PRS Guitars... Who's made the switch

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Ventura

Ventura

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from, say, Les Pauls to PRS guitars?

I'm still borderline. I love my Lesters, and you're probably going to ask "then why switch?", but the versatility of these guitars seems awesome, as does the CONSISTENCY of quality control and finish and build quality. I've yet to try a few out - not easily accessible where I live, but I'm always a bit pissed at the access on the higher frets of my Lesters (but I've learned to live with it and love 'em), and the weight is up there too. Now, all this said, I LOVE the tone of a good Lester. And of all the Lesters I've had, I've kept the growling, sustaining, rich and sweet ones. But there's something really "intriguing" about these PRS guitars.

Is it just hype?? I'd love a 408, C22, and probably a PG or Eagle or Reserve Stock. But, what are they like???
 
Can't help you bro...played em, liked/loved some and moved them all. Nothing compares to the bluesy neck tone of a good LP for me. Every one I've had has been extremely well assembled and finished, from playing a friend's PS to the SE Santana I was jamming last weekend. They've got some serious quality control going on though...nothing comes out of there that the PS guys/PRS wouldn't play himself. They're completely worth it.

I've got a bro that works there and so does his wife.....if you want a serious deal on a C24 employee 2 year, let me know. It's a fantastic guitar.
 
Played Lesters for years, picked up two CU24 over a few years, still have the Lesters,...................
 
I switched from PRS to Suhrs, TAs, Tylers and Luxxtones. ;) Had a few Ernie Balls and Trussarts as well since my PRS days. I still like the original ME, but PRS is sort of like digital modeling to me - cool when I am playing them, until I pick up something else. :dunno:

Superbly made guitars though. :thumbsup:
 
Love mine, but they are their own thing. Don't expect it to replace or sound anything like your Pauls. I own a Tremonti and a Custom 22 (early one) and love them both dearly. Smoking hot guitars. But, I also own a great Les Paul because it was a sound I wanted. Any comparison of them to a Les Paul or Fender is a waste of time as well because they share very little in common with either when it comes to brass tacks.

I understand the dilemma of not being able to get your hands on one locally to try out, but it's definitely something that's worth a decent drive to figure out. PRSi seem to really speak to some guys, and do the absolute opposite to others. It would be best to figure that out before dropping money in a soft market and having to flip the guitar because you don't dig it.
 
JDinSC":34uozwqj said:
Love mine, but they are their own thing. Don't expect it to replace or sound anything like your Pauls.
Click to expand...

This.

If the sound you hear in your head is a classic Lester, you need to be playing a Lester. I think a lot of guys get into trouble with PRS guitars thinking that they're going to be the AND choice - "with the 5-way rotary you get the sounds of a Les Paul AND a Strat AND a Tele" or "you get the sound of a Les Paul AND the upper fret access of a Strat". Ain't no such thing as a free lunch. PRS guitars in my experience are consistently well finished, great playing guitars. But they really have their own feel, vibe, and tone.

I've learned this the hard way over the last 18 years. When I was first married, my wife bought me a new Cu24 when we really didn't have the money for it. I was playing in a variety of different venues with back-to-back gigs and couldn't get home to grab more/different gear. So I needed a rig that could go from quiet jazz standard supper club gigs to roadhouse classic rock in one package. My strats weren't cutting it, so I got the PRS. Loved it in the store. Love it when ANYONE else played it. Couldn't stand how it sounded in a mix when I was playing, mostly because when I hear myself in my head it sounds like a Fender single coil pickup.

The 5 way switch gets you a bunch of different textures, most of them in the same ballpark as other instruments, but it's not going to be a nuts-on rendering of a classic 'burst or the quack of a strat. Over the years I've come to understand what the Cu24 does well, and when that's what I ask of it I'm really, really happy with it. It's at Philtone now for new frets and a new nut, I really can't wait to get it back again.

Coming from a Lester, you may want to seek out one of the older McCarty's. In particular, I've played 3 or 4 of the McCarty's with solid rosewood necks. Every one of them was an exceptional guitar. It won't be a Les Paul, but they're very cool. A Cu22 would also be a really good choice. My fear with the 408 is that Paul is f-ing with pickup dimensions again, and you may be SOL if you don't like the existing pickups.
 
Didn't make a switch really, but I have a CU24. Great guitar that is not an LP or a Strat.

Very popular brand in New Rock Country. Has a cleaner take on an LP to my ears. Sometimes it is great for that edge of breakup. At the end of the day it sounds more like newer coil tapping LP's, the Fireburst LP I sent you a pic of, it sounds more like that guitar than my older Lesters.

For authentic old school rock or metal, it is close. Just depends on how close to the iconic tones you want to get. I thought about changing the pups in mine to get closer, but I can appreciate the CU24 for what it is. It is something different. But when I want to rock the fuck out... I pick up some other guitar. But I have lots of guitars. If I had to sell a guitar, my 30+ year old Gibsons and Fenders won't go. The JP6 smokes it for leads and metal. TAG and Suhr are rock metal machines beyond it. An old Ibby and the PRS would be the first to go. The old Ibby mainly because the Suhr and TAG pieces have it covered.

The PRS does lots of things very well. But.....of all the things i want a guitar to do, it is King of none of them. So in that regard, it truly is a well made Jack of All Trades.

Very well made guitar lots of people love. i like it a lot, not love. Just one guys opinion.
 
