PRS Factory tour, was pretty surprised.

[Digital Jams]

Before I get crap sorry it had to be PRS but I am sure other mass builders do the same thing................I can't believe how these are built for the money they go for, it is like a fast food joint the way the body guys are slamming bodies together.

Plus cutting guitars in half is just showing the real cost of putting these together. Probably not much.

 

[AmpliFIRE]

Not sure what you mean by cutting them in half...? The beginning is just the tops that are in 2 pieces...

 

[ratter]

I'm not really surprised by anything there except for how often he used the word 'repair' in describing the build process. That's a little unsettling. But the process obviously works for them...

 

[Digital Jams]

Not sure what you mean by cutting them in half...? The beginning is just the tops that are in 2 pieces...

Around 6:50ish.....they cut a guitar in half for being a defect.

After the drying room there are two guys in the background looking like they are working a grill during the lunch rush hour slamming tops on bodies

 

[Digital Jams]

I'm not really surprised by anything there except for how often he used the word 'repair' in describing the build process. That's a little unsettling. But the process obviously works for them...

That is what I am getting at, PRS is known for making a good looking guitar and thought more time was taken into the build. I was not expecting what I saw.

 

[AmpliFIRE]

Not sure what you mean by cutting them in half...? The beginning is just the tops that are in 2 pieces...

Around 6:50ish.....they cut a guitar in half for being a defect.

After the drying room there are two guys in the background looking like they are working a grill during the lunch rush hour slamming tops on bodies

Right...but what's the problem with that? Re-using of wood is a green practice and it's better then throwing it out. Let's not forget that they are running a business here.

I'd rather them have higher quality control then Ibanez that just throws every guitar on the market

 

[Copperhead]

Where can I get some of that PRS firewood???

 

[Digital Jams]

Not sure what you mean by cutting them in half...? The beginning is just the tops that are in 2 pieces...

Around 6:50ish.....they cut a guitar in half for being a defect.

After the drying room there are two guys in the background looking like they are working a grill during the lunch rush hour slamming tops on bodies

Right...but what's the problem with that? Re-using of wood is a green practice and it's better then throwing it out. Let's not forget that they are running a business here.

I'd rather them have higher quality control then Ibanez that just throws every guitar on the market

I dont think the guitar they cut in half is going to be used again It is thrown away.

 

[Copperhead]

I'd rather them have higher quality control then Ibanez that just throws every guitar on the market

They stamp a "2" on them, and the regional distributors sell 'em out of their cars...

 

[AmpliFIRE]

Not sure what you mean by cutting them in half...? The beginning is just the tops that are in 2 pieces...

Around 6:50ish.....they cut a guitar in half for being a defect.

After the drying room there are two guys in the background looking like they are working a grill during the lunch rush hour slamming tops on bodies

Right...but what's the problem with that? Re-using of wood is a green practice and it's better then throwing it out. Let's not forget that they are running a business here.

I'd rather them have higher quality control then Ibanez that just throws every guitar on the market

I dont think the guitar they cut in half is going to be used again It is thrown away.

Oh...I thought that was what you were getting at. Anyway, what's wrong with having tight quality control practices?

 

[Digital Jams]

Nothing at all, was just surprised by the way the guitars are built for the price. I was not expecting the bodies to be hammered out at such fast pace and always thought the tops were hand carved.

 

[stratotone]

I love the PRS guitars I have... that tour was interesting, but I don't care if they do it in 15 minutes or 15 days, as long as the completed guitar is of high quality, and mine are.

Pete

 

[AmpliFIRE]

Nothing at all, was just surprised by the way the guitars are built for the price. I was not expecting the bodies to be hammered out at such fast pace and always thought the tops were hand carved.

That's exactly why the "pre-factory" PRSs sell for a premium compared to the newer ones.

 

[stratotone]

Nothing at all, was just surprised by the way the guitars are built for the price. I was not expecting the bodies to be hammered out at such fast pace and always thought the tops were hand carved.

