What's with the Love or Hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars?.....

[GuitarGuy503]

There seems to be a love or hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars. Whats the deal here? Some say they are nothing but pretty guitars and aren't anything special. Perhaps their experience with PRS was ruined by some dog guitar(s)? I can't imagine PRS guitars generally being piles of crap tonewise/feelwise. I would think they would have their special guitars and dog guitars just like any other guitar company. Discuss your take on PRS Guitars. Positive and negative stories welcome.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: What's with the Love or Hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars?.....

Jealousy, perhaps? Many PRS guitars are expensive. More expensive than some people are willing/able to pay. This creates resentment.

My solution to this problem was to buy pre-owned.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: What's with the Love or Hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars?.....

I don't love or hate PRS.

Here's a list of things i think when I think PRS:

-there are no artists I like using them. (edit: as their axe of choice, selected willingly)

-most models ive seen dont come in solid finishes.

-they seem to buy out artists into using their guitars. 2 guys in bands i like are using them, the Mira models and whatever. These musicians used to use Gibson SGs and are now all of a sudden using PRS.

-Santana uses them. He has great tone.

-I can't afford the "standard" type models.

-I've never had one in my hands.

-I can't get what they're about. You look at a strat and you know the sound it makes. you look at a Les Paul and you know the sound it makes. You look at a custom 22 and think it's just another guitar with humbuckers.

 

[Funkfingers]

Re: What's with the Love or Hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars?.....

-I can't afford the "standard" type models.
-I've never had one in my hands.
-I can't get what they're about.

These statements kinda answer themselves.

You look at a strat and you know the sound it makes. you look at a Les Paul and you know the sound it makes.

By this logic, Buddy Holl(e)y, Dick Dale, Hank Marvin, Jimi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore, David Gilmour, Jeff Beck, Bonnie Raitt, Mark Knopfler, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Yngwie Malmsteen and, get this, Funkfingers all sound the same.

You look at a custom 22 and think it's just another guitar with humbuckers.

Nah. That's just you, AZ.

Go and play a PRS (or whatever other brand appeals), THEN form an opinion about whether it is of any use to you.

 

[cayle_6]

Re: What's with the Love or Hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars?.....

I like the necks, but the heel turns me off. But they still play and sound great!

 

[stevie_bees]

Re: What's with the Love or Hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars?.....

I've avoided trying a PRS up to now because I'll either be incredibly disappointed or get major GAS and I can't afford one!

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: What's with the Love or Hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars?.....

There seems to be a love or hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars. Whats the deal here? Some say they are nothing but pretty guitars and aren't anything special. Perhaps their experience with PRS was ruined by some dog guitar(s)? I can't imagine PRS guitars generally being piles of crap tonewise/feelwise. I would think they would have their special guitars and dog guitars just like any other guitar company. Discuss your take on PRS Guitars. Positive and negative stories welcome.

The deal here is that they're a guitar company like any of the big names. They produce a wide variety of products, some are pricey and some are budget conscious. They have their own designs and their own tweaks to classic designs that make them stand out from the pack.

What PRS had initially sold me on was the playability. I had gone through a few custom shop Gibsons and several different Fenders until I bought my '96 McCarty. The McCarty just fit perfectly. Perfect balance, perfect neck shape and the craftsmanship was impeccable. Playing became fun because I didn't have to fight the instrument anymore. No more constant retuning. They're very solid, well built instruments.

The tone has always thrown people off. Some of the designs really have their own sound and some of them are a nod towards classic sounds. With the 25'' scale length, they often come in playability and tone wise in between traditional strat and les paul tones. The longer the scale, the more snap you're going to get and the more tension there's going to be. It's not surprising that even with the same tone woods as one of the competitors, it can still have it's own sound that it imparts.

Like any other guitar, even with impeccable quality control, there are going to be some pieces of wood that sound better than others. I've owned a couple in the past and now own 2 keepers. Ones that sound perfectly balanced and punchy and have more desirable traits to them (like the meaty Les Paul low end of the McCarty or the surprisingly ES-335 sounding Hollowbody Spruce). Not only do they sound amazing, but they play better than any Gibson I've ever owned (and I've owned my fair share).

