not a big fan of PRS

[airportbar]

I had no interest in PRS till i picked up a SE santana which i then bought, and now PRS is all i want. I feel it's the first time in 40 plus years i bought a guitar that has met or exceeded all my expectations in such a big way. I went from no thanks to that by picking up the right PRS.

I can attest as well. Same thing happened to me after taking a shot at one of the blowouts last year. Now they're all I wanna play.

 

[Raymond Lin]

I think newer PRS guitars are better than the old ones. They are constantly refining it and making it better. Making tiny adjustments that you don't notice at a glance like brass screws, upgrading the tuners. Where as I see Gibson and Fender constantly putting out historic reissues and referring their latest guitars to the old ones...I sit here wondering what's wrong with the new one when they keep doing that? Is that the pinnacle back then?

Sure the old CE22/24 are great value for money, you can pick them up in the states under $1,000 but I think the newer ones are even better now.

 

[Fro68]

You should try the Brent Mason model. It plays closer to a Strat.

 

[Funky Chicken]

PRS fan here. I owned some from the late 1990s, and re-discovered the newer PRS models again last year. Some food for thought for everyone who's tried them in the past and said, "Meh" - well:

Pickups - you might seek out some of the newer models with the "50-series" pickups. Those are the 57/08s and hotter 59/09s, or the unobtainium 53/10s. Seriously retro pickups that answered the last valid objection that people - including me - had about the stock PRS pickups.

Finish - Recent V12 finish is also thinner. If you didn't care for the dipped-in-glass look, the newer V12 finish might appeal to you.

Finish, tops, colors: As spectacular as ever. If these weren't yer bag, well, some things never change!

I was struck, though, by one thing when I "came back to" PRS after 10 or 12 years away. The company seems to be producing even better guitars than before, and the old ones weren't too shabby. The QC is as rigid as ever. Fretwork, finish, components, all top notch.

=K

This is pretty much my experience too. I circled back to PRS because they have pushed the envelope and refined what they do. The QC is better than ever, and the guitars are more versatile than ever.

Most of the conventional wisdom amongst PRS bashers is based on either hearsay or instruments that are 10+ years old. If you take them on their own merits and not try to replace or 100% emulate an iconic guitar you will find some great instruments. If you think their pricing is out of line you haven't looked at new guitars from their competitors recently.

 

[Luke]

I don't know, the only one I have is this one:

I guess he sold it to me because it was a piece crap.

 

[Trea]

PRS finishes are anything but thick. You may not like the feel of a poly finished guitar but PRS's finishes are a lot thinner than Gibson or Fender for sure. Here is a pic of a chip out of my Singlecut. It's down to the bare wood

 

[dazco]

People tend to think a finish is thick based on how glossy it is. Doesn't work like that as you have shown. People also think that poly sounds bad. Doesn't work like that either. Thick finishes *may* be tone sinks, tho i defy anyone to prove that. Poly isn't thick by nature, it's thick if it's applied like that. In any case, people would do well play and listen rather than assume the finish sounds bad. PRS finishes may not be a person's cup of tea visually, and if thats worth passing one something regardless as to whether it' plays and sounds fantastic, thats thier call. Just seems a bit foolish to me. I bought a LP special who's finish to me looked like it should be on a 70's MIJ no name. But i bought it for the tone and feel. Wish it had my SE's flawless poly finish.

PRS finishes are anything but thick. You may not like the feel of a poly finished guitar but PRS's finishes are a lot thinner than Gibson or Fender for sure. Here is a pic of a chip out of my Singlecut. It's down to the bare wood

 

[airportbar]

Most of the conventional wisdom amongst PRS bashers is based on either hearsay or instruments that are 10+ years old.

This is a big IMO, but I personally think another aspect that turns people off is their artist roster. I liked how they tried to expand into more indie rock circles with the marketing for the S2 line and rootsier territory with David Grissom, but for the most part it all seems to favor attracting the more metalish/proggy/classic rock guitar player.

