Are PRS's really worth the money???

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5150 Musician

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Paul Reed Smiths, as pretty and nice sounding as they may be, have quite a large price tag. Don't you think its better to buy a guitar that's built just as good (if not, better) than a Paul Reed Smith and replace the electronics rather than spending all that money for something that just has a big name and looks fancy? I mean, for a guitar company that rips off the Gibson Les Paul body shape, I don't really respect their retail values at all.
 
5150 Musician said:
Are PRS's really worth the money???
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If you pick one up and you like the look, the feel and find it gives you the tone you're looking for, then yes - it's worth it.......

Same could be said for other guitars as well - expensive or not.....
 
Sounds like you've answered your own question.

I have one and I consider it worth the money, however it's a question which can be viewed from a number of angles. Let me just say, I doubt I'll ever regret purchasing it.

It's like asking if a Mercedes is worth the money. Lots of people who can afford them think they are for whatever reason. Others don't.

There's a large part of PRS appeal that is aesthetic - difficult to put a value on.

And while I agree that the PRS appropriation of other guitar shapes like Les Paul and Strat is unnecessary, you've got to admire a guitar company that can spring out of the ground and become this big, in an industry ruled by Fender and Gibson at mainstream level, in just 20 years (I think - not up on my history).

Sounds like you won't be buying one, however. Good luck.

Cheers
 
If you're a good shopper you can find CE models all the time for $700-800 and Custom22's can be had for just over a thousand right now ( recently saw 2 for $900). The PRS used market is really low. Of course if you're talking all the options you're talking more money. Les Paul's of similar quality go for higher dollar amounts and the Gibson build quality is accepted to be below that of PRS by most guitar collectors.

Plus you're an idiot if you think PRS ripped off the Les Paul shape. Have you ever held a singlecut and a Les Paul at the same time? Have you even held a PRS or a Les Paul at all ever? Something makes me think you haven't. But I have and they are very different guitars in many many ways. Anyways, PRS was a successful guitar company long before the Singlecut came to market, and they will be after it's gone.

H2H
 
Hard2Hear said:
If you're a good shopper you can find CE models all the time for $700-800 and Custom22's can be had for just over a thousand right now ( recently saw 2 for $900). The PRS used market is really low. Of course if you're talking all the options you're talking more money. Les Paul's of similar quality go for higher dollar amounts and the Gibson build quality is accepted to be below that of PRS by most guitar collectors.

Plus you're an idiot if you think PRS ripped off the Les Paul shape. Have you ever held a singlecut and a Les Paul at the same time? Have you even held a PRS or a Les Paul at all ever? Something makes me think you haven't. But I have and they are very different guitars in many many ways. Anyways, PRS was a successful guitar company long before the Singlecut came to market, and they will be after it's gone.

H2H
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Can't disagree with you on that sir. I wasn't talking about the way the guitar sits and plays, I was simply saying how the two are similar in looks as far as body style goes. I am also not saying that the production of the single cut body style was what made PRS famous. Try to stay within the boundaries of what I have stated. Why do you think Gibson sewed PRS because of it? I am not saying it's identicle, I am simply stating that the idea of the shape was inspired by the Les Paul. And yes I have held both kinds but just by looking at it everyone knows the PRS single cut relates to the shape of a Les Paul. No hard feelings, keep it cool.
 
I think it's very fair to say that the PRS singlecut was the evolution of the Les Paul. I mean, Gibsons biggest seller is a guitar mostly unchanged since 1958. The reason they had to sue PRS was thay they knew they could not compete with the quality PRS was making. If you look at a Les Paul with similar trimmings, you'll see that PRS is actually several hundred dollars cheaper than the comparable Gibson. But then again, good luck finding a Les Paul with the quality and finish of a PRS. The ones that are are Custom Shop Les Pauls, and then you're talking over $5000 list price.

