PRS Guitars? Never played one I really liked...

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TheMagicEight

TheMagicEight

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I've spent quite a few hours playing them. They're nice guitars with beautiful finishes, and they play well enough, but so what? It seems to me there's no stand-out attribute of PRS guitars; Fender has the single coil sound of the Strat and Tele, and Gibson has the big, thick mahogany tone with a shorter scale and 'buckers. PRS guitars to me seem kind of bland tonally. They're too thick to be bright and punchy, and too thin to be fat and huge. No real signature voice. Anyone have similar experiences? Am I missing something?
 
With PRS, I think it's really for you, or not at all. I really dig PRS guitars, but I know a lot of guys that don't. You either really like them, or aren't interested.
 
That's been my experience as well. From what I've heard, the way his guitars are designed are such that they intonate better across the neck, at the expense of overtones normally present in Gibsons and Fenders.
 
I have played quite a few PRS guitars and I love the way they look but i hate the Neck heal, I never thought that they were all that they are made up to be and overall I have never been impressed with the way they play or sound, especially for the money (i think they are way over priced) Most feel like a toy to me.
 
Also keep in mind Paul's original concept. The original Custom 24 was designed to be half way in between a Strat and a Les Paul .... So, based on your description he did what he set out to do ....

Just sayin ....
 
PRS is one of those brands where you can play a dozen or more decent guitars before you find one that absolutely blows you away. You just have to keep your eye open for them until you find the guitar that clicks for you.
 
Ya, there's a fair bit of this topic already chewed upon in the thread about whether or not a forumite oughta trade his ax in for a PRS or a Suhr or something along these lines.

Personally, and I mean that in the strictest sense, I find them BEAUTIFUL guitars to look at. But I've yet to play one in a way that really speaks to me, or my body. I say "body" because I like to have a guitar feel right against me, whether sitting or standing, and the resonance has to drive through my torso... No PRS has done this yet. And tonally, albeit ya'd THINK they'd just BLOSSOM with beautiful sounds - I've found they haven't. In fact, they almost seem rigid and sterile.

BUT... There are MANY amazing players out there whose tones are simply brilliant, ALL using PRS. So :dunno:

V.
 
I should have said i feel they are not as good as what most people say. I just cant vibe with them, but they are beautiful looking, no question on that. I want to like them but dont.
 
Never played one that felt good. Never got any tones out of them that had any particular special character to them. Never heard anyone else get a tone that I liked either. Having said that I don't like that modern tone that most people are going for when they use PRS guitars.
But man they sure are pretty.

They're like a supermodel that has toilet breath and b.o. :D
 
"Am I missing something?"
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Most definitely :yes: :lol: :LOL: They are nothing like the vintage Fender's & Gibson's,as far as tone & inspiration but if you compare them with other modern guitars,they are top notch.Playability,intonation,versatility are their forte.I try them unplugged first,and,if i don't get the sound i like when plugged in ,i change the Pu's.They are such a pleasure to play... :)
 
Ya, there's a fair bit of this topic already chewed upon in the thread about whether or not a forumite oughta trade his ax in for a PRS or a Suhr or something along these lines.
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It was about trading his PRS for a Surh.... ;)
 
se7en":k9zqz6fx said:
That's been my experience as well. From what I've heard, the way his guitars are designed are such that they intonate better across the neck, at the expense of overtones normally present in Gibsons and Fenders.
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I don't quite understand the logic to this statement. Being able to perfectly intonate a guitar should have nothing at all to do with whether its a 3" thick les paul or a parker fly or anything to do with what it sounds like. :confused:
 
A big difference comes from their neck scale.Most PRS,esp. the early ones,are 25".It's half way between a LP and a Strat,and it has a real impact on the sound (like it or not..).Nowadays,you can get some PRS with 24,5" ( SC245 etc.) etc.but most are still 25".Btw,i agree they are very small...
 
R.D.":30v0d0m1 said:
Also keep in mind Paul's original concept. The original Custom 24 was designed to be half way in between a Strat and a Les Paul .... So, based on your description he did what he set out to do ....