Look around, used prices make these things a steal. When I sold my silver sparkle one, it went for something like $1350 on TGP and that was a pretty darn good sounding guitar in excellent condition. I've paid far less for both my keeper PRS than I bet a good portion of the folks here have on their competitors guitars. Make sure you try them and see if they're right for you because they have their own thing going on. For those that like a more minimalistic look, PRS does make solid color guitars, they're just not as common as the 10 tops aesthetic that they generally strive for.

 

[aleclee]

Re: What's with the Love or Hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars?.....

• They're expensive, bringing out the anti-snobs
• They weren't around in 1964 so they weren't used on some folks' favorite songs.
• Some uncool bands use 'em
• They're pretty so tough guys can't play 'em.
• They don't sound like a Strat or LP.

 

[astrozombie]

Re: What's with the Love or Hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars?.....

These statements kinda answer themselves.



By this logic, Buddy Holl(e)y, Dick Dale, Hank Marvin, Jimi Hendrix, Ritchie Blackmore, David Gilmour, Jeff Beck, Bonnie Raitt, Mark Knopfler, Stevie Ray Vaughan, Yngwie Malmsteen and, get this, Funkfingers all sound the same.



Nah. That's just you, AZ.

Go and play a PRS (or whatever other brand appeals), THEN form an opinion about whether it is of any use to you.

I've played some SE models and such. What I meant is, I havent played the high end models. i dont know why, maybe it's just because i can't afford them. its not that i think they have no use, they just dont seem to be for me. the looks wont grow on me, and thats truly a problem, because how are you supposed to feel inspired?

 

[sosomething]

Re: What's with the Love or Hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars?.....

I've owned a couple of them. My first "nice" guitar (still the most expensive guitar I've ever owned) was a McCarty model with a 1-piece flame top and a solid rosewood neck. It was a WAY nice guitar, but I ended up selling it for two reasons:

1.) I was gigging regularly, and I had far too much money wrapped up in it to risk damaging it at a show.

2.) I fell out of love with the pickups, and this was before I knew how to replace them.

The whole deal manifested in a $3200 guitar that just hung on my wall while I played other stuff. I couldn't justify the cost, so I sold it.

It was super-nice. Played beautifully. Looked gorgeous. Sometimes I miss it, but I don't regret selling it because I the money I got out of it eventually became my first Splawn half stack (which I still own).

I owned a Mira a few years ago as well and wound up selling it because it felt insubstantial compared to my Gibson and Fender guitars and because, while it felt and played a bit better than my SG, it only sounded about 1/2 as cool.

Nowadays I'm getting a lot of mileage out of the "fender" version of PRS (Music Man), so go figure....

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: What's with the Love or Hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars?.....

2.) I fell out of love with the pickups, and this was before I knew how to replace them.

That's a very good point I forgot to mention. PRS pickups downright suck. I wish there was a better way of putting it, but every PRS I've ever owned needed a pickup change to sound its best. That's one thing I can't knock Gibson on (heck, I have "Classic '57s" in my Hollowbody Spruce right now). How Paul Reed Smith can make such well built guitars with such piss poor pickup designs is beyond me. They're often too aggressive, too colored and too muddy (or just plain 'ole bland).

 

[ErikH]

Re: What's with the Love or Hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars?.....

There are some PRS models that I really like and there are some that I don't. I've played SE's and well as USA models. I can't afford the USA models, even used, so I looked at the SE line and found gold in the SE SC Korina. It's an absolutely stellar guitar. The wide/fat neck on it feels just like the wide/fat on the USA models (I know, I've compared it with them). The weakest point in the SE's is the pickups. Easily remedied, however.

The sound of a PRS is neither that of a LP nor a Strat, but somewhere in between. Some like it, some don't. It took me a little bit to warm up to them overall but as I played more of them, I have grown to appreciate them. The SC 58 gives me serious G.A.S. but that's all it is because I know I can't afford one right now. The SE SC suits me just fine.