H2H
 
Hard2Hear said:
I think it's very fair to say that the PRS singlecut was the evolution of the Les Paul. I mean, Gibsons biggest seller is a guitar mostly unchanged since 1958. The reason they had to sue PRS was thay they knew they could not compete with the quality PRS was making. If you look at a Les Paul with similar trimmings, you'll see that PRS is actually several hundred dollars cheaper than the comparable Gibson. But then again, good luck finding a Les Paul with the quality and finish of a PRS. The ones that are are Custom Shop Les Pauls, and then you're talking over $5000 list price.

H2H
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Indeed, prices do get ugly in that situation, which is why it's better to put all the techinical crap behind and just go for which one you think plays better; that's all it pretty much comes down to anyway (unless you have alot of money).

p.s. Have you ever heard of Agile guitars? Dirt cheap and compares to gibsons... Glue in neck, grover tuners, bone nut, Wilkinson Alnicos (I'd change the pick ups) Heavy gauged wiring, block inlays, real canadian maple top. Price? Under 350 dollars. I read reveiws on them and they were real good, I'm thinking about getting one just to see for myself - there is a return policy, so I really have nothing to lose. The neck is also angled a lot like that of a Gibson neck - I emailed them with that question. Now THESE are what a call complete Gibson LP ripoffs. But who knows? Maybe I'll love the way it plays... I dont expect to be impressed, but I'm willing to give it a shot.
 
I hear the Agile guitars are very similar in quality to the Epiphones for a little better price. As long as you get one expecting to compare to an Epi, you're ok I think. I have never seen anyone compare them to actual Gibsons. Probably worth the cost to check it out anyways.

H2H
 
Agiles

Hard2Hear said:
I hear the Agile guitars are very similar in quality to the Epiphones for a little better price. As long as you get one expecting to compare to an Epi, you're ok I think. I have never seen anyone compare them to actual Gibsons. Probably worth the cost to check it out anyways.

H2H
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Saw a $660 Epiphone Les Paul at Guitar Center the other day.... Photo Top - I laughed and immediately thought of the Agiles which are half price that have real actual wood tops.
 
What is best for most guitar players is to buy the guitar that best suits their needs, whatever they are. For some this may be a PRS, for some non-name clone of some popular model, and for most something in between.

My primary guitar is a PRS Custom 24 and I consider it worth the $ I paid. It has proven to be a very dependable quality made instrument with great feel and tone. I also have various Fender and Gibson models, which are also good guitars.

The concept of buying a guitar with the plans to immediately replace the electronics generally sounds like not the best way to choose a guitar. I believe most would be better served to find a model that suits their needs as originally purchased. While there are special cases where this approach makes sense, for the average buyer it does not.

PRS is not a big company. Their name, and whatever size that name bears, is due more to the style and quality of the instruments they make and little else. The look of a PRS guitar varies by model and features. One can get them as plan or fancy as desired. The look you purchase is driven not by PRS, but by what you want in your guitar.

While the shape of the PRS single cut model is similar to the Gibson Les Paul, it is not the same. Anyone who has even held and played both would have no trouble at all at telling them apart. To some extent all guitars have a similar shape. They all generally have this bigger wider thing at one end and a long skinny thing that sticks out the other end.

My opinion is that the Gibson lawsuit against PRS is total BS. PRS went from an unknown guitar company in Maryland to the third largest US maker in something like 20 years. They did this based mostly on the quality and style of their guitars. Gibson on the other hand did not introduce a single new successful model during the same time frame. Their success is still mostly based on a single guitar they started making about 50 years ago, the Les Paul. Since they failed to compete in the market based on either price or quality, they then choose to go after their new competition with lawyers.

Ed
 
5150 Musician said:
Paul Reed Smiths, as pretty and nice sounding as they may be, have quite a large price tag. Don't you think its better to buy a guitar that's built just as good (if not, better) than a Paul Reed Smith and replace the electronics rather than spending all that money for something that just has a big name and looks fancy? I mean, for a guitar company that rips off the Gibson Les Paul body shape, I don't really respect their retail values at all.
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Yeah. They are like Behringer. PRS only copies like Behringer. Why pay all the $$$ for a made in Korea guitar? I would not buy one because of the ethics of stolen design, like Behringer. Buy a real Les Paul made in america with 100% american workers so that they can pump the $$$ back into america so we can have more american jobs. BUY AMERICAN!!!!! Yeah!


