PRS 10 Tops ... over kill?

[dark_rainbow]

I know this will open a can of worms, but in many cases I prefer PRS non-10 tops. PRS are just so exquisite and well made to begin with, I think 10 tops can just make them seem a bit artificial (for lack of a better word.) That's why unless it's some kind of anniversary or otherwise celebratory model, I like the more "woodsy" look of their non-10's.

The one thing I still prefer Gibson Les Pauls to PRS is not broadly making top distinctions. I like the variety of LP tops you find out there as a result. The LPs I see with the equivalent of PRS 10's, I also prefer less than their non-10's too.

Other considerations:
1. Tone: Paul is on record stating it makes no difference;
2. Age: I think non-10's would age better because they're not "perfect" and I don't know for sure but I think most 59' LP cherry bursts wouldn't qualify as 10's. Those are the best looking vintages to my eye and I know many others. How a guitar ages is a really important consideration when I buy a new one;
3. Collectability: here's where 10 tops could outperform. But of course it means paying more for that potential in the first place.

Anyway, their it is ... I'll say it again: in most cases, I prefer PRS non-10 tops. :hide

[MikeHenry]

The short answer. No.

[02Singlecut]

PRS age ??? Maybe the nitro sprayed ones,:nuts

[Felix Leclerc]

I too, prefer non 10-tops.

My SC245 is a non 10 top but I still find it too fancy !

[02Singlecut]

Mine are 0 tops!!!!!:rimshot

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r312/Teasme4764/IMG_1353.jpg

[Elias Graves]

For maple, I prefer a plain top. Stuff like that is a purely personal choice, so get what you like.


EG

[dark_rainbow]

PRS age ??? Maybe the nitro sprayed ones,:nuts
That's a good point, it's rare when you see a PRS top with wearing finish. But they still get dings like any other guitar.

[mertzy]

PRS guitars are beautiful.....so what

[Tim Plains]

I don't care if there's a 10 on the back of the headstock or not - it really depends on each individual top. I've seen some really nice non 10 tops and some really ugly BBQ 10 tops or reverse chevron tops.

Personally, I love the over the top tops...not all of them, though. Some are just out right gorgeous and some are simply repulsive. One thing I will say about PRS using elaborate tops - I think PRS is really the only guitar company that can get away with it. Put a crazy quilt top on a PRS and it looks beautiful. Put that same top on a Gibson Les Paul and it looks like a cheaper Epiphone.

[02Singlecut]

10 top ?????

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r312/Teasme4764/NEWGUITAR006.jpg

[Luke]

Funny, I'd give most 10 Tops a six, tops.

[jtm622]

10 top ?????

http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r312/Teasme4764/NEWGUITAR006.jpg

No... That one's gotta be an "11"... :)

[THebert]

Every PRS is a beautiful guitar, it just depends on personal preference as to colors, figure in the maple, binding or not, etc. I like some non 10s better than some 10s, just depends-

[02Singlecut]

No... That one's gotta be an "11"... :)

Wrong....it's my old SC and it wasn't graded a 10....LOL :rockin

[dazco]

Back when i was building a lot of strats i eventually stopped using fancy woods because i honestly found they tended not to sound as good. I found plain maple and other woods with no birdseye or any of that cr@p consistently sounded better with no major duds, which DID happen more than a few times with the fancy junk. I also no longer like the fancy stuff, and like you i find it to look rather artificial. I like some nice grain, but nothing fancy at all. No birdseye, burl, flame, etc.

[captain_bob]

Not overkill as long as you respect the wood.
I love both 10's and non 10's. Sometimes it's hard to distinguish the two.

My McCarty 10 Top

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j258/bobcrisman/PRSi/05-10-top.jpg

My Non-10 McCarty

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j258/bobcrisman/2002%20Prs%20McCarty/2002-McFlame.jpg

[dark_rainbow]

That's a nice top Bob, even if it is a 10 ...:drool

[webe123]

Well I disagree....I do not think it is overkill at all.

The reason I purchased my private stock ME 1 was BECAUSE of the crazy quilted top among other things.

http://www.bizarreguitar.com/popup.aspx?src=images/PRODUCT/large/150.jpg

Each to their own, but I love mine!

[shooter1371]

When I met Paul he said his philosophy was to build a very consistant sounding and playing guitar. The rest is just for looks and a non ten sounds just as good as a ten. He is a smart businessman in the sense that its about a $500 upcharge for that little 10 on the back of the headstock.

[webe123]

When I met Paul he said his philosophy was to build a very consistant sounding and playing guitar. The rest is just for looks and a non ten sounds just as good as a ten. He is a smart businessman in the sense that its about a $500 upcharge for that little 10 on the back of the headstock.

That may be true, but you act like a 10 is somehow bad! Nothing wrong with having a great looking (as well as playing) guitar in my book!