Well, I always buy mine used, ditto with Gibsons now. Prices are well over $4k list for a new Les Paul Standard or a PRS Cu22/24... which is ridiculous. I owned a '91 PRS that was before all the CNC stuff, built in the old factory... I sold it, it was a nice guitar but my '96 and '07 PRSi are better guitars and had much more CNC content. Pre-factory PRS, in my experience, doesn't mean anything other than guys will try to get more $ for them. They aren't better guitars in my experience, they just took longer to build.

Pete

 

[Atropos_Project]

Before I get crap sorry it had to be PRS but I am sure other mass builders do the same thing................I can't believe how these are built for the money they go for, it is like a fast food joint the way the body guys are slamming bodies together.

Add in how much that factory costs just to have it's lights on, heating, cooling, cost of manufacturing equipment, workers insurance, fees for everyone working there who expects a livable paycheck from it (factory, design, sales, advertising, bla bla), plus the cost of the materials themselves.

You'd likely be suprised at what they actually make per guitar after all the bills are paid.

I took a tour of the Steinway factory in Queens about 2 years ago. It becomes pretty evident after that, why the pianos they make start at about 70-80k... Very labor intensive, with a LOT of hands working on them, in a gigantic factory. The overhead alone must be staggering.

 

[Digital Jams]

Nothing at all, was just surprised by the way the guitars are built for the price. I was not expecting the bodies to be hammered out at such fast pace and always thought the tops were hand carved.

Well, I always buy mine used, ditto with Gibsons now. Prices are well over $4k list for a new Les Paul Standard or a PRS Cu22/24... which is ridiculous. I owned a '91 PRS that was before all the CNC stuff, built in the old factory... I sold it, it was a nice guitar but my '96 and '07 PRSi are better guitars and had much more CNC content. Pre-factory PRS, in my experience, doesn't mean anything other than guys will try to get more $ for them. They aren't better guitars in my experience, they just took longer to build.

Pete

That is what I am getting at........time. No doubt hand carved or CNC carved is the same result pretty much but it cost PRS more back then to make a guitar than today. I am not a PRS guy but always said they make a good guitar.

Just was not expecting what I saw for a guitar that expensive.

 

[nwright]

Not sure what you mean by cutting them in half...? The beginning is just the tops that are in 2 pieces...

Around 6:50ish.....they cut a guitar in half for being a defect.

After the drying room there are two guys in the background looking like they are working a grill during the lunch rush hour slamming tops on bodies

Right...but what's the problem with that? Re-using of wood is a green practice and it's better then throwing it out. Let's not forget that they are running a business here.

I'd rather them have higher quality control then Ibanez that just throws every guitar on the market

I dont think the guitar they cut in half is going to be used again It is thrown away.

Oh...I thought that was what you were getting at. Anyway, what's wrong with having tight quality control practices?

nothing wrong with tight QC, but if those otherwise well built bodies are scrapped for finish issues or something relatively minor, it's a bummer to see what is probably still a completely viable guitar body thrown to the trash and not recycled into some form of usable guitar (that would still probably be a nice guitar).

 

[thiswaythatway]

Nothing at all, was just surprised by the way the guitars are built for the price. I was not expecting the bodies to be hammered out at such fast pace and always thought the tops were hand carved.

I'd rather have a machine do the carving, there's less chance of error. Machines don't come into work hungover or in bad moods and they don't work pissed off because they didn't get a raise.

And if you think it's wierd to see PRS cut a guitar in half because it didn't meet specs, you should have seen what went on at Kramer

And I'd like to see how many Charvels the Fender guys hammer out. Oh sorry, i meant to say the Charvel guys.

 

[Copperhead]

Would have been more entertaining if they used a wood chipper. "Oops - NOT THAT ONE!!! Uhhh...maybe we can start a new line of relic'ed guitars..."

 

[thiswaythatway]

Would have been more entertaining if they used a wood chipper. "Oops - NOT THAT ONE!!! Uhhh...maybe we can start a new line of relic'ed guitars..."

At Kramer we took guitars out to the parking lot and bashed them into the pavement! I'm serious.