Checkout the DGT. Big frets, coil taps, 2 volumes controls, 3 way toggle, fat sounding pups. Also if you want strat tones check out the DC-3 and NF-3. Killer necks on those.

All I have now are Ernie Balls and a PRS DC-3. I've owned Anderson's, Suhr's, LP's, Fender's, etc, and PRS and Ernie Ball is where I'm at. Mostly because the guitars I own have the best necks for me. Axis, Luke III, and a PRS DC-3.

My last LP sounded killer but I got tired of playing to the point where I wasn't touching it.
 
I've played PRS for a while now. I have Barden 2-tones on my Std24 each with split capability.

I also play a 305.

That said, why is it either/or.
 
I owned a bunch of prs over the years but i only kept 1 of them and i never play it anymore, they are nice but i would rather play my lesters. I wanted to become a prs guy but theres something about them that i wanna dump them for more les pauls.
 
I switched to a PRS (custom 24 10-top) in 98, and back to a Les Paul in 2002.
 
I was an LP (Gibby and Heritage) for years. Finally found a few PRS that get that get close enough to an LP sound, an SC245, a DC245, and a Santana. I kept an R9 and LP Custom around for a while but eventually sold them because I wasn't playing them over the PRS anymore. I also found a really good Strat killer in the Brent Mason model. I never bonded with the Custom 24 or any of the models with the smaller necks. So I guess in my case I prefer the PRS models that are going right after those Strat and LP tones vs. the classic PRS spec models.
 
Seriously thinking about getting a PRS Stripped 58. I'm currently playing Tom Anderson and Jackson guitars, but I'm gassing for one of these badly.
 
Though I prefer the tone of my RO and GOs I absolutely love the versatility of my PRS Cu24s. They feel better in my hands as well. But you gotta have both. Nothing beats the bridge tone of a Historic LP.
 
Like many guitars, I highly recommend trying before you buy. I have played many PRS's before finding just the right one. Their quality control is very good; however, some are clearly better than others.

They do offer different neck shapes, pickups, 5 way, 3 way with coil tap, scale length, # of frets, etc.

I had a CE 24 (bolt-on maple neck - wide thin) that I sold to get a LP Custom. I love the custom, but I missed the PRS.

After a long search, I bought a limited run PRS with a 24.5 scale, wide-fat neck, with 59/09 pickups. I can honestly say this is one of the finest instruments I have ever played. Very resonant, versatile, beautiful, and the body and neck are very comfy. They have amazing quality rosewood and their fret size is just right. I also appreciate that they are always trying to make their guitars better with new pickups, tuners, nut material, etc.

Thankfully, I don't have to choose between the LP and the PRS -- I get to have both!
 
Awesome info thus far... Thanks Guys! Seems as though it's by no means a cut and dry situation. One of these days I'll pick a few up at a shop and test drive 'em. Till then, I'll remain a happy Lester kinda guy.

And there ain't nothing wrong with that :D
 
I see guitars as individuals ..... everyone is different. I really do not care who made it or the model. Either it sounds good to me or not. Some just sound great. Everything beyond the sound is much less important.
 
I started off with LPs in the late 70s. Like probably every other LP lover, I gravitated to them because my guitar heros played them (admit it people). Jimmy Page, Billy Gibbons - they were masters of what they did. I wanted to love them, but it always felt like I was fighting it. Played strats and Vs along the way. Had a break in playing, and went back to LPs. Still couldn't bond them they way I knew I should.

About ten years ago a friend recommended I try the new PRS Singlecut. Wow. It exceeded the LP in every single way. Playability. Comfort. Feel. I never looked back. And after owning dozens of PRS Singlecuts (SCs, SC Trem, SC245s, SC250s, Tremontis), the truth is that they are better made, better finished, and more comfortable to play than any Les Paul.

And tone? That's more about pickups/amp/cab than anything else. Face it - you are comparing two guitars of similar shape, materials, and construction. The two guitars themselves sound remarkably similar. The differences lie in the individual woods, strings, etc. They can't be attributed to Les Paul or PRS tone.

The idea of "Les Paul growl" or "meaty LP tone" that is endemic to only the LP is complete BS. Tone is a combination of many, many factors. Once you realize this, it's easy to simply pick the guitar that's right for you and then make adjustments to pickups, amps, etc, to get you where you want to be.
 
Since '96. I played LP's up until then. I've had a bunch. I like the McCarty standards(with different pickups) and the Stripped 58 best. I have 5909's in mine. My buddy had his LP custom(think it had classic 57s) and we actually had a hard time telling them apart with higher gain thru a 2 channel Recto and a Bad cat hot cat 50R. Clean tone the LP was a tad muddy and PRS had a touch more clarity.

The big thing is not trying to duplicate a LP, it's like anything - you can play 10 LP guitars and only 1 might sound and feel the way you think it should. I think PRS consistency is far superior, but they may all not do it for you. I played a couple SC-58(fancier than mine) and they didn't quite trip my trigger. Took a gamble on mine and had it shipped to me and it was stellar. I'd say check out the SC-58 and the 2013 SC245 to get you closest.
 
I have a Custom 24, Custom 24 25th anniversary and a McCarty '58. They are all incredible guitars and just as "toneful" as my LPC. But as someone above said, you have to have both!

Try a McCarty and a DGT first (or a ME) - they'll feel more natural to a Lester player. Then some classic C24s/C22s!

-C
 
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