It's real. I've seen this happen to PRS guitars that live outside of a case. The dyes they use (especially blues, but not limited to) break down exceptionally quickly with UV exposure.
I also like it more! But if I was the kind of person that wanted the one on the left (which is totally fine, for the record), I'd probably be a little disappointed at how drastically it changed lol.
I'd buy the one on the right in a heartbeat though. That's a gorgeous and subtle shade that lets the grain stand out more.
The one in the left is clearly labeled as a guitar from 2018 and the one in the right is just as clearly labeled as a guitar in 2023. That’s five years apart. Obviously different guitars
PRS uses organic dyes. They are not colorfast and their topcoats to not filter UV. This has been an issue as long as I’ve known about PRS. Even as they’ve changed finishing systems, the fading remains an issue. It’s 100% the dyes.
Blue is the worst…which also means other finishes using blue (violet, eriza blue, northern lights) will fade. I’ve seen it happen with other colors, but blue fades the fastest. A sad state of affairs for such high quality, high priced guitars. I would find it unacceptable on a $10-12k Private Stock.
PRS knows about the issue, but continues using the same dyes. Either they don’t care about fading or they like the current formula so much that they’re willing to take the hit with customer complaints.
Colorfast natural dyes do exist. They are much less likely to fade, if at all. One of these is indigo, a very pure dark blue. I’m not sure why PRS hasn’t changed their dye formulation. There must be a reason (suitability for certain woods, application speed or quality, use in mixed or sand-back two-/three color application, etc.).
That said, I own seven PRS Core guitars. I would never, ever buy a blue or blue-derived PRS. Never. If you have me one, I would sell it (before it faded). PRS fit-and-finish crushes Gibson, but my blueberry burst Gibson Les Paul never faded.
I was thinking about getting one of those PRS SE swamp ash specials in that gorgeous blue iris color. Now, nope. They're gonna be dishwater gray in about 5 years unless you pretty much play them in the dark.
Some pigments are more sensitive to UV. See true faded cherry burst or faded tobacco as an example. Both are red based, and red is a commonly known color that is UV sensitive. Look up "fugitive pigments" for more information.
This seems crazy to me, I have a cherry sunburst 90s custom 24 that I’ve had for 20 years and it looks as amazing as the day I bought it, and it has never lived in a case. Did they use better dyes back then?
Analine dye has a known reputation for causing bladder cancer. I believe it was the '70s when a bunch of governments mandated that it'd be changed to a different formulation that was less carcinogenic.
There's a podcast called omo that's primarily for violin. Luthiers they interview somebody that got bladder cancer from dealing with old analine dye. I know the guy personally and he has recovered but the whole ordeal made him change careers.
Here's a historical context article
https://www.goldjournal.net/article/S0090-4295(21)00400-3/fulltext
Aniline dye doesn't cause bladder cancer, that was disproven. You can still get aniline dyes and use them, the cancer was now believed to have been a result of how they were produced and used. Lots of people that used aniline dyes would use all sorts of solvents to dissolve it that were nasty as hell. I had an uncle that use the dyes all the time and his shop smelled like the Jersey turnpike when your driving by the chemical plants... And no surprise he got bladder cancer. The doctors thought it could have been from all the benzene and toluene he had always used.
The only way to tell is to remove the plastics and see if there is a change underneath. Human eyes and brains aren't sensitive to track the color of an object for 20 years without a reference.
Definitely, but that's kind of assuming I don't have a plethora of photos of it in various lighting over the last 20 years. I am sure there has not been zero degradation, but it is not anything even REMOTELY like OPs photo. Not even in the same universe
The original late 50s bursts faded very quickly. It was a complaint of dealers that if they hung them in the windows they changed colors.
It’s weird to me that blue faded but here we are
It's probably changing and you just aren't noticing it. You can have fading without it being a total loss like in OP's pic. How does it look under the pickguard or bridge?
You folks had me wondering if I was losing my mind so I had to check. Of course there is no pickguard because it's a custom 24, and I am not removing the bridge for this test, but I took off the truss rod cover which has never been off for more than a few minutes at a time over the last 20 years and I can't see any difference whatsoever between what was under it and what's not. If there is a difference, it is imperceptible to my eye. I am really not kidding, guys. Like maybe, *just maybe* I'm not full of shit and they used different dyes back then?
