Discussion
A small inheritance has come my way, and I think a nice way to spend it would be to buy a new guitar - and the PRS range seem to have grabbed my attention. An alternative would be an LP, but the only ones I've played have been heavy thick-necked beasts, although it has to be said they sounded great.
Any experiences of PRS guitars gratefully received, I'm not far from World Guitars in Stonehouse so I can see a pleasant afternoon's sampling of Jeff's stock coming up.
Any experiences of PRS guitars gratefully received, I'm not far from World Guitars in Stonehouse so I can see a pleasant afternoon's sampling of Jeff's stock coming up.
They are fantastic guitars which are unmatched for quality IMHO.
I have had three over the years - and coincidentally I've been thinking about selling my latest one - see the black PRS McCarty with P90 pickups in the pick below.
PM me if you're interested in taking a look - I'm sure I could agree a good price for a fellow PistonHeader
I have had three over the years - and coincidentally I've been thinking about selling my latest one - see the black PRS McCarty with P90 pickups in the pick below.
PM me if you're interested in taking a look - I'm sure I could agree a good price for a fellow PistonHeader
Awesome guitars, I have 2, a sunburst 245 and a McCarty shoot out.
Depending on your budget go and play a lot and pick the one that takes you, or if you have the ability to do so go private stock, my dealer offered to let me go to the factory and go visit the wood library to choose the exact pieces of wood and finish etc.
I'm sure Jeff will guide you on your options, he is one of the main PRS guys in the UK.
Depending on your budget go and play a lot and pick the one that takes you, or if you have the ability to do so go private stock, my dealer offered to let me go to the factory and go visit the wood library to choose the exact pieces of wood and finish etc.
I'm sure Jeff will guide you on your options, he is one of the main PRS guys in the UK.
davidd said:
My boy has an SE, £400 of brilliance... Better than anything else we played at that price..
I've got one too & I really like it. For a Korean budgety thing, it's remarkably good. I bought mine on a whim & if I were doing it again, I'd go for a higher end one but I really, really like the concept of the feel & balance of a strat combined with the gravitas & tone of a Les Paul. Mine also has a wide-ish flat-ish neck that is slightly reminiscent of a classical.I'd happily recommend a PRS guitar, I think they really do occupy a niche that fills the deficiencies of Fender & Gibson. Easy to play, sound great, don't hurt your shoulder. What's not to like?
Meh. Pretty tops on some of them, but no PRS i've tried has ever sounded great.
I really want to like them. I try them whenever I'm in music stores in the hope that one day I'll find one that finally convinces me, but thus far there's been no joy (the expensive Santana model and the Hollowbody II came closest).
On the whole, they are wishy-washy, bland sounding guitars IMHO.
I really want to like them. I try them whenever I'm in music stores in the hope that one day I'll find one that finally convinces me, but thus far there's been no joy (the expensive Santana model and the Hollowbody II came closest).
On the whole, they are wishy-washy, bland sounding guitars IMHO.
I think if I had one criticism, it's the pups are a bit bland on mine. I put that down to it being the cheaper Korean version, so in light of JayK's post, I suppose that may be a point to bear in mind. The guy who does techy stuff for me says a lot of his PRS customers put Bare knuckle pickups in theirs so maybe it's a weak point.
Anyway, here's mine, so see for yourself - Point of order, the vid & audio are separate recordings run up on software as I couldn't be bothered to reset the camera.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQvTMmNhuzA
Anyway, here's mine, so see for yourself - Point of order, the vid & audio are separate recordings run up on software as I couldn't be bothered to reset the camera.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pQvTMmNhuzA
Jaykaybi said:
Meh. Pretty tops on some of them, but no PRS i've tried has ever sounded great.
On the whole, they are wishy-washy, bland sounding guitars IMHO.
This seems to be a criticism levelled at PRS fairly regularly. I suppose part of it is the fact that the proper PRS guitars aren't cheap, so their is some expectation that they will back up their boutique pricetag with some great tone, which doesn't seem to be the case. My criticism is not so much that they don't have a striking signature sound, rather that the sound they do produce is just bland. I also find them quite clunky to play, though definitely not getting into Gibson levels of clunkiness.On the whole, they are wishy-washy, bland sounding guitars IMHO.