Sincerely:
Jesus Fernandaz
Cost Rica
South America.
 
acorec said:
Yeah. They are like Behringer. PRS only copies like Behringer. Why pay all the $$$ for a made in Korea guitar? I would not buy one because of the ethics of stolen design, like Behringer.
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PRS has little similarity to Behringer. While Behringer does have many products of their own, they also make and produce products that are similar in almost every respect to other firm’s products. While the PRS single cut model has a shape that is similar (but not identical) to the Les Paul, the neck, headstock, and electronics are completely different.

PRS introduced their single cut model in 2000. Their overall success has been driven more by their other models that bear no resemblance to Gibson models. I also believe that many of their single cut models, which are the subject of the lawsuit, were also made in their US facility.

Most PRS guitars are made in the facility in Maryland. While they also offer a lower cost line of models (like the Santana SE) which is imported from factories outside the US, most of their products and models are produced here in the US.

Ed
 
HAHAHAHA

Ed Roman as an "expert" on anything...

HAHAHAHAHA
 
What are you talking about???!! Ed Roman is an expert on everything!!!

Just ask him...


A
 
There are lots of wrist-watches out there for $50 that can keep time just as well as a Rolex, but none of them are a Rolex.
There are lots of less-expensive guitars out there that are just as good as PRS in terms of sound and playability. None of them are a PRS, however.

Ed Dixon was wrong about one thing: PRS is a huge company that makes zillions of guitars. They have done a great job of building their brand identity and setting themselves apart as an "elite" guitar. People are paying what they're asking, and that's why they charge what they charge.

However, I think Ed Dixon is right on the money when he says that buying a guitar and planning to swap out the pups is the wrong way to go. I try to avoid the pup swapping game at all costs. I buy a guitar because I like it the way it is, and I leave it at that.


A
 
While PRS is considerably larger that a few years ago, I'm not sure I would list them as huge. I saw some figures in the last year from someone, and their yearly guitar sales, in units, was much much smaller than either Fender or Gibson, who I would qualify as huge.

What makes them somewhat different, is that a large percentage of their sales is high end units, which compete directly with the Gibson LP. I suspect a large percentage of Fender sales is for strats that sell for less than $400.

Supply and demand is alive and well at PRS, and as Aaron said, they get what they charge somewhat because people will line up to pay it. One reason they are willing to pay is because the tone and quality of the guitar is question is usually very high. Many believe that the fit and finish for the typical PRS model is better than the Gibson equivalent.

Ed
 
Indeed the tone and quality is (for some to say) well worth the price, I heard a $2500 PRS plugged into a Bogner Uberschall. Sounded rather beautiful, even at the volume turned up just a hear - I wanted to say it didn't sound that great so that I wouldn't go crazy and end up buying the head and some sort of expensive PRS. :rolleyes:
 
You will not find a factory made guitar out there which is made as well as a PRS. Their workmanship is (and always has been) impeccable. Their sound does not appeal to me, but if you like it, you will not get that sound out of any other guitar. They are unique (for one thing, you will never duplicate the sound of the 25 inch scale length).

The single cuts are, in my expert opinion, an evolution of the PRS double cut. Aside from the lack of a bass side cutaway, their body shape has nothing in common with a LP. Look at the outline of the two bodies, and you will see that the PRS is really ugly compared to the LP. Its curves are almost not fair (fair is a technical term for complex curves which are smooth). Most of the curves on the Single Cut guitars are very boxy, almost squared off. The slope coming into the waste is very nearly straight, and the butt end of the guitar is almost flat. Compare this to a LP, where all of the curves flow cleanly. It is never boxy, never straight. The LP body looks like a supermodels body. The PRS Single Cut looks more like a pear shaped woman’s body. They are very different body shapes.

Now if Gibson could only get their build quality to match that of PRS.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
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