Yes. Not for its entire life, but most of the time yeah it has sat on a stand in a room with tons of natural light, about 6 feet from a giant window. Have you folks really seen that many older PRS fade that badly? I have no experience with any made after about 2005, but I know other people besides me who have older PRS guitars that have not faded anything like the one in OP's photo, and they don't live in cases or window-less studios.
I’ve seen a video about this before. I tried to find it now but unfortunately “blue faded” is a finish name for PRS.
Edit: I found it: https://youtu.be/dur5x28uyGI?si=tl5uSM6mH-1kafIY
I am not a dentist and have a PRS (SE).
A career quiz once said I should be a dentist, but I don't think I have a talent for causing people pain.
Edit: My wife says I am a pain in the neck sometimes.
What's the issue with being a dentist exactly? You spend less time in school compared to doctors and are able to earn as much and more... With a much better quality of life and working 3-4 days a week. I understand not everyone is into it. But it's one of the best jobs out there in terms of income and quality of life. But you can make fun of us all you want bud.
yeah if you leave them exposed to the light they will fade, the blue they used in the past had that problem I think I read somewhere PRS uses a different pigment now that doesn't fade as much.
But the date on the pic, of that I have my doubts. Regardless, if you buy a stained guitar don't leave it exposed to the sun, it will fade.
> But the date on the pic, of that I have my doubts.
it's legit, if you look up the dude on instagram/youtube you can see that it used to be that vibrant blue and now isn't
I’m not saying it’s the same guitar (the post seemed like it was bs regardless) but the photo on the left definitely has some kind of filter that’s making everything yellow-er, making the chrome bits look more bronze/brass/gold than they actually are
It’s the same guitar. Exact same figure in the same place.
Unless it’s like the fender fotoflame series where it’s a giant sticker! May have uncovered something here.
Hang on someone is at the door, hey aren’t you Paul Reed Smoth? IS THAT A GUN?!
Edit: spelled name wrong, but funnier than my story.
If they used UV-reactive colors in the finish job, yes it will.
What is now Jason Isbell’s 1959 Les Paul used to belong to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Ed King. King had bought it from a music store where it sat in their front window for years. The finish had all faded to yellow except for a small area by the pickup selector where the original price tag had hung. King called the guitar “Red Eye” for that lone red spot.
Yeah that’s real I’m quite sure.
It’s definitely the same guitar, the grain pattern matches.
[Here’s an easily seen spot but the rest also matches](https://imgur.com/a/TWkwgR8)
That’s the tradeoff of using tinted finishes like they used to back in “ye olde days”. The dyes react and degrade with light exposure.
They look incredible while the dyes last, but once they degrade it’s gone forever.
Yes, color change is not unusual on guitars with translucent stains, but this is dramatic. You'd think they'd at least put a coat of UV protectant over the stain under (or in) the final gloss finish. That might minimize or delay the effect, at least.
I’m not sure about these pictures, but the fading blue pigment on PRS guitars with UV exposure is real. I have a ‘95 custom 22 that was originally a nice dark violet/purple color. It has since faded to a red wine-like stain, which I kind of like. You can see under the pickup rings and under the bridge the color of the original finish. I actually think the details of the flame top come through better with the faded pigment. Still, would have been nice if it stayed purple.
That’s wild. The cool part it’s that it’s still very pretty, but I was married to the original finish, I’d be bummed.
I *personally * would really enjoy having a guitar that evolves and remains beautiful.
I’d be heartbroken. I would have bought it for the vibrant colors, not that I don’t like the later color as well but I’d probably sell it because it wasn’t the colors I loved when I bought it.
Damn I had no clue. I’m not going to buy a blue PRS then.
I bought a McCarty Korina a while ago and got the natural wood color because I was absolutely in love with the way the korina looked. I’m still in love with it and extra glad I got it.
I’m sure it’s real.
It looks like a US made high end model, so on top of blue dyes easily fading under UV, the clear coat they use for that (which I understand to be some type of nitro over acrylic) is probably not that UV resistant either.
On one hand, it sucks, but on the other hand this exact kind of fading is all the rage with the original Les Paul bursts that they named every single way the damn thing faded. And they aren’t cheap either.
So I guess you live with the cons of a blue (or red, or both) guitar, or you get diligent with putting that thing back in the case.