Still, they do have some amazing tops and stunning finish colours, so if you're looking for a guitar that looks the part and aren't necessarily too concerned about feel or tone then PRS could be for you.
It's interesting to note that they do appeal to the midlife crisis buyer, as any PRS dealer will attest! Much like the born again biker and the brand new Hayabusa, they are an aspirational item for new players in their 40's and 50's with the cash to pay for them. As was borne out at Sound Control, when it existed. I was sitting round playing a Stuart Spector Design bass when a middle aged bloke walked in and said he was looking to buy a guitar. Turned out he was after the most expensive guitar in store. He was duly taken to the PRS Private Stock cabinet, where he balked at the £9999 guitar and went for one about £2000 cheaper. He sat down and struggled through a few choked chords, muffled out a short pentatonic blues and opted to buy the guitar. Just like that, walking in with no idea what he was after, barely able to play but after a good status symbol. Interestingly, my mate who is in his 50's and really likes blues and Americana, holds PRS up as some kind of godlike item, and was under the impression they are the best of the best. He doesn't play guitar, but I guess their pricing precedes them!
I do love the look of the Al Di Meola Prism. It's a shame that his tone is so dreary though, he is a fearsome player with a really dumpy tone. Mesa and PRS are doing him no favours.
I also quite like the look of the Mikael Akerfeldt signature; it looks pretty cool in that tortoiseshell finish. Shame about the big Opeth logo on the body though. I'd love to have a go on one, and knock out a few old Frank Gambale licks on it, to see if it was up to the task.
One last thing to note about PRS guitars, particularly if you're spending inheritance on them as opposed to easy come, easy go disposable income, is that they don't make great investments. Before PRS were widely available in the UK, the USA models held their value a little more as used depreciation was mitigated by import costs. Now that PRS have a strong dealer network, used prices are not as firm so you definitely won't get your cash back if you buy from a dealer. Of course, you won't know if they're for you until you go and try a few out.
Jaykaybi said:
Meh. Pretty tops on some of them, but no PRS i've tried has ever sounded great.
I really want to like them. I try them whenever I'm in music stores in the hope that one day I'll find one that finally convinces me, but thus far there's been no joy (the expensive Santana model and the Hollowbody II came closest).
On the whole, they are wishy-washy, bland sounding guitars IMHO.
It's a fair point. Aesthetically they are hard to beat with build quality second to none IMO.I really want to like them. I try them whenever I'm in music stores in the hope that one day I'll find one that finally convinces me, but thus far there's been no joy (the expensive Santana model and the Hollowbody II came closest).
On the whole, they are wishy-washy, bland sounding guitars IMHO.
Tone wise however my Gibson 59 LP VOS is in a different league. This is the guitar I'm always reaching for.
OP, Jeff at WG has a lovely selection of 59s in stock. Give one a try and let us know what you think.
http://worldguitars.co.uk/brands/gibson/1959-les-p...
And if you want something really special, try a Huber. I recall someone on PH bought a couple not too long ago.
http://worldguitars.co.uk/brands/nik-huber
Some interesting points here, thanks guys. What got me thinking about PRS guitars being a possibility was that I'd like something with the depth of tone of an LP, but I'd prefer something a bit more wieldy. One can't deny that the PRS looks also contributed.
Although it's true that I'm a '50s born again guitarist who plays solely for my own amusement, I don't see this as being some kind of trophy purchase, it's going to get played on a daily basis, so tone and playability are very important.
Although it's true that I'm a '50s born again guitarist who plays solely for my own amusement, I don't see this as being some kind of trophy purchase, it's going to get played on a daily basis, so tone and playability are very important.
Tone is a subjective matter,I have owned numerous strats and les Paul's and none compared to,the brazilian custom 22 I had IMO,they have their own tone.
The point about cost is false to get a comparable strat or lp in terms of build and quality you have to buy custom shop which are at least as expensive as the USA prs range.
The point about cost is false to get a comparable strat or lp in terms of build and quality you have to buy custom shop which are at least as expensive as the USA prs range.
franki68 said:
Tone is a subjective matter
Absolutely. Not only is it an arcane mix of variables, I find my preference changes with my mood, too. There are some guitar tones that absolutely don't excite me (although others of course love them) but I couldn't honestly say there is one single guitar tone that I always want to be able to produce from day to day.Gassing Station | Music | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff