The anti-PRS brigade

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I'm about to find out what all the dentistry fuss is about... I'm ordering a 408 to break my PRS virginity.
Also getting an ESP 7 from Brad.
Also getting a Les Paul (get this) that I plan on modding to offer coil taps and switches for in-out/phase.

Out of the bunch, the PRS will probably look the prettiest.
The Gibson will probably play the prettiest (as I'm used to them).
The ESP will probably be played the most.

My toof is hurtin' :D
 
I wouldn't say I'm anti-PRS, but I've kind of avoided them for reasons that have nothing to do with playability. The look doesn't appeal to me (and that's more of a personal problem, they are quite classy and everything, but I grew up with obnoxious 80's super strats and never completely moved on). I know that sounds shallow, but there are plenty of other options for guitars that have both the look and great playability I'm looking for.

That said, a buddy brought over a few of his last year, and they were spectacular to jam on. I have nothing bad to say about them as players from the few I sampled. But I still can't see myself as a "PRS guy", whatever the hell that means (I have this totally ungrounded fear I'd start playing a lot of fusion, and maybe grow a beard and dress really mellow, and children and old people would smile when they saw me).
 
Why would anyone hate a guitar based on the price point? Silly.

Again, I compare the guitar hobby to gun hobby. When I go to the range, nobody cares if I am shooting a Kimber or Taurus.

Musicians can be a weird group. That said, I fit right in. I bought a used PRS and it has a nice tobacco sunburst finish. Looks pretty, plays well, very versatile. It is not quite les Paul crunchy or fender strat twangy when coil split, but it covers both pretty well. It also has its own vibe. I like it and see it as just another guitar. It is quite light compared to my LP and if I am going to a jam with no real song list, I usually grab it.

It's just a guitar.... And why would anyone really care if a certain Internet forum group hates you or gathers to give you nut hugs for owning one.
 
PRS gets associated with all the groups in the mid to late 90's that got popular. All PRS and a Recto were the setup to use, in many manys still are.

GOD i love my sig. :lol: :LOL:
 
I have no clue. I don't own any PRS's guitars but the ones I have seen in person were excellent guitars. I think bashing and dentist comments are based on younger folks or others out of jealousy. The costs are not cheap for those guitars ans a lot of Gibsons but it doesn't mean they are not great guitars. Also I see folks play one single brand one time and hate the brand off of one try. There are great guitars and crappy guitars in every model line....yes your 5000 guitar may not be a great guitar or a guitar the fraction of the cost can be 2x as good ;)
 
It took me a while to find one I gelled with; that being said, I've played three in the last few months that were just spectacular guitars. The price point isn't an issue with me, as I usually buy used and you can snag used PRSi all day long for $1500 or so. My next guitar will be a used PRS SC 245.

As far as them having no soul, that's like saying guns kill people. Without a person to pull the trigger, a gun is an expensive well made rock. If you can't get soulful sounds out of a PRS it ain't the guitar, Jack.

I usually point those guys at Carlos Santana and ask if they think he's got soul.
 
No hate here.
I just don't like the feel of them. Played many. Planned on buying one. After playing about 20 of them I quickly realized they just aren't my thing.
Neither are Les Pauls.....
 
Steinmetzify":u0gj56fp said:
It took me a while to find one I gelled with; that being said, I've played three in the last few months that were just spectacular guitars. The price point isn't an issue with me, as I usually buy used and you can snag used PRSi all day long for $1500 or so. My next guitar will be a used PRS SC 245.

As far as them having no soul, that's like saying guns kill people. Without a person to pull the trigger, a gun is an expensive well made rock. If you can't get soulful sounds out of a PRS it ain't the guitar, Jack.

I usually point those guys at Carlos Santana and ask if they think he's got soul.
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Oh no you didn't just say that...

:lol: :LOL:
 
For me it's a combination of factors. 1) I'm admittedly a fan of more classic-looking guitars like Fender and Gibson. 2) I tend to not like the stock pickups in PRS guitars, they just sound kind of bland to me 3) The feel just doesn't feel like "home" to me, I'm sure if I bought one I'd eventually get used to it, not sure if it's the scale length or the neck carves or both. I don't think they play "bad," just not how I'd want/expect them to is all. Also *not* a fan of going crazy with inlays/abalone bs at all.
 
I just think that they get damned with faint praise with them being known for sounding halfway between a strat and a les paul.

At the music college I went to it seemed that every older guy there, and there were a few around 30+, would have a £3000 PRS, but would be a pretty awful or below-average player. I got it then why people consider them "accountants' guitars" or refer to them as players with "all the gear and no idea" and so PRS get dragged into that.


Personally, they're not my fav, but some of them can be really beautiful and the SE models are really cool guitars too.

Mike
 
I've tried many and have never found one I thought sounded full enough plus I rarely gel with their neck profiles and fretboard radius. Many of the ones I tried also come with some pretty small frets which I don't care for either. I would say the major factor that turns me off is the tone though. Humbuckers tend to be pretty hot but thin. I'd much rather have a Gibson and a Strat/Tele and pick which one up I want the sound of.

All that being said I believe they're well made and quality, I just don't care for the spec's they use.

Of course it doesn't help that I was in my band prime in the 90's and the look and sound of just one more PRS into a Rectifier just made my eardrums crawl. Hated that sound.
 
I've never owned one and have no plans to but I've played a couple spectacular ones, a whole bunch of nice average ones and a few duds. Just like most other guitar companys.

Though I think an average PRS is better than the average Gibson as far as mass produced guitars are concerned.
 
I worked for Cigar Center for a few years, and sold a bunch of PRS guitars. The only necks I could get along with were the wide/thin profile. Wasn't a fan of the baseball bat profile. Also, I think the factory pickups are pretty nice sounding w/chosen tone wood combinations. Ultimately, for me, I rather have an upper level Ibanez or Suhr, as far as production models go... Or even a MM.

Oh yeah, one more thing of note: I personally noticed a few inconsistencies from the factory, as it goes with EVERY manufacturer (ie. setups, fret jobs). It just happens when wood is involved, right?! Sometimes little things get by QC.
 
I've had a few PRS guitars over the years. I tried to like them but it didn't always work out. Only one of them I really enjoyed was a 513 with a beautiful tortoise shell finish. Loved it! Didn't like the trem as much, though.
Still....they are very well built guitars, regardless and they look fabulous. They work well for a lot of people.
You use what you like.
 
racerevlon":9aaji0kt said:
I've played MANY a PRS guitar. Most of them sounded good/great. All of them played like dog shit. I've never found a PRS neck I find to be anywhere near playable. All their neck profiles suck and there's also something off about the string spacing. I can go from Gibson to Fender to Suhr to Ibanez to Riszanyi to Moser to Epiphone to ESP to BC RICH to Charvel all day long, but give me a PRS and I become Edward Scissorhands. If someone gave me a $10,000 custom PRS I would sell it and buy 2-5 guitars I REALLY like.

Which brings up the final point. His prices are ludicrous and based solely on perceived value <cough>Gibson<cough>.
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I couldn't agree with this more.

I owned a 1997 PRS Custom 24. Bought it brand new. Sold it exactly 11 months later, because it felt like dog shit to play. It looked AMAZING. To this day, it's one of the best looking guitars I've ever owned, not to mention, one of the most expensive. However, it simply didn't live up to its looks. The problem with the feel of the guitar was all in the neck.

IMHO, one of the biggest problems with PRS necks is that they all have -- with the exception of the Santana model -- a 10 inch radius. That's a fairly vintage and rounded radius. Most modern guitars start at 12 inches at least and go from there. A 10 inch radius is like playing a Fender Strat neck. If you like Strat necks, you'll love PRS necks. If you like palying Stevie Ray Vaughn and the Beatles, then you probably love Fender and PRS necks. If you like playing Metallica, Megadeth, etc, then you're probably barking up the wrong tree trying to own a PRS or Fender. Before people start citing the Jim Root Strat, that has a compound 12-14 radius on it.

PRS has made some headway in this area a little bit. First, the Pattern Thin neck is actually a really good feeling neck. It's not too far off from a Jackson "speed" neck. Second, they're offering a new guitar called the Torero that has a 14 inch radius on it. I think PRS is getting the message, but they're just very slow at it.

Lastly, PRS prices are insane. However, people are easily amused creatures, and we like shiny things. The shinier something is, the more we'll pay for it. PRS guitars are very attractive guitars.
 
spirit7":2kjjpgvb said:
Why is it that people hate on PRS's for no logical reason?
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Jealousy disguised as indifference? :lol: :LOL: But seriously, your first problem is that you are assuming people are logical to begin with. My experience is that a great percentage of the population is not comprised of what I would consider to be "logical thinkers".

PRS' are fantastic guitars. I don't know how anybody could say otherwise. "They don't play well"???......That's just downright ludicrous. Maybe they don't play like an Ibby with a 1" Wizard neck and a 24" fingerboard radius (exaggeration ;) ), but that doesn't mean they don't play well. They just don't fit everybody's preferences, that's all.

I don't even currently have one, as I sold my only PRS back in the fall. I can't wait to get "the next one" though.
 
PRS guitars are great. The SE models, however are not. But you cant consider them a PRS, its like an Epiphone to a Gibson.
 
spanny":21edjtyd said:
PRS guitars are great. The SE models, however are not. But you cant consider them a PRS, its like an Epiphone to a Gibson.
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This is a valid and very important point. The SE models are NOT in the same ballpark as the real deal PRS'.
 
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