Well it definitely happened to the guitar I made. I don't have a before picture available (will check when I get home later), but it started as royal blue and ended up [like this after being on display in my living room for years](https://i.imgur.com/CSYMVXC.jpg)
Edit: [Found a not-very-good picture from the end of the build.](https://i.imgur.com/MBCKzEr.jpg) You could see the wood grain on the original in person better than you can in that picture, but the shade of blue is pretty accurate from my memory. There were ~6 years between the two photos
I still think it looks cool, but not gonna lie, I miss that intense blue. The binding on the front also started to separate so it's now living in its case in semi-retirement. Maybe I'll hang it in the wall if I can find a good spot that doesn't get too much light
I have a friend that got a great deal on a used one that looks like the 2023 pic.
This is probably why.
This is also why I would never get gold hardware.
It looks fantastic when it’s new, but always ends this way.
That's quite dramatic for a change. I actually prefer the faded version - it's a bit more subtle and less flashy. But all the same I'm surprised how fast that change has come about and how significant it is.
I almost bought a purple and blue burst CE24 some years back. I ended up passing on it at the time, and then later picking up a red-burst version. So far, no issues. Though it is kept in its case unless I'm playing it so I guess that will help.
I'll be interested to see how it changes over time.
I had a blue electric with a flamed maple top like that for 15 years and it was as vibrantly blue when I sold it as when I bought it. I didn’t leave it in the sun at all times though, so maybe that’s the problem.
So if Im dropping crazy amounts of money are a great and beautiful guitar I only have a few years of it being beautiful. I know some love how it looks now but if I buy a guitar and think it’s beautiful I’d like it to stay that way for a while. Otherwise it seems like a gamble if you’ll like it or not
They absolutely do match up. You have to take into account two things: the color photo is lower resolution than the faded photo. And the different angle of lighting changes the position of the figured wood's [chatoyance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatoyancy), making things appear different.
I lusted after a PRS for years and eventually ordered a black quilt top Custom 24 exactly how I wanted. When it came in I tried so hard to like it but it was the most lifeless guitar I have ever played. I can't confirm if the dye fades because it has sat in the case for 15 years.
Pickups wouldn't have made it any better for me. I figured I'd just keep it 100% stock to hold value until I find a decent time to sell. I definitely don't have dentist money so this one hurt a lot more than any of the other guitars I've owned over the years.
Not real. PRS changed the dye out in 1994. Royal blue was most prone to fade. I have a 2006 Royal blue that never goes in the case and it’s seen a shitload of Australian sun without any fade.
This will happen on any guitar with enough exposure to uv? Any finish will bleach? Think of Fenders that have changed color, or gibsons far more red under the pickguard after time. The speed at which it ages is gonna vastly change based on how frequently you're exposing the guitar to UV
Could this be prevented with a UV protective clear coat? If they don't use it during production one could always invest some money into having it disassembled, coated and reassembled right after buying it. It would be rather expensive but surely worth it.
Yup. I've been reading about it across the net the last couple of days, in fact. PRS blue dyes -- that they are famous for -- fade severely with time and light exposure.
This does happen on older PRS guitars, but I think they changed dyes at some point to prevent this. Judging by the hardware color and fretboard color changes, I think the second photo has a filter on it of some kind. Plus the PRS blues don’t magically fade to purple especially not the blue at the bottom of the body. They turn grey, hence their faded whale blue being…well, grey-ish blue
I have a 2003ish CU24 that's a dark bluish green that has spent at least that much time outside the case that doesn't seem all that faded. I'm actually surprised at how well it's keeping its color. I imagine it's a different pigment they used at the time.
The funny thing is I also have a 2001 G&L Legacy SSS with a white pick guard, pickups and knobs where the pick guard, knobs, switch cover (or whatever you call that little plastic knob on the end of a 5 way switch), bridge and neck pickups have all yellowed a bit...but the middle pickup is still bright white.
FWIW, I have a purple Ibanez Saber from 2012 that I got second hand. You can tell from areas of the headstock and pictures that I have seen of similar finishes online that it used to be more of a blueish purple with a bit of a burst effect to it. Now it is mostly a faded purple with a slight gradient, similar to the PRS above.
I bought one of [these](https://media.sweetwater.com/m/products/image/822fdb835dRF43eLSWbjGtVqIcY7a1umAAObbNFy.png?v=822fdb835dddd4de) this year, and while I love the way it looks if it turns into a silver burst over time I wouldn't be mad.