 

[wahwah]

Re: What's with the Love or Hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars?.....

I bought one of the first PRS Customs that came into Australia in 1989 on the recommendation of a friend who knew the distributor. I was able to choose it from a stock of about 16 at the time. It was a beautifully made guitar, very stable, and with the smoothest vibrato system I've ever played. I put my '68 Strat on the stand and played the PRS for nearly a year, trying to like it and thus justifying the purchase. I broke a string on it one night and picked up my old Strat, and my immediate reaction was, "What the heck was I thinking?" The tone of the PRS was soulless by comparison, bland and non-descript. Despite its playability and stability, it seemed to thoroughly lack any real character of its own. It went back into its case and I sold it shortly after, and I haven't missed it for a moment since.

I met Paul when he came here on a promotional tour in 1990, he was a very interesting guy to talk to, and we discussed our mutual respect for Paul Rodgers after he told me he had built a bass for him. He was passionate about his instruments, obviously, and it showed in their construction. From my own experience, they seemed to have suffered to some extent from his intention to make them 'a little bit of everything.' In the end, from my own experience, it turned out to be 'not much of anything.' So I feel neither love nor hate for PRS, simply indifference.




Cheers...................................... wahwah

 

[Nagash]

Re: What's with the Love or Hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars?.....

PRS look awesome, they are very easy to play and they have a very nice sound. They can be used in any genre from blues to metal, they are really really versatile. BUT they are really expensive.

I like their double cut shaped guitars, I'd love one with 24 frets, arched top, fixed bridge and if possible semi-acoustic > I'd definitely empty my pockets if they made such a one ^^.

 

[shred4Him]

Re: What's with the Love or Hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars?.....

The moment something is expensive and popular, it becomes a target. That is really what it comes down to. Same with the Strat and LP. I still see too many Strat vs. LP threads on too many boards. Just get what inspires you and ignore all of the talk. That is all it is... talk.

 

[JOLLY]

Re: What's with the Love or Hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars?.....

I've probably played 35 or so of them. While they were all instruments that were very well built with great craftmanship, I just couldn't find a single one that I liked the way they played.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: What's with the Love or Hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars?.....

i didn't like the one i owned

 

[AudioWonderland]

Re: What's with the Love or Hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars?.....

There seems to be a love or hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars. Whats the deal here? Some say they are nothing but pretty guitars and aren't anything special. Perhaps their experience with PRS was ruined by some dog guitar(s)? I can't imagine PRS guitars generally being piles of crap tonewise/feelwise. I would think they would have their special guitars and dog guitars just like any other guitar company. Discuss your take on PRS Guitars. Positive and negative stories welcome.

The only thing wrong with PRS typically that they are not Gibsons or Fenders. Some people just can't get past it.

 

[AudioWonderland]

Re: What's with the Love or Hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars?.....

I don't love or hate PRS.

Here's a list of things i think when I think PRS:

-there are no artists I like using them. (edit: as their axe of choice, selected willingly)

-most models ive seen dont come in solid finishes.

-they seem to buy out artists into using their guitars. 2 guys in bands i like are using them, the Mira models and whatever. These musicians used to use Gibson SGs and are now all of a sudden using PRS.

-Santana uses them. He has great tone.

-I can't afford the "standard" type models.

-I've never had one in my hands.

-I can't get what they're about. You look at a strat and you know the sound it makes. you look at a Les Paul and you know the sound it makes. You look at a custom 22 and think it's just another guitar with humbuckers.

Really? That's what you think?

 

[AudioWonderland]

Re: What's with the Love or Hate thing in regards to PRS Guitars?.....

I've played some SE models and such. What I meant is, I havent played the high end models. i dont know why, maybe it's just because i can't afford them. its not that i think they have no use, they just dont seem to be for me. the looks wont grow on me, and thats truly a problem, because how are you supposed to feel inspired?

If the looks are what inspire you I would say you are in the wrong area of the fine arts. You need brushes and a canvas