 

[big mike]

but i feel like adding one to my collection, the other day i tested a 07' artist package. it was rather disappointing, the finsih seemed very thick and the whole guitar felt like a PRS SE or any cheap guitar in the market.

i guess its because i like very thin finishes not something like theres a sheet of glass protecting the guitar

i dont know how to describe it, but in general can anyone tell me if all PRS'es are like this?

thanks

A good sanding and finish job and everyone acts liek PRS has a mile thick finish...No, they just actually know how to correctly do the finish on a guitar.

Try the DGT. Better yet if you can find an old Standard 24 with the nitro finish and unfilled pores.

 

[Whitecat]

This is a big IMO, but I personally think another aspect that turns people off is their artist roster. I liked how they tried to expand into more indie rock circles with the marketing for the S2 line and rootsier territory with David Grissom, but for the most part it all seems to favor attracting the more metalish/proggy/classic rock guitar player.

Carlos Santana aside...

Brent Mason is a Nashville stalwart as well, so I'm sure in some circles that helps.

But the thing is, in the 90s when PRS was ascending in a big way, the Custom 24 + Mesa Boogie sound was just it. It probably made things easier in terms of getting artists on board - the sound was super commercial, marketable, visible, audible, you name it.

Nowadays that style has fallen out of favour quite a bit, so they might have to work a little harder.

Alex Lifeson getting a signature acoustic was a step in the right direction too. But - it's Private Stock only, so big bucks, but maybe not out of reach for the guys that grew up with him and are now doctors and lawyers, to confirm a stereotype. But I know a gaggle of others who would buy a reasonably-priced CE24 with a piezeo 'Lerxst' model PRS in a heartbeat. I would surmise that Gibson endorsements are standing in the way of that at the moment tbh.

More "indie" bands and artists would go a long way with them to give them street creed for younger people for sure... I've read a lot lately that guitar music is coming back into favour amongst new artists, so the iron is hot, so to speak. Hopefully their artist relations team is putting the effort in!

 

[Lucidology]

Don't know .... However My PRS Artist Package is truly a most wonderful guitar ...
Here it is live & in action (very short clip ...)

 

[Hugh_s]

I also see a lot of expectations that the custom-series PRS of yore would sound like a LP or Strat or LP/Strat hybrid.

That's not it; they sound like a PRS. I like that sound: they're neither LP nor Strat. For the modern US-built models, I can say they're every bit the quality as my almost-20-year-old one. PRS has shown that, unlike everyone else producing instruments on their scale, they've not let their core quality slip. I don't quite know what I think of the SE-series. The fact that they're easily affordable instruments is nice, they look nice, but I'm not sure that by having that line look that nice that PRS isn't damaging its own long-term credibility, if only in a marketing sense as a high-end manufacturer. There's a reason the Lexus RX350 doesn't look like a RAV4.

 

[ellsworthman]

Judging by the comments on the SE here and elsewhere, I apparently got lucky last weekend. Swapped a couple things I wasn't using for a Santana...it plays and sounds great. Guy I traded with had it taken in for a shop setup right before I got it, which may have made a difference....but I honestly like it as well as my LP, more than my Strat.

 

[Mandrax]

Judging by the comments on the SE here and elsewhere, I apparently got lucky last weekend. Swapped a couple things I wasn't using for a Santana...it plays and sounds great. Guy I traded with had it taken in for a shop setup right before I got it, which may have made a difference....but I honestly like it as well as my LP, more than my Strat.

I think people just like to bash. The SE range is hard to beat against any other guitar at that price point, including what Gibson and Fender push out. In the UK you can get a new SE for around £500-£600 if you look hard enough. That's as much as a Mexican Fender or a Gibson LPJ or Melody Maker. The SE is miles better than either of those IMO even though it's made in Korea (which is a negative to many but a positive to me, there are some great Korean guitars around the SE included).