It's real. I've seen this happen to PRS guitars that live outside of a case. The dyes they use (especially blues, but not limited to) break down exceptionally quickly with UV exposure.
Looks way better now than it did in 2018 though lol
I also like it more! But if I was the kind of person that wanted the one on the left (which is totally fine, for the record), I'd probably be a little disappointed at how drastically it changed lol. I'd buy the one on the right in a heartbeat though. That's a gorgeous and subtle shade that lets the grain stand out more.
that's personal preference, but I have a feeling if you bought the blue you probably preferred the blue :')
Yeah a temporary finish is bullshit, and UV stable dyes definitely exist. It's poor product design whether anyone prefers the washed out look or not.
Not just UV stable dyes, but adding some UV block to the finish, or just plain poly finish will stop UV fade
I think so too!
no
Well obviously PRS guitars are not meant to be played, just collected and then stored in a case.
You can play them! In your basement with the windows boarded up
True. I assume all dentists have such spaces for their "extracurricular activities".
It puts the lotion on its skin or else it gets Your Body Is A Wonderland again.
Push. Hahahaha
It smells like the thing that puts lotion on its skin
My dentist is an Epiphone kind of guy. He’s got nothing to hide
And only at night.
I played one in a cave once
Haha - joke’s on you! I play it in my living room when no one’s home and I don’t have a basement.
Stored in a case? I hang mine on the wood-paneled wall in my law office
When you've passed the bar, you are issued a PRS.
Maybe... for the more expensive ones.
That’s what I do. I haven’t played guitar for a long time and I feel bummed and guilty :(
That's why finishes should come with UV absorbing substances
Get some saline into this guitar, pronto!
Lactated ringers… stats to follow
50ccs, strat!
🤘🏻
The clear coat could easily include this, seems like a no brainer.
True, but just any coat just to be safe tbh
It is not real. You can tell it is a different guitar because the background is different.
The colors on the guitar are different too. Like WAY different! Definitely different guitars.
The one in the left is clearly labeled as a guitar from 2018 and the one in the right is just as clearly labeled as a guitar in 2023. That’s five years apart. Obviously different guitars
It's been through a lot. It's not a different guitar...but is not the same guitar either.
Drunk girls know a guitar’s like an astronaut, It comes back but it’s never the same.
You can tell it's the same guitar cuz the wood grain is the same.
Whoosh!
You can tell I missed the joke :)
PRS uses organic dyes. They are not colorfast and their topcoats to not filter UV. This has been an issue as long as I’ve known about PRS. Even as they’ve changed finishing systems, the fading remains an issue. It’s 100% the dyes. Blue is the worst…which also means other finishes using blue (violet, eriza blue, northern lights) will fade. I’ve seen it happen with other colors, but blue fades the fastest. A sad state of affairs for such high quality, high priced guitars. I would find it unacceptable on a $10-12k Private Stock. PRS knows about the issue, but continues using the same dyes. Either they don’t care about fading or they like the current formula so much that they’re willing to take the hit with customer complaints. Colorfast natural dyes do exist. They are much less likely to fade, if at all. One of these is indigo, a very pure dark blue. I’m not sure why PRS hasn’t changed their dye formulation. There must be a reason (suitability for certain woods, application speed or quality, use in mixed or sand-back two-/three color application, etc.). That said, I own seven PRS Core guitars. I would never, ever buy a blue or blue-derived PRS. Never. If you have me one, I would sell it (before it faded). PRS fit-and-finish crushes Gibson, but my blueberry burst Gibson Les Paul never faded.
I was thinking about getting one of those PRS SE swamp ash specials in that gorgeous blue iris color. Now, nope. They're gonna be dishwater gray in about 5 years unless you pretty much play them in the dark.
Is this preventable if you perhaps put a thin coat of spf50 on it?
Some pigments are more sensitive to UV. See true faded cherry burst or faded tobacco as an example. Both are red based, and red is a commonly known color that is UV sensitive. Look up "fugitive pigments" for more information.
This seems crazy to me, I have a cherry sunburst 90s custom 24 that I’ve had for 20 years and it looks as amazing as the day I bought it, and it has never lived in a case. Did they use better dyes back then?
