Paul Reed Smith guitars

Hard2Hear

Hard2Hear

New member
I have gone on record several times as to not liking PRS guitars, mainly because they sell guitars that are spat out by machines in quantities of hundreds (or thousands) per day, and sell them at or above costs of guitars that are hand made by luthiers, craftsmen, and artists.

But I went and did it now. I bought one.

For the record, I bought a 1994 PRS, one of the last hand built PRS guitars, with the old neck, heel, pickups, wood, and tuners. And I bought it from a guy who let me have it for a very good price....so good, in fact, that I just couldn't pass it up.

But I hate it when I do something like this. I refuse to ever act like those stuck up people who play PRS guitars. They all have this superiority complex, it seems.

Anyhow, I'll play it out for the first time this week, and we'll see how she stacks up to my good old LP, my Fly, and my #1 Strat. If I don't like it, I'm sure I can sell it and make money off of it.

H2H
 
H2H
It would be interesting to have your comparison of LP vs Parker vs PRS.Construction, playability,intonation,what ever comes to mind.
Did you get the flying birds inlay?They do beautiful necks.

Tom
 
Is it just me, or do PRS guitars lack soul? I've always thought that the sound you get out of those guitars has nothing interesting to it. Les Pauls and most Gibsons have that thick, soulful tone. Strats have a thin, glassy singing quality... PRS guitars are good looking.

Who the hell cares what they look like? I don't hang 'em on the wall, I play 'em.

Pete
 
ha ha ha ha!
Pete- You're exactly right! All they ever talk about is the finish! I hope they get played on very bright stages with people sitting really close. Sometimes I play on stages that are 7-8 feet off the ground with people up to a hundred yards away, they can barely tell what color it is!

Tom- I'll do just that! I'll put up a comparison when it arrives (It was shipped Friday) and let you know what I think. BTW- This was the first guitar I have ever bought that I didn't play first, so I'm crossing my fingers! Oh, I got moons, no birds...but thinking about a conversion.

H2H
 
For what it's worth...I have a 1986 PRS Custom 24 that I like very much but I have had to fight for many years to like it. I think I know this guitar pretty well by now and I just have to agree that compared to a Les Paul it lacks that thick warm awesome tone and it doesn't even come close to the spank and openess of a strat. Mine is a very midrange sounding instrument that produces a nice singing lead tone but doesn't cover the bases very well. I play my strats 90% of the time.
 
Does anyone know which serial numbers denote the line between the hand built and machine made PRS's?
 
Hix-

The leading number denotes the year, the serial follows. The new factory guitars were produced in 1995 and following, though I don't know exactly when...possibly with the start of the year.

H2H
 
I've never played a PRS. The walls are lined with them at my favourite shop, but I've never bothered to try them due to the prices (plus I don't hang out in shops much). Also, I have a Les Paul and a Strat and do not feel the immediate urge to seriously consider another (other than the normal cravings).

Given that they look simply beautiful (which in my view is a secondary factor), what is it about them that justifies the price? I forked over good bucks for my existing guitars, but the prices of the PRS's are astronomical! Do they play and sound that much better than Gibson/Fender? If I played a PRS, would I automatically come to some realization that I've been selling myself short for the past twenty years? Are they more versatile? Does Carlos carry that much influence (didn't see everyone running around buying SG's and Yamaha's during his earlier stages)? Given there's no vintage angle, what can a "conventional" electric guitar do (playability and sound) to justify a $3,000 price tag?

This is not sarcasm. I'm hearing of quite a few semi-pro players shelling out good bucks for PRS.

Maybe I should simply shut up and play one and form my own opinion.

Paul C. G. Smith (PCGS):)
 
I got this guitar for well under $1000. Thats why I bought it in the first place. I would never pay 3k for a guitar......maybe an Olson, thats a different story...

H2H
 
Here's what I can offer...

I have owned two PRS's, both CE-24 Maple tops, and I can tell you that the pre '95 legend is REAL! The myths are absolutely true! The one that I still own is the '91. The one I have since sold was a '98. Here is my comparison:

The '91 has an ALDER body and a maple top. The '98 had a MAHOGANY body w/ maple. That, by far, is the biggest difference. The alder body has a tone that is absolutely indescribable! It is so harmonically rich and deep. I absolutely love to play it. The '98 just sounded dead next to it.

Other differences: the '91 body was thinner, neck was thinner. The whole thing just feels more finely carved, whereas the '98 felt thick and clunky. I'm sure this is the due to the implementation of CNC machines in '95.

To be fair, I think the '98 was more perfectly fit and assembled, probably also due to the accuracy of the CNC machines. In fact, the '91 has a flub: the tiny fret dots along the upper edge of the neck are messed up. There are normally one at every other fret, except at the twelfth fret where there are two. When mine was assembled, the luthier accidentaly put one dot on edge of the 12 fret, then removed it and filled it with black, and then put two like normal.

Be that as it may, the '91 is the superior guitar in terms of playability, hands down. It just has a soul, a feel, an ingredient I just can't quantify, that the '98 didn't have. Playing it is just effortless, and the tone just oozes out of the thing.

