PRS guitars - is the stellar rep real or hype?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Chris O
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My two McCartys are a rosewood neck one and a Korina w/braz board. They just sounded better than the customs I had... never really owned a cu24 that I liked, probably because of how the pickup is located I guess. McCartys have a thicker body, as previously mentioned and mine are wrap around bridges. I'm not a fan of tremolos unless it's a floyd, and the non trem PRS guitars resonate better.

All of mine are wide/fat necks, which aren't really all that fat, but I'm a huge believer in bigger neck = bigger tone.
 
I had a pair of "10 top" CU24s that I gigged during the late 90s. They were AWESOME in terms of fit & finish and playability. For several years they inspired me to play more each day. And then one day... I stopped being inspired by them. Don't get me wrong, they were still beautiful and still played like buttah. But the tone was VERY homogenous, and they lacked any real mojo. So I went back to strats and LPs. One of my students had purchased the red one from me and I was close to buying it back over the years, tearing-out those boring Vintage Bass and HFS pickups, and ditching that damn rotary selector. But I never made it happen.

At any rate, I'd own another PRS in a second... but I'd HAVE to make it my own in terms of pickups and options. Back in the 90s it was pretty cool to have real PRS guitars on stage (they didn't even have imports back then). I'd have people come up at shows and oggle them and ask about them. But since then, every new rock band has had players with PRS' on stage so it did lose some of that uniqueness appeal for me. My current main axes are a Music Man Morse Y2D and a Dean USA Soltero #46/100... so I get to play something that not every kid on my block has again. Doesn't make me better... just different (and I like that).

Pic of "the twins" with my little girl's feet. They're much bigger now (the feet)... :lol: :LOL:

twins2.jpg
 
They must be good, thought I have never tried one. Every PRS owner I have run into guards them close and they always have more than one. One guy I used to play with would go on and on about his early PRS (before the factory moved). Oh and he wouldn't let me try it out. ;)

So my message to PRS owners, let some of us try out your PRS's. :)
 
The Custom 24 is the best guitar I have ever played/owned. You can easily pick a used one up for under 2K. In fact, you shouldnt have trouble finding one for around $1500 if you look hard enough.
 
I've had a few PRS, and they're definitely nice. My preference is for the 80s to mid 90s Custom 24s and Standards. I haven't dug a lot of the newer offerings. I've got a 1911 Cu24 that has been one of my main axes for a while now. It's a very good rock guitar IMO.
 
I thought they were cool at first, but later fell out of love with the necks and tone of 'em. Not saying they were bad, just not as inspiring to me as Gibson, Fender, etc.
 
blackba":rti1p49x said:
They must be good, thought I have never tried one. Every PRS owner I have run into guards them close and they always have more than one. One guy I used to play with would go on and on about his early PRS (before the factory moved). Oh and he wouldn't let me try it out. ;)

So my message to PRS owners, let some of us try out your PRS's. :)
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:lol: :LOL:

That's GOLD.
 
I love mine. Better mojo than any CS Gibson or Fender I've owned.

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blackba":1w9jyqwo said:
They must be good, thought I have never tried one. Every PRS owner I have run into guards them close and they always have more than one. One guy I used to play with would go on and on about his early PRS (before the factory moved). Oh and he wouldn't let me try it out. ;)

So my message to PRS owners, let some of us try out your PRS's. :)
Click to expand...

You must not be a fellow lawyer or dentist then. ;)
 
love my custom 24. It's got the much-maligned rotary, I guess I've gotten used to it. I still prefer the blade, but it's not a deal breaker. Wide-thin neck profile - thin by PRS standard is not the same as like wizard\shredder thin but is just about damn near perfect for me. It's a subjective thing though. I REALLLLY want a DGT but from what I've ready the necks are beefier than I'd prefer. May go for a singlecut trem:)
 
I might add also - used may be the way to go on PRS. SERIOUSLY good deals on used stuff out there, I see tons of CE's (bolt-ons) around $1k, lots of singlecuts and custom 22\24's for under $2k with amazing hardware and finishes.
 
I think they make great stuff. I'm mostly a les paul guy but I have an sc 245 and it's killer!
 
im a les paul / Floyd rose guy but they are amazing guitars, I wish Gibson would build guitars as well as PRS.
 
I went and played a handful at Willie's today. Gotta say I'm partial to the thickness (BOTH body & neck) of the McCarty guitars. I'm definitely partial to the wrap-around too.

Think it's time to begin searching a bit.
 
I got all of my PRS stuff used except for the ME that sat in a dealers office stash for several years until GC put him out of business.
I always play them unplugged for a bit and looked for exceptionally loud and resonant specimens compared to others, if it rings more and is louder and more resonant acoustically, it will just be a matter of finding the right pups to make it scream plugged in ;)
I've had amazing results with this, but I did walk away from some beautiful axes that turned out to be less than I would have thought based on appearance. Thats the main reason I never buy an axe without playing it first.
Not real fond of the McCarty bridge pup, but the neck is pretty sweet for a lot of things that require a not-so-hot pup. Its pretty fat though, and splits well to SC.
The 2 McCartys I have have been absolutely bulletproof for years now, they have been hammered the whole time and stay in tune for ridiculous amounts of time. I'll never sell them. They are not case queens, or even 10 tops, but they sound fantastic and always work with no problems.
Good luck on your quest ;)
 
JTyson":238eplpb said:
The 2 McCartys I have have been absolutely bulletproof for years now, they have been hammered the whole time and stay in tune for ridiculous amounts of time. I'll never sell them. They are not case queens, or even 10 tops, but they sound fantastic and always work with no problems.

Good luck on your quest ;)
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That's kind of my hope as well - and thanks! :thumbsup:
 
here are the three I kept - Cu22 quilt hollowbody, McCarty Korina w/braz board, McCarty with solid Rosewood neck. Davesguitar.com has *NEW* McCarty Korinas with braz boards for $1999. Pretty much a crazy deal if you ask me. The Korinas are all really light and resonant, and in my opinion very good sounding.

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I have a 10 top custom 22.. real nice guitar, very clear and resonant. It has the wide fat neck and feels pretty good for both rhythm and lead playing. I took out the 5 way switch and went with the McCarty setup. I also changed the pickups to seymours. Sounds great
 
I have a SC245 and CE24. Great guitars. I am in the same boat as a few others. Love LP's but they aren't right for my hands and playing style.



 
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