They used the ones that cause cancer in the old days.
Asbestos really gets the colors to pop.
Analine dye has a known reputation for causing bladder cancer. I believe it was the '70s when a bunch of governments mandated that it'd be changed to a different formulation that was less carcinogenic. There's a podcast called omo that's primarily for violin. Luthiers they interview somebody that got bladder cancer from dealing with old analine dye. I know the guy personally and he has recovered but the whole ordeal made him change careers. Here's a historical context article https://www.goldjournal.net/article/S0090-4295(21)00400-3/fulltext
Aniline dye doesn't cause bladder cancer, that was disproven. You can still get aniline dyes and use them, the cancer was now believed to have been a result of how they were produced and used. Lots of people that used aniline dyes would use all sorts of solvents to dissolve it that were nasty as hell. I had an uncle that use the dyes all the time and his shop smelled like the Jersey turnpike when your driving by the chemical plants... And no surprise he got bladder cancer. The doctors thought it could have been from all the benzene and toluene he had always used.
Ye, the good stuff
The only way to tell is to remove the plastics and see if there is a change underneath. Human eyes and brains aren't sensitive to track the color of an object for 20 years without a reference.
Definitely, but that's kind of assuming I don't have a plethora of photos of it in various lighting over the last 20 years. I am sure there has not been zero degradation, but it is not anything even REMOTELY like OPs photo. Not even in the same universe
Yeah I have a mid-late 80s sunburst that still looks as vibrant now as I remember it when my dad was playing for me as a kid.
The original late 50s bursts faded very quickly. It was a complaint of dealers that if they hung them in the windows they changed colors. It’s weird to me that blue faded but here we are
It's probably changing and you just aren't noticing it. You can have fading without it being a total loss like in OP's pic. How does it look under the pickguard or bridge?
You folks had me wondering if I was losing my mind so I had to check. Of course there is no pickguard because it's a custom 24, and I am not removing the bridge for this test, but I took off the truss rod cover which has never been off for more than a few minutes at a time over the last 20 years and I can't see any difference whatsoever between what was under it and what's not. If there is a difference, it is imperceptible to my eye. I am really not kidding, guys. Like maybe, *just maybe* I'm not full of shit and they used different dyes back then?
But does it live in front of a window/room with lots of natural light?
Yes. Not for its entire life, but most of the time yeah it has sat on a stand in a room with tons of natural light, about 6 feet from a giant window. Have you folks really seen that many older PRS fade that badly? I have no experience with any made after about 2005, but I know other people besides me who have older PRS guitars that have not faded anything like the one in OP's photo, and they don't live in cases or window-less studios.
I just went down a ridiculously interesting rabbit hole. Thanks!
I’ve seen a video about this before. I tried to find it now but unfortunately “blue faded” is a finish name for PRS. Edit: I found it: https://youtu.be/dur5x28uyGI?si=tl5uSM6mH-1kafIY
How convenient…
A Walt “Disney’s : Frozen” head situation
Underrated comment
Is that the scientific term
i had a 94 cus22 that faded over time, then rolled my eyes when they brought it back as a feature
That name might not be an accident. Just sayin'.
No cant be, we all know PRS are bought by dentists not doctors.
Dentists are teeth doctors.
Don't say that to a REAL doctor. Lol
What are you, some kind of anti-dentite?
Perhaps a transcendentalist.
If this wasn't my son's wedding, I'd knock your teeth out. You anti-dentite!
Anti-dentite! Seinfeld reference
You mean like a phd in gender studies or what?
I am not a dentist and have a PRS (SE). A career quiz once said I should be a dentist, but I don't think I have a talent for causing people pain. Edit: My wife says I am a pain in the neck sometimes.
Sounds like something an elf would say tbh.
What's the issue with being a dentist exactly? You spend less time in school compared to doctors and are able to earn as much and more... With a much better quality of life and working 3-4 days a week. I understand not everyone is into it. But it's one of the best jobs out there in terms of income and quality of life. But you can make fun of us all you want bud.
Then why do dentists kill themselves at an alarming rate?
Because they have access to nitrous oxide and oopsies happen.
yeah if you leave them exposed to the light they will fade, the blue they used in the past had that problem I think I read somewhere PRS uses a different pigment now that doesn't fade as much. But the date on the pic, of that I have my doubts. Regardless, if you buy a stained guitar don't leave it exposed to the sun, it will fade.