Other differences: '91 has real MOP inlays, 1 piece MANN trem, small neck heel, better tuners, better pots. PRS still uses the same pickup names, but I wonder if they have changed the construction of those to cut costs a well. That could have to do with the huge difference in tone also.

Many great guitar products have come about by accident (i.e. the Fender Bassman). I think in an effort to produce a cheaper version of their Custom model, PRS actually ended up creating perhaps the best sounding bolt-on ever made.

I have never played a PRS made later than '95 that comes anywhere close to mine. I think the new ones are way, way overpriced. However, I also think that the pre '95's are worth double what they're going for.

Just my $.02.

Aaron
http://www.aaroncheney.com
 
I forgot to mention...

H2H, I forgot the best part of the story!!

Like you, I bought it sight-unseen from a guy in Jersey. He shipped it to me by duct taping the case shut! That's it! When my wife went down to UPS to pick it up, she almost started crying. It looked like it had been dragged all the way to Seattle behind the truck!
She got it home, and called me at work, and I was in a total panic. I got home, and the case was MESSED UP. Wood showing everywhere. I peeled the duct tape off and gently propped the lid up, and there she was! Then I almost cried. It was grimy and poorly taken care of. I took it out and cleaned it up and put on new strings.
Once I plugged it in, I knew I was keeping it no matter what! I contacted the guy and got some of my $ back, but I would have kept it anyway.
And by the way, I kept the case too. I almost don't want a new one. It's part of the character. The guitar ain't no showpiece, and I like it that way.
Hope this doesn't scare you!
Aaron
http://www.aaroncheney.com
 
I MET P.R.S................

back in 1979....... i was gigging in annapolis, where his shop was. i needed repairs on the bridge of an ibanez artist. i asked locals, and they said go to paul.

when i got to his shop, it was a small affair, with tons of wood stacked in the corners of the room......

he was working on the birds of prey inlays on a guitar that would become santana's very first prs.

i played many of his guitars, and i've got to say, these early batches (much like what aaron was saying) were amazingly vocal, and woody, and real.

i believe, that the quality of the wood and aging process has as much to do with it all as any machine/hand worked issue, but at the time, of course, all of prs's guitars were hand made. he had 3 student luthiers in there working side by side with him.

if i were to desire a prs, i'd hunt an old one.
 
Hixie- Here's your answer

I posted your wuestion on the PRS forum and this is what I got

"As far as I know, PRS ceased building guitars at the old factory by the end of '95, and started production on the new one on January 2, 1996.
But they had been using the CNC machines at the old factory...so...
Anyway, the serial numbers starting with a "6" as in 6 25784 are the first ones to come out of the new facility."

thanks to Arial Pozzo!

H2H
 
What style..

I play pretty much everything. I've used it on everything from metal to reggae to jazz. My PRS just shines regaradless of what I'm playing. The clean tones are really sweet, and distorted tones are wonderful as well. The tone is just so complex and full of all kinds of great harmonic information.
If you want to hear it, go here:

http://www.garageband.com/artist/aaroncheney

Listen to 'Round You. It's an '80's style rock tune. All the leads were played on the PRS.
Also listen to Downtown. It's a funk tune, and all the slashing wah-wah'ed chords in the chorus are the PRS.

These are both bedroom recordings, so I hope they do the PRS justice. If they don't, well, trust me, it's a great guitar!

As far as what H2H just said, I think the CNC machines did come in before '95, but it's pretty easy to tell which guitars were made on them and which weren't. The handmade ones have a completely different neck shape, (slimmer, faster) and the bodies are much thinner. Also, the real early ones (like mine) don't have the standard PRS heel plate with the PRS logo. The just have a plain black plate with a serial number stamped in it.

Aaron
http://www.aaroncheney.com
 
From the Taylor thread:

"They once had something very unique, but when Ted McCarty came on board they should have just changed the name to Les Paul Reed Smith. Now with the single cuts, it seems the transformation is complete"

Aaron- I think you're exactly right. They seem to be in the midst of an identity crisis right now. I mean, if I wanted another LesPaul...I'm buying a Les Paul. That whole Tremonte (suck) thing just gets me too.

I think I heard a couple weeks ago that McCarty died. Maybe PRS will get back to their own image. It's sad to say, but it's true.

In 1993 I was still in high school and I played my first PRS, it was different from other things, and thats why I liked it. For me, a guitar needs its own identity, not to be a copy of something else.

H2H
 
What famous guitarists play PRS guitars?

I think that the guitarist on Nathalie Merchant's Tiger Lily was playing a PRS--I know, I know... but my wife likes it....besides, it kind of makes my point...

Who else (besides Santana, who gets paid to play it)???
 
Actually, the guy in Bared Naked Ladies had his PRS stolen a couple of days ago. He's pleading via the video stations for its safe return.

Their not "famous" per se, but don't the guys in Alanis Morrisette's band play PRS?
 
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