And If you ever get your hands on a private stock, they really are a cut above the rest.

[Virtual Pariah]

It's no matter really.
I like 10 tops, Artist tops, 9 tops, and opaque tops.

But flamey wood will catch my eye with certain colors. Royal Blue, Vintage Yellow, Orange.

[Drowned Rabbit]

Interesting thread. Here's some of mine, only one of which is officially a 10-top. Guess which one



http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee15/chrismischief/86PRS12.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee15/chrismischief/8511.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee15/chrismischief/88-1.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee15/chrismischief/PRSLions.jpg

[zookroo1]

Interesting thread. Here's some of mine, only one of which is officially a 10-top. Guess which one



http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee15/chrismischief/86PRS12.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee15/chrismischief/8511.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee15/chrismischief/88-1.jpg

http://i231.photobucket.com/albums/ee15/chrismischief/PRSLions.jpg


Wow, all nice. I'll guess #3 is the top 10, but I'd be happy with any of them!

[In Absentia]

I prefer non-10s. I like a flame, but I like it when it's more subtle.

[FourT6and2]

My PRS is an Artist. Way better than a 10 top. 938 points to me!

[axe4me]

0 Top & 10 Top

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d42/Bbreaker/PRSMcCathysa.jpg

'94 CE 24 faded turquoise to iguana top. Still a non 10 top.

http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d42/Bbreaker/94prsce24a.jpg
http://i32.photobucket.com/albums/d42/Bbreaker/94prsce24boda.jpg

[gadjet]

I generally like the way Hamer does their tops better....a little more natural looking IMO... I went from bird inlayed CU22 to a dot CE... I like the simpiler look a little better.. My LP is a plain top...

[germs]

personally i'm not attracted any less or more to any particular top. if the guitar catches my eye, that's the determining factor.

so, not really overkill - it's a special designation for a select group of guitars and marketed as such.

it's all a matter of preference. i like quilted over flames. and i like plain more than quilted.

[CS'56]

I love wild flame on a PRS. I do think most of the 10-tops are over rated and way overpriced. On the other hand I can't stand wild flame on a Les Paul. I love them as plain tops. I know that's weird. :o

[JPF]

Tops do less and less for me these days, and gold hardware is starting to turn me off as well (my first PRS was a CU22 AP, too, and I still have it...).

Now I bond with a guitar based on feel and tone - the rest is immaterial, for the most part. Give me a non-pretty guitar top and nickel hardware, and if it plays and sounds right I'm a happy camper.

[Help!I'maRock!]

always have been. always will be.

http://i37.photobucket.com/albums/e91/howieneil/DSC_0190.jpg

[rummy]

Love 0 tops. :aok

[nodata2000]

God I love these McCarty's...


Not overkill as long as you respect the wood.
I love both 10's and non 10's. Sometimes it's hard to distinguish the two.

My McCarty 10 Top

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j258/bobcrisman/PRSi/05-10-top.jpg

My Non-10 McCarty

http://i82.photobucket.com/albums/j258/bobcrisman/2002%20Prs%20McCarty/2002-McFlame.jpg

[AD]

I puchased this TM DC245 as a non 10 top but noticed the other day that it has a "10" on the left hand side right next to the serial number...I think this one was a "maybe" out of the factory and sold as a non 10.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v661/adann1/DC245ii.jpg

[Drowned Rabbit]

Wow, all nice. I'll guess #3 is the top 10, but I'd be happy with any of them!


You are correct, Sir! :aok

[RRfireblade]

I puchased this TM DC245 as a non 10 top but noticed the other day that it has a "10" on the left hand side right next to the serial number...I think this one was a "maybe" out of the factory and sold as a non 10.



No , that would be a 10 unless the "10" was a forgery.

[Dancing Frog]

The 10 top isn't even the highest grade. There's Artist grade and Private Stock above that. It's the rare that's collectible, and 10's are pretty common for PRSi. IMHO, choosing to get a 10 is really a matter of what constitutes the PRS experience for you. For me, it's birds and a "10" top.

[MCSS1970]

I puchased this TM DC245 as a non 10 top but noticed the other day that it has a "10" on the left hand side right next to the serial number...I think this one was a "maybe" out of the factory and sold as a non 10.



To the left of the serial number? That would be the year, as in you have a 2010 model.

[smv929]

To each his own. However, I too prefer a basic top, PRS and Les Pauls. It's just a preference. However, all the people I know (all levels of players/experience) seem to prefer the simple tops.

It would be funny to see advertisers/sellers boasting...

"FS: PLAIN TOP!!
or
FS: Beautiful BOTTOM 2 top!!

I would actually respond to that. Anywho...