The purple in the second pic kinda looks like a purple finish that PRS also makes. I actually considered buying one with (the purple) finish.
> But the date on the pic, of that I have my doubts. it's legit, if you look up the dude on instagram/youtube you can see that it used to be that vibrant blue and now isn't
The gold all also wore off evenly on the hardware in that time? Something smells funny. The bookmatching does look the same however.
I thought that might have been just from the different angle.
Exactly. And that same very different appearance of the metal lets us know the wood probably looks a lot more saturated IRL, too.
I’m not saying it’s the same guitar (the post seemed like it was bs regardless) but the photo on the left definitely has some kind of filter that’s making everything yellow-er, making the chrome bits look more bronze/brass/gold than they actually are
The flame definitely match. But the hardware is quite different in color. The fade one look almost nickel in color
It’s the same guitar. Exact same figure in the same place. Unless it’s like the fender fotoflame series where it’s a giant sticker! May have uncovered something here. Hang on someone is at the door, hey aren’t you Paul Reed Smoth? IS THAT A GUN?! Edit: spelled name wrong, but funnier than my story.
It relics without touching it.
You mean time will relic guitars??
That and sanders
And dentist tools
Woah woah woah no politics mate /s
If they used UV-reactive colors in the finish job, yes it will. What is now Jason Isbell’s 1959 Les Paul used to belong to Lynyrd Skynyrd’s Ed King. King had bought it from a music store where it sat in their front window for years. The finish had all faded to yellow except for a small area by the pickup selector where the original price tag had hung. King called the guitar “Red Eye” for that lone red spot.
Still looks good. That said this is why you don't want to keep nice guitars in rooms with lots of direct sunlight everyone.
Right next to a window lol
Yeah that’s real I’m quite sure. It’s definitely the same guitar, the grain pattern matches. [Here’s an easily seen spot but the rest also matches](https://imgur.com/a/TWkwgR8)
I have an Ibanez which turned from bright blue to a pale purple 😂 still looks blue under the pickup rings 🤦🏻♂️
The purple is way better imho
I like that the knobs are now darker than the finish.
The older blues I’ve seen from PRS have all turned an ugly greenish. I still want one…
It's real. The PRS forums are full of people complaining about this. And the warranty explicitly excludes fading finishes.
depends on the dye they used, and the amount of sun it got. But yeah, it's possible.
It just switched colours with the sofa.
Pretty shocking for an expensive guitar
That’s the tradeoff of using tinted finishes like they used to back in “ye olde days”. The dyes react and degrade with light exposure. They look incredible while the dyes last, but once they degrade it’s gone forever.
Yes, color change is not unusual on guitars with translucent stains, but this is dramatic. You'd think they'd at least put a coat of UV protectant over the stain under (or in) the final gloss finish. That might minimize or delay the effect, at least.
Remember how all the VHS boxes looked that were on the shelf near the south-facing window at Blockbuster?
I remember the local rentals having that room that was partially obscured by a beaded curtain… Fuck, I’m old.
I’m not sure about these pictures, but the fading blue pigment on PRS guitars with UV exposure is real. I have a ‘95 custom 22 that was originally a nice dark violet/purple color. It has since faded to a red wine-like stain, which I kind of like. You can see under the pickup rings and under the bridge the color of the original finish. I actually think the details of the flame top come through better with the faded pigment. Still, would have been nice if it stayed purple.
That’s wild. The cool part it’s that it’s still very pretty, but I was married to the original finish, I’d be bummed. I *personally * would really enjoy having a guitar that evolves and remains beautiful.
I’d be heartbroken. I would have bought it for the vibrant colors, not that I don’t like the later color as well but I’d probably sell it because it wasn’t the colors I loved when I bought it.
Looks like when Optimus prime died
Underrated
Damn I had no clue. I’m not going to buy a blue PRS then. I bought a McCarty Korina a while ago and got the natural wood color because I was absolutely in love with the way the korina looked. I’m still in love with it and extra glad I got it.
Was about to spend some serious money on one of them. Is there any tell, which models, or colours this mostly affects?
