PRS finishes really are a work of art that CANNOT be appreciated or fully imagined without seeing it in its totality on a guitar.

Take for example, the private stock color "beach fade" I think it's called. It means nothing until you SEE what the artist intended with it on a quilt top....water fading from a beach out to deep blue sea. It's quite stunning.

Another example...that speaks to your comment...Makena Blue. This is my current fave...but it varies from blue center to green center, etc.

If/when I'm ready to order...I want to specify HOW I want the color to appear, but not seem pushy. But it's my guitar, right?

For you....and Vintage Yellow....it's probably one of their first, if not their VERY first colors. It's a very consistant color. I'm sure what you saw in the pics will be exactly what you get. Same with their Whale Blue, Red and even the McCarty burst. All very consistent.

The thing with flame or quilt....most PRS stuff seems to be flame. But I have noticed as you go up the scale towards "10 top", the flame gets "tighter"....

I've seen quilts that are flame-ish, because the quilt "pockets" are long and not terribly defined. This is actually quite nice...you end up with a "Flilt Top"....

I wish I had some examples to show you.

I think...back in the day, PRS finishes faded. I've seen Whale Blues fade out to weird light blue/greys I think now with their V12 finishes, the colors are more consistent and stay "true"


Enjoy your axe!

T

 

[László]

It would be nothing to create a good "gallery" on their website. I say this mainly because, PRS finishes really are a work of art that CANNOT be appreciated or fully imagined without seeing it in its totality on a guitar.

Might pay to do a little search on the PRS website...no need for peeves to be your pets:

http://www.prsguitars.com/maplecolors/

There are other galleries on the site as well. You can generally find very good pictures of complete guitars with more finishes than the 2014 ones.

I think...back in the day, PRS finishes faded. I've seen Whale Blues fade out to weird light blue/greys I think now with their V12 finishes, the colors are more consistent and stay "true"

Actually, you're confusing the clear lacquer coat V12 (or poly, or nitro) finish with the stains that are underneath the finish. The V12 doesn't prevent light from reaching the stains. And stains react to light. All of them do, to some degree. Light activates chemicals in the stain, just as it activates chemicals on photographic film.

Stains are made of binders, solvents and dyes. The organic dyes in transparent stains that allow you to see the wood grain vary in the way they react to exposure to photons. Even inorganic dyes vary, and some colors might be a mixture of organic and inorganic elements.

Some colors are very highly reactive to light, and will fade more if exposed to light than other colors. The amount of the fading depends on the amount of light and the length of time of the exposure to light (it can be sunlight or artificial light, again, some colors fade more with UV light, some fade just fine with artificial light - it's all a question of photons and photosensitivity of the dyes). This remains true with any clear coat formula.

Anyone who doesn't want fading needs to understand that the most effective prevention is to put the guitar in its case when it's not being played.

One reason I like the browns, yellows, reds and oranges more than, say, the blue shades, is how they tend to look a little more natural on the wood after years of use and some fading. But that's just a personal preference of course.

While inorganic dyes are a bit less prone to fading, the problem is that inorganic dyes are more opaque and conceal the wood, which is the opposite of what you want when you see a beautiful piece of wood. So guitar makers generally have no choice but to use organic dyes in their stains, and guitar owners have to accept the natural fading that inevitably occurs.

I think the reason we don't see much fading on V12 guitars is the simple fact that they're new and haven't had as much time to fade.

As to variety in colors from guitar to guitar, the stains soak into the wood, and therefore each piece of wood takes the stain a little differently. And the figure in the wood varies between light and dark, plus the figure also grabs stain a bit differently from guitar to guitar.

So the PRS color mix can be very consistent, and yet despite this, a dark piece of wood will have a different result from a light piece of wood. Then, too, the color of the wood changes as the wood ages, another reason that colors change over time.

Vintage Yellow is pretty consistent among PRS colors, but it would be unreasonable to expect guitars not to vary to some degree.

Bottom line: wood isn't formica, and the guitars are stained their colors, not painted a color like a car. The exact color can't be controlled in the same way. Enjoy the guitar for what it is, a musical instrument!

 

[Duffy]

Enjoy the guitar for what it is, a musical instrument!

Yes. I can dig this whole statement - simple but true. It is all about the enjoyment of playing the guitar, and that whole vibe, mojo thing - in my opinion.

I'm getting a vintage yellow one and I have noticed quite a variation of renditions of the color in various pictures across the internet. I suppose camera angle, lighting, exposure, etc., can be attributed to the differences. I imagine that the pictures on the PRS "Product" pages of the site actually reproduce the color quite well, which I'm cool with because I like that color as shown.

I don't usually use the color of a guitar as one of my main reasons for picking a certain guitar; I focus on the feel of the guitar, the playability and comfort, and the naturally produced sounds, among other things like the quality of the finish, craftsmanship, etc.

Hopefully I will actually dig the color scheme in hand when the time comes. Some colors really stand out in my guitars, by comparison to similar ones; if you know what I mean. They are not ten tops or anything special, they are just special in a subtle, unstructured type of way. I have an Agile AL-3125 honey burst flame that is that way, just striking.

I'm sure I'll be pleased however PRS has done my guitar. Pictures will follow.

 

[László]

Yes. I can dig this whole statement - simple but true. It is all about the enjoyment of playing the guitar, and that whole vibe, mojo thing - in my opinion.

I'm getting a vintage yellow one and I have noticed quite a variation of renditions of the color in various pictures across the internet. I suppose camera angle, lighting, exposure, etc., can be attributed to the differences. I imagine that the pictures on the PRS "Product" pages of the site actually reproduce the color quite well, which I'm cool with because I like that color as shown.

I don't usually use the color of a guitar as one of my main reasons for picking a certain guitar; I focus on the feel of the guitar, the playability and comfort, and the naturally produced sounds, among other things like the quality of the finish, craftsmanship, etc.

Hopefully I will actually dig the color scheme in hand when the time comes. Some colors really stand out in my guitars, by comparison to similar ones; if you know what I mean. They are not ten tops or anything special, they are just special in a subtle, unstructured type of way. I have an Agile AL-3125 honey burst flame that is that way, just striking.

I'm sure I'll be pleased however PRS has done my guitar. Pictures will follow.

No doubt it'll be great and you'll love it.

PRS are such great guitars and so often we get wrapped up in which one has the flame that appeals most, or the color, etc., but I think sometimes we lose track of the key ingredients: the tone and playability!

The good news on that front is that they're as consistent in tone and playability IMHO as in looks. They look great, yes, but they also sound wonderful and play really well. Congrats on yours!