 

[Raymond Lin]

I think people just like to bash. The SE range is hard to beat against any other guitar at that price point, including what Gibson and Fender push out. In the UK you can get a new SE for around £500-£600 if you look hard enough. That's as much as a Mexican Fender or a Gibson LPJ or Melody Maker. The SE is miles better than either of those IMO even though it's made in Korea (which is a negative to many but a positive to me, there are some great Korean guitars around the SE included).

http://www.peachguitars.com/special-offer-guitars/prs-se-santana-black.htm

I am real tempted to get this, £450 is a good price even for an SE in the UK.

 

[Motterpaul]

Just FYI... I have

• 93 Les Paul Standard (with Lollar neck and DiMarzio SupDist Bridge)
  
• 95 Strat Deluxe HSS (with SCN singles and a Fender Enforcer Humbucker)
  
• PRS Custom 24
  
• PRS 408 (one of their newest models)

By far the PRS are my faves. They have the best tremolo and get a beautiful sustain. Funny, I was used to love the CU24, but when I got the 408, it sounded odd to me, I didn't like it at first. But the more I played it and listened to it, the more I liked and now I prefer it far more than the other three.

Strat is my least favorite (sounds gritty and low gain). The Les Paul is an LP - has that classic sound & tons of sustain, but no tremolo. The CU 24 I have not touched since I got the 408.
But the 408 - is my go to guitar.

With any new guitar I suggest you dial it in from scratch. Do not, for example, dial in your Ibanez and then strap on a PRS. It will not sound good. Put all your amp knobs at 0 and start from scratch and really dial it in - especially bass, treble and presence. Every guitar is massively different, but the best you can get out of any guitar takes time to find. Also, it may be just me, but the finish is the last thing I worry about on a guitar - I worry about tone, feel, location of knobs... but not finish.

 

[scott520]

I think people just like to bash. The SE range is hard to beat against any other guitar at that price point, including what Gibson and Fender push out. In the UK you can get a new SE for around £500-£600 if you look hard enough. That's as much as a Mexican Fender or a Gibson LPJ or Melody Maker. The SE is miles better than either of those IMO even though it's made in Korea (which is a negative to many but a positive to me, there are some great Korean guitars around the SE included).

I always steer folks who are under a $1k budget towards the SE line. I've yet to play one that wasn't up to par. Is it an artist package, wood library quality? No. BUT, it is one hell of a guitar...price point regardless. I'm dying to try the new semi-hollow Zach Myers model.

 

[dazco]

I don't think you got lucky at all. I've owned as much or more as most anyone here since the early 70's, and i just picked up a SE santana not long ago and i bought it because i felt it beat out all the LP's i was looking at while on a hunt to find one. I have a P90 LP thats about a step away from getting sold because i never wanna play is after getting the PRS santana SE. No, you didn't get lucky....you're just putting too much stock in the nay sayers. For every one of them, mostly guys that never owned one, there are numerous owners like myself who "get it". These are only budget guitars in price. I've owned my share of epi's and others in the same type/range and none are in the same league. This guitar is on par with anything i've ever owned at any level.

Judging by the comments on the SE here and elsewhere, I apparently got lucky last weekend. Swapped a couple things I wasn't using for a Santana...it plays and sounds great. Guy I traded with had it taken in for a shop setup right before I got it, which may have made a difference....but I honestly like it as well as my LP, more than my Strat.

 

[rickcard71]

but i feel like adding one to my collection, the other day i tested a 07' artist package. it was rather disappointing, the finsih seemed very thick and the whole guitar felt like a PRS SE or any cheap guitar in the market.

i guess its because i like very thin finishes not something like theres a sheet of glass protecting the guitar

i dont know how to describe it, but in general can anyone tell me if all PRS'es are like this?

thanks

I question anything that would come out of your mouth. The tone speaks for itself. Maybe you should stick to the 2nd and 3rd best guitars made in the US, not the # 1 company. Actually, maybe you should try the drums or flute.

 

[stratplexi]

I appreciate the quality but I just didn't bond with them either. I owned 5 of them years ago and the McCarty was the best but in the end I just didn't think any of them had the sounds I want. But they are a fine guitar.


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