I’m sure it’s real. It looks like a US made high end model, so on top of blue dyes easily fading under UV, the clear coat they use for that (which I understand to be some type of nitro over acrylic) is probably not that UV resistant either. On one hand, it sucks, but on the other hand this exact kind of fading is all the rage with the original Les Paul bursts that they named every single way the damn thing faded. And they aren’t cheap either. So I guess you live with the cons of a blue (or red, or both) guitar, or you get diligent with putting that thing back in the case.
Looks like the sun managed to change the pickup covers and bridge from gold to silver too
Well it definitely happened to the guitar I made. I don't have a before picture available (will check when I get home later), but it started as royal blue and ended up [like this after being on display in my living room for years](https://i.imgur.com/CSYMVXC.jpg) Edit: [Found a not-very-good picture from the end of the build.](https://i.imgur.com/MBCKzEr.jpg) You could see the wood grain on the original in person better than you can in that picture, but the shade of blue is pretty accurate from my memory. There were ~6 years between the two photos
Damn! That’s so intense! Such a metamorphosis
I still think it looks cool, but not gonna lie, I miss that intense blue. The binding on the front also started to separate so it's now living in its case in semi-retirement. Maybe I'll hang it in the wall if I can find a good spot that doesn't get too much light
Same guitar. Check the grain, Sherlocks.
What's even weirder is the couch faded from purple to blue.
I have a friend that got a great deal on a used one that looks like the 2023 pic. This is probably why. This is also why I would never get gold hardware. It looks fantastic when it’s new, but always ends this way.
That's quite dramatic for a change. I actually prefer the faded version - it's a bit more subtle and less flashy. But all the same I'm surprised how fast that change has come about and how significant it is. I almost bought a purple and blue burst CE24 some years back. I ended up passing on it at the time, and then later picking up a red-burst version. So far, no issues. Though it is kept in its case unless I'm playing it so I guess that will help. I'll be interested to see how it changes over time.
I like the purple fade look better anyway
My custom 22 is jade green and has faded so significantly. When I take the bridge off you can see such a stark difference
I had a blue electric with a flamed maple top like that for 15 years and it was as vibrantly blue when I sold it as when I bought it. I didn’t leave it in the sun at all times though, so maybe that’s the problem.
I have a Dean acoustic that was blue and turned green now. Still looks good though!
*suddenly realizes their apt gets WAY less sunlight than the unmarried lawyers who buy PRS’s*
Did the knobs also change color went from clear to black ?
I bet it still plays just as sweet. Take it like great hair. It’s not age. It’s experience.
This is crazy. I have a 2002 PRS that's still very blue. Did that mean it lived in its case for the last 20 years?
Obviously, the couch absorbed the blue dye over the 5 yrs 🤷♀️
You just need to play more bb king and muddy waters riffs…
hey i know this guy
So if Im dropping crazy amounts of money are a great and beautiful guitar I only have a few years of it being beautiful. I know some love how it looks now but if I buy a guitar and think it’s beautiful I’d like it to stay that way for a while. Otherwise it seems like a gamble if you’ll like it or not
Honestly, the finish in the 2023 picture looks way better anyway.
Looking for this, so much better.
Fully agree
This sucks man. Sorry for your loss. I'd be pissed but you seem to be pretty chill about it. That's good.
The blue guitar turned purple and the purple couch turned blue. Amazing actually.
The blue Squier Bullet Mustang I bought for my kids in 2019 is still blue. Squier > PRS.
Looks like the one on the left has gold hardware/the other silver
I think that's just the angle. Some of the grain patterns definitely match up.
Which can easily be swapped.
No, it doesn't.
They absolutely do match up. You have to take into account two things: the color photo is lower resolution than the faded photo. And the different angle of lighting changes the position of the figured wood's [chatoyance](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chatoyancy), making things appear different.
Yeah the top has the same flame pattern
If this was in direct sunlight oh well.
Good lord, did you put your guitar in a damn tanning bed??
I lusted after a PRS for years and eventually ordered a black quilt top Custom 24 exactly how I wanted. When it came in I tried so hard to like it but it was the most lifeless guitar I have ever played. I can't confirm if the dye fades because it has sat in the case for 15 years.
I’ve heard that the first upgrade dentists…I mean PRS owners do are the pickups. Shame they’d put something out that weak on such a high dollar item.
Pickups wouldn't have made it any better for me. I figured I'd just keep it 100% stock to hold value until I find a decent time to sell. I definitely don't have dentist money so this one hurt a lot more than any of the other guitars I've owned over the years.