Just sayin ....
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This is exactly how Id describe them. They are very well mannered guitars.
Dehumanize":30v0d0m1 said:
PRS is one of those brands where you can play a dozen or more decent guitars before you find one that absolutely blows you away. You just have to keep your eye open for them until you find the guitar that clicks for you.
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Actually in my experiance with them, all 4 PRSs ive owned and every other prs with the same neck profile felt exactly the same. Since I had Afwayus in all mine they all sounded almost 100% identicle. except for the one that didnt have a maple top.
 
I have tried to like PRS. I've played just about every model they make, and never cared for any of them. Of all that I have tried, I was shocked to find an SE singlecut that I DID like better than any of their other guitars I've tried. Almost bought it, but I just didn't need it. My Hamer will cover anything it could do better anyway.
 
se7en":19ajgewa said:
That's been my experience as well. From what I've heard, the way his guitars are designed are such that they intonate better across the neck, at the expense of overtones normally present in Gibsons and Fenders.
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I haven't had that experience.

It comes down to personal tastes like everything else.

I'm not a huge Gibson fan, and I'll play very few Fenders, but I've been happy with almost every PRS I've picked up, from the SE models to the USA models, and even the Private Stocks I've had a chance to play. There were a couple duds, but that's to be expected from any company. That said, the duds to me were better that 90% of the guitars out there. For me. YMMV, IMHO, all that.

Also, in terms of durability and stability, I don't think they can be beat by many manufacturers. The neck on my both of my Paul Reed Smiths have rarely needed to be tweaked, and once set up, the guitars can handle a huge beating without having to be set up.

Pricing, sure, they're expensive, but you can buy some of the USA made models for under 2 grand new. They aren't priced all that differently from Gibson, or some of the big boutique builders. And, again in my opinion, I think you get more quality from PRS vs. Gibson with a comparable guitar/price.
 
Im a fan of prs and found many of them that i really liked, i never wanted my prs to sound like a strat or les paul, when i want those tones i play fenders and gibsons. I will always have atleast 1 or 2 prs in my collection.
 
I am a big time Gibson LP fan, that being said I have a few PRSi sitting around, Awesome craftsmanship! Great playability! And to me NOTHING sounds better thru a Diezel or Boogie amp!! NOTHING! Not everyperson likes well built custom guitars with amazing tops on them that you cant even get on other guitars, or the small fact that they design a pickup specially for the guitar (sorry,pet-peeve of Gibson for me), sorry, I could go on and on, but I guess you either like them or not, if not, oh well.
 
gibson08":4wru2m21 said:
I am a big time Gibson LP fan, that being said I have a few PRSi sitting around, Awesome craftsmanship! Great playability! And to me NOTHING sounds better thru a Diezel or Boogie amp!! NOTHING! Not everyperson likes well built custom guitars with amazing tops on them that you cant even get on other guitars, or the small fact that they design a pickup specially for the guitar (sorry,pet-peeve of Gibson for me), sorry, I could go on and on, but I guess you either like them or not, if not, oh well.
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That "amazing tops" thing may be true for most off the line manufacturers, but I guarantee if you went to a custom luthier with $3,400.00 (custom 24 price) you could get yourself a private stock quality top that blows the 10 tops away. Sure, you could just get yourself a private stock guitar, but that is if you want to spend 8,000-10,000 dollars! There is no denying Paul knows how to run a buisness and create demand! I worked at Sam Ash for a little over a year, and I saw plenty more weak 10 tops go through the shop then I did great looking ones. I have personally owned 2 Custom 24's and an EG 3. One from 2001, and two from 1994. I could never get on with the neck or the tone, but the guitars were pretty damn good for staying in tune. I could play through a good 3-5 songs on stage (with solos) before having to re-tune. The two 1989 multifoil Custom 24's I played were a way different story though. They had a neck profile almost as thin as an Ibanez and were much easier to play. They were selling those for 2,000 back in 2003 at the local GC. If only I knew then what I know now :lol: :LOL:
 
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