[dark_rainbow]

Tops do less and less for me these days, and gold hardware is starting to turn me off as well (my first PRS was a CU22 AP, too, and I still have it...).

Now I bond with a guitar based on feel and tone - the rest is immaterial, for the most part. Give me a non-pretty guitar top and nickel hardware, and if it plays and sounds right I'm a happy camper.
Well I admire that attitude. As much of a tone-freak I consider myself, appearance still matters. Once I find a model I like, I then look for the top that I think maxmizes the appearance, both new and how it will age. That can be a different finish for a different guitar ... for example, on Strats I think their 3-tone burst or some solid colors like black, off white or powder blue age best. For a Les Paul Standard, definitely cherry burst. I'll make a specific call for each guitar, but given how I think it will age, splashy/sparkly finishes never do it for me. I won't sacrifice tone for appearance, but appearance is one of the considerations I factor in.

[edward]

PRS guitars are beautiful.....so what

LOL!!! Exactly!:bow

:roll:roll:roll

"Overkill" in aesthetics is your personal decision ...who the heck cares what others may think! As for resale, it's all a crapshoot anyway. Did Leo or anyone really think that plank they made with a single lousy pickup would ever "resale" at 6 figures?!!! Buy a guitar you like ...period :)

Edward

[AD]

To the left of the serial number? That would be the year, as in you have a 2010 model.

You may be right but that doesn't seem to follow the numbering system with the other model PRS' i've owned...i could be wrong. What made this confusing is that the guitar was supposed to be "10" and part of a Dealer LE select group....

[02Singlecut]

You are correct, Sir! :aok

And #4 is ??????? :bow :bow :bow :bow LOL

[pedalcr8z]

lol, 10 tops = huge margin dollar$:JAM

[Mike Duncan]

http://i559.photobucket.com/albums/ss31/mgd326/IMG_1051.jpg

http://i559.photobucket.com/albums/ss31/mgd326/IMG_4853.jpg

I DEMAND mine be 10 tops....they're just hard to see through that opaque finish ;)

[VaughnC]

I ain't pretty enough to be a poser...so, gimme a guitar with tone & feel and I'll deal with the rest ;).

[Punch Drunk]

10 tops are good for museum pieces and living room players.
I had a 5A top PRS McCarty that was beautiful. As soon as I got the first ding on it at a gig I realized that pretty guitars aren't for me.

[Mike Duncan]

http://pic100.picturetrail.com:80/VOL664/3909625/8084735/364762388.jpg
The sunburst is a non 10.
http://pic100.picturetrail.com:80/VOL664/3909625/8084735/251929955.jpg
Other non 10s - don't have them anymore.

[treeofpain]

Here's my 10 top SC245. I kinda like it:

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z21/treeofpainphoto/prsclose1.jpg

[the_Chris]

0 top fan here!

Here's a beauty that went to a fellow forum bro:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/the_Chris/FS%20-%20PRS%20McCarty/P1010365.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/the_Chris/Old%20Guitar%20Gear/1d_3.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/the_Chris/Old%20Guitar%20Gear/bodycloseup.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v298/the_Chris/Old%20Guitar%20Gear/100_1932.jpg

The black one is still with me. She has nicks (one in the headstock through to the wood), but I wouldn't have her any other way. She's my black beauty!

[Average Joe]

I prefer non-10s. I like a flame, but I like it when it's more subtle.

This. Some ten tops can look almost artificial to me, this of course being imho.

[wilerty]

You can buy them plain or you can buy them fancy ... take your pick. I like both ...

Plain ...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v711/wilerty/Hollowbody%20Spruce/013.jpg

Fancy ...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v711/wilerty/PRS%20McCarty%20shootout/McCarty23018.jpg

[Bob Maximus]

OOOOWWWW :drool:drool:drool

Now I got gas again. Haven't had gas in a year.




Here's my 10 top SC245. I kinda like it:

http://i192.photobucket.com/albums/z21/treeofpainphoto/prsclose1.jpg

[paintguy]

Give me a gorgeous 10 top flame anyday of the week! I love a killer flame top. I have had many 10 tops myself. All great guitars.

The two that remain just happen to be a Black DGT and a Natural Mahogany Standard.:dunno

[Jon Silberman]

in many cases I prefer PRS non-10 tops.

PRS are just so exquisite and well made to begin with, I think 10 tops can just make them seem a bit artificial (for lack of a better word.)
A personal preference that doesn't hurt others is never wrong.

And a person's entitled to think what he thinks.

This being said, it would not occur to me to think that a top graded by PRS as a 10 could in any way make the guitar "seem a bit artificial." Those 10-tops are as natural and real as the trees that yielded them.

[DWB1960]

This guy loved 10's in his day....

http://www.foppishdandy.net/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Liberace_fur.jpg

[Dashface]

I've never liked flame-tops. They're just not for me, but you know - some people like 'em and that's up to them.