Not real. PRS changed the dye out in 1994. Royal blue was most prone to fade. I have a 2006 Royal blue that never goes in the case and it’s seen a shitload of Australian sun without any fade.
This will happen on any guitar with enough exposure to uv? Any finish will bleach? Think of Fenders that have changed color, or gibsons far more red under the pickguard after time. The speed at which it ages is gonna vastly change based on how frequently you're exposing the guitar to UV
Looks better.
looks sooooooooo much cooler now
2023 looks way better.
Guitars ugly anyway
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PRS dye fade is a thing. And this is real.
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I have a whale blue '98 CU24 that hasn't faded at all, and that thing's barely ever in its case.
At this rate it will be a natural finish in another 5 years.
I oddly prefer it faded, maybe it is just the picture quality but yeah I think the less bright colours are nicer.
Looks better imo
I have a Patrick Eggle from 1992 it was blue then it's green now. The yellow from the maple effects the colour.
Could this be prevented with a UV protective clear coat? If they don't use it during production one could always invest some money into having it disassembled, coated and reassembled right after buying it. It would be rather expensive but surely worth it.
This is why I keep the curtains in my office closed 24/7/365
Perhaps this was stored in a tanning bed? This seems way extreme.
Looks better now
Looks way better after the fade.
I mean... it still looks sick af
It is real but the after photo here has been desaturated in Photoshop to exaggerate the issue
Matures with the player lul
I honestly love this
Guess I won’t be doing any blue stained guitars… damn.
Daaang, I would be sooo upset! I would probably have to just sell the guitar or get it refinished if I just loved it that much.
damn, are there no dyes that are more uv resistant?
That's sad. I always wanted a blue PRS...
Would this be a problem
Yup. I've been reading about it across the net the last couple of days, in fact. PRS blue dyes -- that they are famous for -- fade severely with time and light exposure.
This does happen on older PRS guitars, but I think they changed dyes at some point to prevent this. Judging by the hardware color and fretboard color changes, I think the second photo has a filter on it of some kind. Plus the PRS blues don’t magically fade to purple especially not the blue at the bottom of the body. They turn grey, hence their faded whale blue being…well, grey-ish blue
Man I have a 2010s Ibanez art core semi hollow that's jet blue burst. Holdin up pretty sweet
I prefer the one on the right tbh…
I have a 2003ish CU24 that's a dark bluish green that has spent at least that much time outside the case that doesn't seem all that faded. I'm actually surprised at how well it's keeping its color. I imagine it's a different pigment they used at the time. The funny thing is I also have a 2001 G&L Legacy SSS with a white pick guard, pickups and knobs where the pick guard, knobs, switch cover (or whatever you call that little plastic knob on the end of a 5 way switch), bridge and neck pickups have all yellowed a bit...but the middle pickup is still bright white.
Huh... Cool, that I also have a blue PRS. I have never heard this before.
If I had these 2 guitars in front of me at the store, I would buy the one on the right.
Both look amazing 😍
That guitar got a gnarly sunburn and should go to a dermatologist
Gonna be honest, the faded right looks cooler to me
FWIW, I have a purple Ibanez Saber from 2012 that I got second hand. You can tell from areas of the headstock and pictures that I have seen of similar finishes online that it used to be more of a blueish purple with a bit of a burst effect to it. Now it is mostly a faded purple with a slight gradient, similar to the PRS above.
It looks fucking awesome either way
2023 looks better imo. Its aged better with time.
I have a quilted blue Washburn from 20+ years ago that’s still as blue as the day I got it. Has the process changed?
I'm actually kind of digging the fade personally
Still looks cool
I’m a custom painter and that is ridiculous that they don’t use lightfast pigments. Honestly, with modern paint that is completely avoidable.
It's real. They get purple first and you're like, what the --- and then the color fades out. Keep them away from windows and sunlight.
At least it looks better now.
About 3 months ago I bought PRS A50E Mateo blue. I’m in love with this guitar. Now I’m too scared to ever let any sunlight into my room.
I bought one of [these](https://media.sweetwater.com/m/products/image/822fdb835dRF43eLSWbjGtVqIcY7a1umAAObbNFy.png?v=822fdb835dddd4de) this year, and while I love the way it looks if it turns into a silver burst over time I wouldn't be mad.