[shredtrash]

I'm not into highly figured woods. They're not really my taste and I don't want to have to worry about dinging them up at a gig.

[webe123]

10 tops are good for museum pieces and living room players.


No they are NOT! Just because they were not right for you, does not mean you could not take them out on a stage and play them just as well as a plain top.

I seriously don't get the hate some have for a top just because it is pretty.

It is idiotic to think that pretty tops should only be for home or museum's!

What is the logic in that? Because you may scratch it? Big deal! I play my private stock everywhere I go...NOT just in my living room and it has never seen a museum. Never will either as long as I own it, it is going to be PLAYED.

[XKnight]

Here's a no top PRS. I like them all regardless of tops.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e308/XKnight/PRS%2025th%20Anniversary/DSC02853.jpg

[Tuberoast]

I prefer plain maple or a colored top

[Tim Plains]

These two just have the serial number on the back of the headstock. I guess they aren't 10s. :)

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg225/Gibson_Tim/PRSi/IMG_2774.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg225/Gibson_Tim/PRSi/IMG_1479.jpg

Might as well post the rest of 'em. :)
These are 10s

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg225/Gibson_Tim/PRSi/IMG_0875.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg225/Gibson_Tim/PRSi/IMG_1600.jpg

http://i249.photobucket.com/albums/gg225/Gibson_Tim/PRSi/IMG_1763.jpg

[dark_rainbow]

My 3 pet peeves with PRS have been:

1. PUPs: solved by 57/08
2. PUP rotary switch: can either look for model with Les Paul or Strat type switch of which there are many, or get used to rotary
3. Tops Distinctions: don't like how they've created a Caste System among tops ... this one still irks me

[Oakley]

Having officially attained geezer status, I can say that highly figured tops seemed a lot more rare back in the day. Now that they're everywhere, they don't seem nearly so special.

[pcovers]

The whole 10 top thing is a marketing genius. Incredibly flamed and/or quilted wood that Carvin uses with no upcharge, can be hundreds extra with a PRS. I've seen 10 tops that, frankly, look like 6 tops and non 10s that look better than some 10s. Yep, marketing genius that can take a highly subjective concept, label it as "10" whether it is or not (since there is no standard) and get some folks to pony up for the designation. It isn't about personal preference alone, since flashy comes standard on some other brands that are not popular enough to capitalize on this "10 top" notion.

I applaud PRS for mastering the economics principle behind the "10 top" upcharge concept.

[webe123]

10 tops of today are NOT like the 10 tops of past years with PRS, I do not know if it is a lack of great wood or what but when I saw the new tops for the ME 2's they did not even look nearly as good as the ME 1 production tops did. And they are charging the same price and you don't even get a great top OR Brazillian Rosewood neck! I would have thought they would be less, but no they are the same as the ME 1's in price. Not worth it to me.

Why this difference in the quality of wood tops is, I cannot say, but I think it is a lack of really great looking wood nowdays, because the tops today do not seem nearly as figured even in their private stock series as the tops of years past.

Thankfully, I got mine in 2007, where I got the swimming pool blue matteo top. I love mine and really don't care if someone else does or not!

But I DO think it is stupid to say they are overkill simply because someone else does not like it.

[JPF]

Well I admire that attitude. As much of a tone-freak I consider myself, appearance still matters. Once I find a model I like, I then look for the top that I think maxmizes the appearance, both new and how it will age. That can be a different finish for a different guitar ... for example, on Strats I think their 3-tone burst or some solid colors like black, off white or powder blue age best. For a Les Paul Standard, definitely cherry burst. I'll make a specific call for each guitar, but given how I think it will age, splashy/sparkly finishes never do it for me. I won't sacrifice tone for appearance, but appearance is one of the considerations I factor in.Well put. I won't shy away from a pretty guitar, but this one is getting a lot of playing time lately, and it's plain verging on fugly - a one-piece 1-top of oiled and waxed Honduran mahogany body with a rosewood neck and board.

http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL413/8228026/15380566/331919041.jpg

It's a real player, though.

Then again, my next purchase is a PRS Rosewood Ltd. - it plays so well that the overly (to my eyes) ornate adorments and top don't turn me off. I think maybe I've got issues... ;)

[dark_rainbow]

I bet that guitar looks cool when you're wearing it though

[JPF]

I bet that guitar looks cool when you're wearing it though

:YinYang It blends in with Levi's and any old shirt, I guess. With Spandex and lamé, I shudder at the thought. I guess it's a good thing I'm a blues/rocker at heart...

At any rate, here's the stable:
http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL413/8228026/15380566/331919011.jpg

Only 1 tart!

[Bankston]

Neither of my PRSi have 10 tops, which makes me feel less guilty for how many dings, scratches and dents they both have.